Senior Bid Writer

Cognizant; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant's IPA unit seeks an experienced bid writer and solution expert to turn UK public sector tender questions into clear, compelling, high-scoring responses. You will work closely with the pursuit lead, solution architects, delivery and pricing teams.

The role requires extensive bid-writing and solution development experience for IT, automation or consulting services, plus a proven track record in winning UK public sector bids.

Qualifications

• Extensive bid writing and solution development experience for IT, automation or consulting services.
• Proven track record of winning UK public sector bids (central government, NHS, or similar).
• Strong understanding of public sector procurement, long sales cycles, frameworks and compliance requirements.
• Excellent written English, able to make complex technical content clear for senior decision-makers.
• Comfortable working independently under tight deadlines and handling multiple bids.

Responsibilities

• Write/Author and edit tender responses, including executive summaries, technical and quality answers, and commercial proposals for UK public sector bids.
• Interpret ITTs and RFPs, scoring criteria and client needs to shape win themes and compliant answers.
• Collaborate with solution architects, delivery leads and onshore/offshore teams to gather inputs and turn them into persuasive content.
• Support deal solutioning/shaping and pricing narrative with the pursuit lead.
• Manage bid timelines, reviews and final quality control.
• Build and maintain a library of reusable, high-quality content and case studies.

Skills

Bid writing

Solution development

Public sector procurement knowledge

Executive communication

Education

Degree (relevant field)

APMP certification

MBA

Tools

UiPath

AWS

Microsoft

Job description

The Role

IPA is a high-growth part of Cognizant’s IOA business, with UK public sector growing at 30%+ CAGR. We need an experienced bid writer and solution expert to turn public sector tender and questions into clear, compelling, high-scoring responses. You will work closely with the pursuit lead, solution architects, delivery and pricing teams.

The Role

IPA is a high-growth part of Cognizant’s IOA business, with UK public sector growing at 30%+ CAGR. We need an experienced bid writer and solution expert to turn public sector tender and questions into clear, compelling, high-scoring responses. You will work closely with the pursuit lead, solution architects, delivery and pricing teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Write/Author and edit tender responses, including executive summaries, technical and quality answers, and commercial proposals, for UK public sector bids. Storyboarding is key.
• Interpret ITTs and RFPs, scoring criteria and client needs, and solution/shape win themes and compliant, evidence-based answers
• Working with solution architects, delivery leads and onshore/offshore teams to gather inputs and turn them into persuasive content
• Support deal solutioning/shaping and pricing narrative with the pursuit lead
• Manage bid timelines, reviews (pink/red team) and final quality control
• Build and maintain a library of reusable, high-quality content and case studies

Essential Experience

• Extensive experience in bid writing and solution development, ideally for IT, automation or consulting services
• Proven record of winning UK public sector bids (central government, NHS, or similar)
• Strong understanding of public sector procurement, long sales cycles, frameworks and compliance requirements (e.g. Procurement Act, social value)
• Excellent written English, able to make complex technical content clear for senior decision-makers
• Comfortable working independently under tight deadlines and handling multiple bids

Desirable

• Familiarity with automation and Agentic technologies (Microsoft, UiPath, AWS)
• Experience writing C-level presentations and supporting orals or presentations
• Degree, MBA or APMP certification