The Competitive Bid: Winning a Large-Scale OD Contract Through Strategic Positioning

Meridian OD Partners is a 12-person boutique organizational development firm. You are the founding principal. Crestline Financial, a 9,000-person regional bank, has issued an RFP for a comprehensive culture transformation engagement following a 3-year merger integration that produced a toxic hybrid culture, a 31% voluntary turnover rate in middle management, and two high-profile EEOC settlements. The contract is valued at $1.2M over 18 months. You are competing against Deloitte Human Capital and a well-regarded national OD firm. Crestline's formal evaluation criteria weight technical approach (40%), firm experience (30%), and price (30%). Through a former colleague who now works at Crestline, you've learned that the CHRO championing the RFP is philosophically aligned with boutique firms but the CFO believes scale requires a Big 4 partner. The CEO has not expressed a preference. The final decision rests with a five-person evaluation committee.

Key Stakeholders

Donna Marsh

CHRO, Crestline Financial

Frank Bellucci

CFO, Crestline Financial

Your Senior Consultant

Internal Team Member, Meridian OD Partners

Learning Objectives

• Analyze competitive positioning in formal procurement processes for OD services
• Apply strategic communication principles to RFP responses and oral presentations
• Navigate informal political dynamics alongside formal evaluation criteria
• Develop a differentiated value proposition for boutique versus large-scale consulting firms
• Manage internal team dynamics during a high-stakes business development process
• Apply negotiation principles to pricing strategy and contract terms