One of the biggest changes and perhaps challenges in 2026 will be how we as an industry adapt to, and navigate the use of, AI. To deny using AI would be like the bid writer of 20 years ago saying he will not use the worldwide web. Okay – but going to the library to find your information in books is going to take a lot longer and of course not everything is in books anymore. So, the question is not whether to use AI, but how to use it intelligently ourselves.

AI and Automation in Bidding

AI is not only being used by bidders. It is also being used by buyers and is influencing procurement in important ways. AI is being used to manage volume, complexity and risk. For example, some buyers are introducing automated screening functions, where AI is being used to check compliance and completeness before human review. Further, AI can be used to analyse the commercial aspect of a submission – pricing and assumptions can be tested for anomalies and inconsistencies. It is also being used to assess bidders’ narrative, scanning the language for generic phrases and to check the bidder’s credibility. The result of these added checks could be early elimination. Low-differentiation bids may also be filtered out faster.

AI can shape who gets attention early and can influence who gets seriously evaluated. Small weaknesses in a bidder’s proposal can surface a lot earlier in the evaluation process than they could before. So, clarity and consistency at the front-end matters.

AI in Bid Writing

AI may be capable of producing factually accurate and polished content for bids, making promises and guarantees that meet the buyer’s criteria. But from these rather generic responses, there will be a growing concern from the buyer as to whether the bidder has the means to actually walk the talk of the proposal.

In some cases, shortlisted bidders are invited to give a presentation or an interview in-person, which allows the buyer to put the bidder firmly in the hot seat. In this environment, buyers can interrogate the bidders as to whether they really understand how they would deliver this requirement. As a result, authenticity will rise to surface in these highly specific environments. Original content still wins – insightful, nuanced content that speaks to the buyers’ specific situation and has a tailored solution for them.

How Leading Bid Teams Use AI

AI supports better decisions, not just faster writing. The use of AI should be selective, purposeful – it can support scenario thinking and risk insight. It could be used to generate win/loss and evaluator behaviour analysis. It can support decisions by means of pricing, delivery and risk scenario modelling. The writer can use it to create faster drafts, which leads to more time for thinking and reviewing. In this way, judgement becomes amplified, not replaced. The judgement of the bid professional is amplified by AI – it provides additional evidence that they are able to use.

Authenticity is always going to stand out as a trust signal. There was a fear a couple of years ago that the bid writer was going to be swept away by the advance of AI technology. But AI is not something to be feared by the bid professional – it is to be used and deployed carefully. AI still makes mistakes – and if these mistakes are not caught it could fundamentally undermine your credibility as a bidder.

With the increased use of AI and number of automated tools available, there is a risk that bids will start to sound the same. Overly polished responses will lose their distinctiveness and could even mask shallow thinking. What would be insightful thinking – the kind of questioning, challenging, solutioning that goes into producing a brilliant bid – is undermined by generic language that has been polished. Insight, not fluency, differentiates.

Buyers are looking for orientation and judgement – looking to see that the bidder gets them, that they understand their customer or client base, that they have knowledge of the local markets that the buyer works in. It’s not just a matter of looking at the present. Buyers want bidders that can look to where the future is taking things, bidders who can see how things will evolve over the course of the contract – to provide the kind of insight that can de-risk the buyer.

In this way, authenticity will translate as a strong trust signal. So, it is good to ask yourself as a bidder: How authentic does this bid feel? Does it feel like it was specifically written for the buyer? Does it sound like junk mail? We want the buyer to have the feeling of receiving a handwritten letter. That this proposal was handcrafted just for them. Yes, we work in automated environments, and we make use of automated tools. But we are not a complete slave to them. Instead, they are our servants. Our decision making, our insights, are still going to be the main differentiating factor in our bids.

What Wins Bids in 2026

• Strategic Alignment: Clear connection to client priorities
• Commercial Realism: Transparent pricing and assumptions
• Deliver Credibility: Evidence-based operating models
• Risk Reduction: Safer, more defensible actions

These four factors operate together. Bids that win in 2026 will reduce uncertainty in a very uncertain world – just being brilliant without being realistic is not going to be safe.

The 2026 Bid Professional

There is a growing reliance on bid professionals. The role, in itself, has become far broader and more visible within an organisation. In effect, we are reframing our professional identity and our value to our employers or clients. The demand is high for expertise in that niche expertise that a bid professional or thought lead leader is able to bring. The bid professional may not have a particular space in the C-Suite but they do have influence. When the bid professional speaks, the C-Suite will often listen.

There is reason to be cheerful as a bid professional going into 2026. We are people that are highly relevant to the growth of a business, and to the success of an organisation. We are people that accept uncertainty. We are not looking for the status quo, for things to go by calm and quiet. We live in the real world – where things are changing all the time. We help our clients’ buyers to feel that it is safe and defensible to do business with us.

Another reason to be optimistic is that our clients are becoming more mature. Organisations now have greater resilience. They understand disruption and risk and recovery, especially after the seismic shocks we have seen recently. They make better decisions as a result, with access to a lot more relevant information. Technology is increasingly focused on efficiency, resilience and sustainable outcomes. Data, analytics and AI are improving transparency and reducing reliance on unchecked assumptions.

Professionalism within the industry is rising. Disciplines such as procurement, risk, and bid management are far more mature and influential. Clients are asking better questions and valuing credibility, realism and trust. Further, there is far greater accountability, particularly concerning ESG and EDI. People and organisations that were doing the wrong thing and getting away with it years ago, aren’t so able to do this anymore. ESG, governance, and regulatory scrutiny are raising the baseline quality of behaviour and delivery.

So, we have to move with the pace of change. As Justin Trudeau once said, ‘the pace of change … [will] never be this slow again’. The environment is harder, but not necessarily worse. It’s important to continue with the profession. Engage with your professional membership body, APMP^↗ – go to events, watch webinars, keep engaged. There is an increasing demand for thoughtful judgement, and bid professionals are a big part of the solution. In a world that is harder to navigate, the ability to help others to make confident, defensible decisions has never mattered more.