Service provider Big Bamboo Bids has confirmed it has appointed bid specialist Ken Erskine to the role of managing director.
He is a certified member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) and has joined the consultancy to help build its achievements, with an ambition to grow it to become one of the leading consultancies in its field.
The division was incorporated in May 2022 and has won and retained work with clients in the construction, engineering, soft and hard FM and infrastructure sectors.
Mr Erskine’s career spans back to 1987, with a proposals manager role at John Mowlem & Company, and head of proposals at Carillion following an acquisition, before joining John Sisk & Son as regional bid director in 2008.
He moved on to work for Balfour Beatty in numerous work winning roles, most recently as national bid director responsible for leading and winning strategic bids, including a PCSA for an £800m mixed use development, a £250m confidential high security defence opportunity and a £4bn single source national public sector framework.
Mr Erskine’s most recent role saw him take up the head of bids and proposals role at Careys – before moving on to explore other opportunities, which led him to his current position.
He said: “Having spent 36 years working in bid and proposals in many of the UK’s leading contracting businesses, I am excited to be taking a leap into the world of consultancy.
“Having found myself in a situation where I was looking for a new opportunity, I was approached by numerous companies. Nicola, the founding director and I were introduced via a mutual connection, and it became clear very quickly that we both saw an opportunity for a consultancy that could offer something different and disrupt the marketplace.
“Big Bamboo Bids offers a range of services and has already established itself as a bid partner to many companies. My role will ensure that it retains what has already been achieved and that it capitalises on the opportunities that exist in supporting companies to win work – which I will also do myself, as an active consultant.”
Ms Stamford said: “Bringing Ken into the business is an exciting time for us. He is a bid professional at the top of his game, so I am confident he will help us to take the business to the next level, working alongside Racheal – our head of bids and Jamie, our senior proposals manager.
“I look forward to seeing what unfolds in the coming months and years and to working with Ken and the wider team to build Big Bamboo Bids into the business I know it can be.”
