C-360 Agency
- Client: C-360 Agency
- Service: Bid Manager
- Industry: Marketing
- Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Company Bio: For over 25 years, C-360 Agency (link) has been connecting brands with their target customers and delivering clear, measurable results. With locations in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, C-360 Agency has made its mark on the regional marketing industry. They’re a top-tier messaging company with experts who can provide a true 360-degree quality experience for their clients. From ad copy to public relations and social media solutions, C-360 offers comprehensive solutions for digital and traditional marketing services.
“We loved working together with The Bid Lab on our marketing RFP. Everything from their collaborative project management to their 24/7 responsiveness just clicked for us. Their efforts resulted in our win!”
– Lamar Lawson, Co-CEO, C-360 Agency
C-360 Agency Overview
- Drafted, designed, and developed a response for their first bid with The Bid Lab
- Developed language for content responding to vaguely worded procurement requirements
- Collaborated with client stakeholders to finalize response strategy and meet participation goals
- Turned around the first bid project in less than 5 hours
The Challenge
C-360 Agency has established itself as a major player in the marketing industry. However, they were hoping to make a name for themselves and spread their wings through bids and RFPs. Their first bid was a simple introductory project, but as the procurement language and instructions seemed unclear, C-360 Agency decided to reach out to The Bid Lab for help.
Unfortunately, the bid didn’t include many instructions about the structure or what information to include. Some of the language seemed vague; there was some hesitation and confusion about whether or not their responses would set up a situation of overpromising from the outset of the contract.
The most challenging aspect was the tight turnaround time. Ultimately, they only had about five hours before they needed to wrap up the project. But we at The Bid Lab have worked on plenty of marketing procurements in our time, so we had a pretty good idea of what to expect and how to respond to all kinds of bids– even those with very few instructions!
The Solution
The Bid Lab helped create a high-level implementation plan to help the evaluators visualize and contextualize C-360’s proposed solution as well as guidance on how to structure the response. We gathered past information to help organize a comprehensive brand library that we could use to bolster the current (and any future!) proposals.
The vague language in the procurement documentation added a layer of complexity to the process, of course. However, we were able to offer suggestions on how to word their responses. As the procurement’s broad phrasing left some room for different interpretations, we advised taking a cautious approach to answering any compliance questions that weren’t entirely clear. That way, C-360 Agency could propose pricing and other compliance items without feeling as if they were sacrificing some flexibility.
The urgent nature of this project meant we needed to work within a tight turnaround time, but together, we were able to successfully submit the response within the timeframe! Now, all we needed to do was wait for the results of the evaluation.
“Not only did we win that first bid, but the response was so good they gave us an extra 50K for the year just before the contract started.”
– Lamar Lawson, Co-CEO, C-360 Agency
The Results of the Engagement
Our turnaround time was less than five hours, but the short amount of time didn’t impact the quality of the project. After all, The Bid Lab helped C-360 Agency submit a winning response! That’s right– we were able to help C-360 Agency win the bid.
Since that first win, we’ve worked on several projects together. As C-360 Agency is a minority-owned business, we their story via a content library. After working with us, C-360 now has an organized digital repository complete with samples, branding, and language. As a minority-owned business, C-360 is more ready than ever to tell their story, seek certifications and respond to future opportunities.
With that big first win under our belt, we have high expectations for their subsequent bids. Although those results are still pending, we’re certain about one thing: we love working with C-360. We at The Bid Lab are looking forward to working with them for many projects to come.
Want to Win Like C-360 Agency? Work With The Bid Lab!
Are you struggling to respond to a procurement with vague language? Are you frustrated with the lack of direction or clarity within the solicitation documents? While you can always search for a new marketing opportunity with Bid Banana, our user-friendly RFP search engine, you don’t have to abandon your project just yet. Instead, trust The Bid Lab to help steer your response in the right direction! Feel free to reach out to The Bid Lab for a free consultation today. You can also give us a call at 1-844-4BIDLAB or email respond@thebidlab.com to learn more about how we can help you create a winning bid for your business.
