Certification: APMP® - Bid & Proposal Management Certifications
The Challenge
You’ve probably heard of Dell Technologies - a global powerhouse in the tech industry, celebrated for its innovative solutions and cutting-edge IT infrastructure. Before the company could roll out APMP’s Best Practices by certifying its staff through APMG International’s Accredited Certifications, it first needed to reflect inward.
Christophe Carrouget, EMEA Intake Manager at Dell, and his team set out to understand the barriers preventing Proposal Managers from adopting these best practices. Unsurprisingly, workload emerged as the key issue. In a profession as fast-paced and deadline-driven as proposal management, self-guided study often ends up at the bottom of an ever-growing to-do list.
“The teams were seeing the Body of Knowledge, with 64 chapters to review and learn, and feeling the fear of preparing for this exam by themselves,” Christophe explains.
Further exploring the challenge, Learning & Development Program Manager Maria Condacse asked:
“How do we share best practices internally among all of these proposal professionals?”
That question marked the beginning of a journey that started more than a decade ago, when Dell first began applying APMP Best Practices to its processes.
Dell’s community of proposal managers is vast, with 93 professionals spread across the globe. Implementing consistent processes and training programs for such a diverse and distributed group was never going to be straightforward—and Dell was no exception.
With an increasing number of professionals needing to align to best practices and the universal challenge of heavy workloads, the team needed a workable solution.
The Solution
Gaining a clear understanding of the problem gave the team a solid foundation to solve it. And solve it they did.
Dell recognised the importance of supporting its teams through the APMP certification journey. They needed to create a sustainable, accessible learning experience that empowered staff to succeed.
APMP certification is the global benchmark in bid and proposal management, designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and best practices needed to produce compelling, competitive proposals. The tiered certification structure supports professionals at various stages in their careers:
- APMP Foundation – Covers fundamental proposal management principles.
- APMP Practitioner – Develops deeper expertise for experienced professionals.
- APMP Professional – Recognises advanced strategic leadership in bid management.
In addition, there are Specialisms, including Graphics, Competitive Price to Win, Bid & Proposal Writing, and Executive Summaries. These targeted certifications reflect the broad range of skills, roles, and responsibilities within bid and proposal teams—ensuring learning is relevant, confidence grows, and collaboration thrives through shared understanding and improved processes.
However, delivering this kind of learning globally was no small feat. Christophe’s team in France chose to begin locally, building a scalable foundation before rolling out broader initiatives.
They recognised that the sheer scale of the Body of Knowledge (BoK) was a major hurdle, so they set out to change perceptions around workload.
“We created a group for studying the Foundation program together,” Christophe tells us. “We set up bi-weekly calls, which helped the group focus on the program despite business constraints.”
These scheduled calls struck the perfect balance—frequent enough to maintain momentum, but not overwhelming. They created a rhythm that fit naturally within the team’s busy routines and kept the group engaged and accountable.
To further ease the workload, Christophe’s team took a collaborative approach.
“Participants were asked to prepare one chapter of the Body of Knowledge for the call and present it to others,” he shares. “We were sharing the workload, which created this mutual commitment—this idea of ‘you do this for me, and I do this for you’.”
By focusing individually on just a few chapters rather than the entire BoK, participants found the learning far more manageable. The peer-to-peer teaching model not only enhanced knowledge retention but also boosted team camaraderie.
“Having peer-to-peer study groups meant our team members weren’t in a silo alone studying,” Maria explains. “They have friends on other teams they can rely on and ask questions to. They learn together. I would recommend those study groups to other companies, to make sure their people have support while they’re studying.”
This approach quickly spread beyond France, gaining traction across other regions at Dell—delivering consistently strong results.
But even the most well-thought-out plans can stall without champions to keep the momentum going. Dell had planned for this.
“APMP is embedded in our culture, and a big part of that is having someone who is a big believer in APMP promote it within the company,” Maria says. “Our APMP Champions have done a really great job of getting folks excited about APMP. It makes a dramatic difference to have leaders who are really focused on team members’ development, making sure they feel fulfilled and knowledgeable about the next steps in their career progression.”
Among those APMP Champions is Norbert Thiemermann, CPP APMP, a former APMP DACH Chapter board member.
“It’s been a hobby of mine to bring APMP and its advantages to the team at Dell,” Norbert says.
Champions like Norbert are typically seasoned professionals with deep APMP expertise, committed to mentoring colleagues and guiding their development.
“Experienced Bid Managers at Dell serve as mentors and coaches for colleagues preparing for APMP certifications,” Norbert adds. “They also assist with the challenges in day-to-day bidding activities, which promotes the exchange of knowledge and strengthens team spirit.”
By championing continuous learning and development, Dell ensures APMP best practices are embedded in its culture and operations.
The Impact
Christophe reports that more than 100 professionals have now earned certification within their community, alongside “good feedback from participants.”
As the official certification body for APMP, APMG International ensures the programme is rigorous, respected, and globally recognised. This gives Dell’s teams the confidence that their learning and achievements are both meaningful and credible.
“Dell is actively promoting and implementing APMP best practices into its internal training programs to increase efficiency and professionalism in bid management,” Norbert says. “New employees and existing teams receive regular training to ensure they are familiar with the latest bid management methods and techniques.
“We help colleagues to collect CEUs to maintain their certification, which means making sure they have the opportunity to go to conferences, to write articles, and to get training.”
Certification is only part of the picture. At Dell, the focus is on ongoing development rooted in APMP values.
“The principles and values of APMP are firmly anchored in Dell’s bid process,” Norbert says. “This is reflected in the way tender projects are planned, implemented, and evaluated.”
Maria credits Dell’s APMP corporate membership as a major factor in this success:
“That’s where the partnership with APMP is key. The culture that leaders have created really focuses on development for their Proposal Managers.”
The results speak for themselves.
Norbert describes an “increasing win rate of tenders over the years”, along with “greater professionalism, better project results and stronger competitiveness on the market.”
Dell’s commitment to sharing best practices and encouraging professional growth continues to fuel success across the business. It’s a culture of continuous learning that benefits both individuals and the wider organisation.
“We want more team members attending and speaking at conferences, writing articles, and sharing best practices,” Maria says. “It’s all part of building a very strong proposal manager community.”
By sharing their experience, Dell is inspiring other organisations to follow suit—raising the bar for excellence in bid and proposal management globally.
According to the APMP U.S. Compensation Report 2024–2025, just over half of respondents hold the APMP Foundation certification. A clear sign of the value of shared language and best practice in today’s bid and proposal landscape.
Stats
Over 12,000 + APMP certifications issued.
Recommendations
APMP got the chance to speak to some of the participants—and they are certainly seeing the benefits too.
Adam Ryba, a Senior Analyst in Proposal Management at Dell, called APMP training and certification a “gamechanger”.
“I’ve already started using what I learned in my daily work,” Adam adds. “It’s really boosted my confidence and efficiency—I believe it will keep benefitting me by keeping me up to date with the latest industry standards and best practices. I recommend participating to everybody!”
Michal Hergott, who works in Deal Operations at Dell, says: “Studying for the certificate while simultaneously leading a bid as a Proposal Manager works very well—it allows you to apply what you’ve learned and significantly enhances your understanding of the foundations behind best practices.”
“It’s helped me effectively kick off projects, plan activities with accurate time management, and deliver high-quality proposals with ample margin,” he adds.
