Your 2025 Bidding Report Card: Lessons Learned and How to Improve in 2026

As the year ends, it is the perfect time to take stock of your bidding efforts. Whether you submitted one proposal or twenty, there is value in stepping back to review what worked, what did not, and what can be improved next year.

Bidding is not just about the wins. It is about learning what builds visibility, strengthens proposals, and increases your chances over time.

Key Questions to Ask Yourself

1. How many bids did you submit this year?

Tracking total volume helps identify your capacity and set realistic targets for the year ahead.

2. What was your win rate?

Even a few strong wins can justify continued investment in bidding—especially if those contracts renew or expand.

3. Where did most of your opportunities come from?

Evaluate which sources or platforms provided the most relevant or winnable leads. Focus on quality over quantity.

4. What feedback did you receive?

Whether formal or informal, buyer feedback is a goldmine for improving your content, pricing, or positioning.

5. Where did the process break down?

Missed deadlines, rushed pricing, or inconsistent formatting? These are all signals that something in your process needs structure or automation.

What Strong Bidders Do Differently

Top-performing bidders consistently:

• Track and analyze their submission history

• Use templates to save time and improve quality

• Focus only on opportunities that match their services

• Invest time in tailoring responses to each buyer

• Ask for feedback and make changes based on it

Improvement is cumulative. Even small adjustments create big gains over time.

How Total Optim Bid Supports Your 2026 Bidding Strategy

As you enter the new year, Total Optim Bid can help you:

• Build a simple tracking system for bids, wins, and feedback

• Identify the right targets and set submission goals

• Improve proposal quality with ready-to-use templates

• Access coaching that sharpens your approach and positioning

Enhanced subscribers also receive curated RFPs and strategy tips each week to stay ahead of the competition.

Make Next Year More Focused and More Profitable

You do not have to win every bid to succeed. You just need to track progress, make improvements, and approach 2026 with purpose.

Visit totaloptim.com/bid to build a stronger bidding strategy that works for your business—not against your time.