I am still learning that.

I recently launched a whole new chapter of my career. I joined the team at nFold, pitch and proposal specialists. Now, let me tell you, jumping into the bid and proposal world from operations in the occupational health industry, is like being handed a 200-page RFP and being told, “It’s just a small tender.” You nod, you smile, and then you Google ‘difference between mandatory and desirable criteria’ like your life depends on it.

The first few weeks felt like standing in front of a compliance matrix in human form. Everyone else seemed to intuitively understand where to slot the executive summary, how to weave in the win themes, and why page limits are sacred commandments. Meanwhile, I was still trying to figure out how to version control a document without setting the entire folder structure on fire.

And then there were the meetings. Oh, the back-to-back meetings. No one warned me that bid life runs on a calendar with the velocity of a Formula 1 pit crew. Just as I finish digesting one project scope, I’m already being beamed into the next one— all smiles and “yes absolutelys” while secretly wondering what a kick-off meeting is supposed to look like and how on earth I’m meant to bring structure to a conversation that resembles a toddler birthday party in a tornado.

There I was, clinging to an agenda like a life raft, trying to establish “roles and responsibilities” while the room spiralled into file naming conventions, fonts, and whether “the client” is more of a bullet-point or narrative kind of person.

I wanted to shout, “I am still learning that!” every time someone mentioned a concept I hadn’t quite wrapped my head around. If I had a rand for every time I smiled and frantically took mental notes while pretending I wasn’t a deer in headlights, I would be outsourcing my learnings to AI by now.

Let’s not even talk about the new skills I’ve unlocked. I now use keyboard shortcuts like I’ve been training for a Ctrl+Shift+Alt Olympics, and I genuinely don’t understand how I ever coped with just one screen. One! How did I survive switching between documents, chat, folders, and spreadsheets without causing myself a minor existential crisis? Dual-screen life is the only life now. I may not have mastered everything yet, but I can copy-paste like a bid ninja on a deadline.

But here’s the twist: much like a car’s AI assistant, I’m getting smarter with every iteration. I’m picking up on industry buzzwords, understanding the tender lifecycle, and even starting to identify when someone’s trying to sneak in scope creep like a thief in the night.
Progress, people. Progress.

So yes, I am still learning that. Still asking questions. Still trying to find that one file that someone swears was shared yesterday. But I’ve realised that’s kind of the beauty of it. Proposals aren’t a solo sport. They’re complex, dynamic, and constantly shifting. Just like learning. Just like me.

So, here’s to proposal newbies, seasoned bid managers, and everyone somewhere in between. To RFPs that humble us, SMEs that frustrate us, and tools like ChatGPT that occasionally save our bacon.

And most of all, here’s to proudly saying that I am still learning that.

(And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go figure out how to make a value proposition sound like poetry. Again.)

Michelle is a fresh-faced proposal enthusiast at nFold, currently on a thrilling journey from “What does that acronym mean?” to “Here’s how we win this bid.” When she’s not deciphering RFPs or chasing down version control chaos, she’s drinking coffee and reminding herself (and everyone else) that she is still learning that.