International Day of Bids and Proposals
September 29
About International Day of Bids and Proposals
The International Day of Bids and Proposals falls on Tuesday, 29 September 2026. Established in 2023 by BidCraft in partnership with the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), the day honours the bid managers, proposal writers, and tender specialists who work behind the scenes to win the contracts that keep organisations running.
When Is International Day of Bids and Proposals?
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 September | Tuesday |
| 2027 | 29 September | Wednesday |
| 2028 | 29 September | Friday |
What the Day Is About
Bid and proposal teams respond to tenders and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that determine which companies win public and private contracts worth billions of pounds each year. UK government procurement alone accounts for more than £300 billion annually, the majority of it competitively tendered. The quality of a written submission frequently decides the outcome.
Despite this commercial significance, bid writers and proposal managers rarely appear on an organisation chart. The day was created specifically to address that invisibility. APMP, the global authority for the profession, describes the role as combining “strategic thinking, project management, and persuasive writing under relentless pressure” — skills that sit across disciplines without belonging clearly to any one of them.
How to Mark the Day in 2026
In 2026, a free in-person gathering takes place on 29 September at the House of St John’s, Queen Square, Bath, bringing bid professionals together for informal networking. Registration details are on the APMP Fellow Steven Coles’ website. Similar events have run in previous years across London, Sydney, and Washington DC.
Other ways to mark the day at work:
- Organise an internal recognition moment for your bid and proposals team
- Share a case study of a recent win on LinkedIn using #IDBP
- Run a lunchtime workshop on proposal structure or executive summary writing
- Invite a bid professional to present to a wider team on how tenders work
- Nominate a colleague for an APMP award or spotlight their contribution publicly
Professional Development and Community
APMP certifies practitioners at Foundation, Practitioner, and Professional levels and runs chapters across the UK, ANZ, Americas, and EMEA. The Global Bid and Proposal Summit runs annually as a multi-day virtual event across time zones, reflecting the international spread of the profession.
BidCraft maintains a community hub for the day at bidcraft.com where practitioners can register for events and share resources.
Related Dates in September
See also: all September awareness days and Business and Finance awareness days.
Last reviewed: 16 September 2026.
2026 Awareness Days Wall Planner
Every key awareness day at a glance. Perfect for offices, staff rooms, and team planning.
View Calendar →
