Meet Meggan Larner, Coniston’s Head of Bid Submissions

Long before work starts on site, someone has to get under the skin of a project. They need to understand what matters to the client, illustrate the right expertise from across the business and present a clear and structured plan. At Coniston, that someone is Meggan Larner, Head of Bid Submissions.

Her days range from reviewing tender documents and planning responses to finding new opportunities that suit Coniston’s experience and approach. It is detailed work, but there is plenty of creativity involved too.

We caught up with Meggan to talk about her unexpected route into bids, what makes a strong submission and why she still enjoys seeing a new project begin to take shape.

A creative route into bids

Meggan did not set out to work in construction or bid submissions. At 19, she started her first London job as a receptionist for a Tier 1 fit-out contractor. The industry was completely new to her, but it did not take long for the bids team to catch her attention.

“I thoroughly enjoyed watching the process and seeing the final product,” she says. “Back then, submissions were mainly hard copies. We would sometimes make the covers ourselves using boxes, coloured tissue and anything else that fitted the client’s brand. It was very creative and fun.”

Creativity had always come naturally to Meggan. She enjoyed English at school and regularly found herself designing internal posters, newsletters and invitations, often using little more than Microsoft Paint. That work eventually caught the attention of the company’s Head of Bids.

“When she asked who had created the posters and newsletters, I was worried I had stepped on someone’s toes,” Meggan recalls. “Instead, she told me how impressed she was. We built a lovely relationship, and she really fought for me to have a place in her team.”

Meggan moved from reception into a role as Assistant Bid Coordinator. A two-day course introduced her to the basics of the design software she still uses today. The rest came through experience “After that, I learned everything on the job,” she says. “Along the way, I found my own way of working and developed a process that suited me.”

What makes a strong submission

Meggan has a wealth of experience across a wide range of projects and sectors. Her background is mainly in Cat A and Cat B fit-out, alongside experience of aviation tenders, high-end residential work and public procurement frameworks. That variety has taught her that every submission needs to be shaped around its reader. Different clients have different priorities, and the language, evidence and level of detail need to reflect that.

“You have to understand what a client in that sector expects to see and read,” she explains. “That allows you to tailor the bid so they have a clear understanding of the proposed approach and how the project will be delivered.”

Meggan starts with the tender question itself and checks that the response covers the scoring criteria. The next test is evidence. It is not enough to say that Coniston can do something. A strong response needs to show where it has been done before and what was learned from the experience.

“Evidence is key to a winning bid response,” she says. “It is the difference between a generic response and one that gives the client confidence in our ability to deliver the work successfully.”

The structure and accuracy matter, but Meggan’s favourite part is finding the story that runs through the submission. “I love planning the story of a tender and reviewing the scope to see how a building can be brought back to life or renewed,” she says. “Seeing the potential of a property through the drawings or CGIs and working out how we can best support that process, is really exciting.”

What the job really looks like

No two days look quite the same. Meggan might spend a day reviewing tender documents and researching how Coniston could respond to a particular project. At other times, she will create a bid plan and work with colleagues to agree the story they want to tell through the submission.

She also keeps a close eye on tender portals, looking for projects that fit Coniston’s values and plans for the business. Potential opportunities are then discussed through a responsible bidding review before the team decides whether to proceed. That early decision-making is an important part of the job. The aim is to find work where Coniston’s experience is a good match for the building, the client and what the project needs.

“I enjoy finding the right opportunity for us,” Meggan says. “Reading a scope and knowing it aligns with our goals, and that we could provide the right outcome for the client, really motivates me throughout the tender process.”

And while Meggan enjoys the research, planning and creative side of the work, there is still one moment that stands above the rest. “Of course, winning a project is the biggest job satisfaction every time.”

Getting it right from the start

For many clients, a tender submission is their first detailed introduction to Coniston. It needs to show that the team has understood the brief and thought carefully about how the work will be delivered. A clear and accurate submission gives the client confidence that risks have been considered and that their priorities will carry through into the project.

The bid process is also important for Coniston’s delivery teams. Meggan works across business development and preconstruction, drawing in operational knowledge and helping everyone build a shared understanding of the client’s expectations. “Getting it right means delivering a submission that is completely aligned with the client’s requirements and objectives,” she says. “Success is knowing we have presented Coniston’s expertise in a way that is clear, relevant and compelling.”

The strongest confirmation comes through evaluation scores and client feedback. For Meggan, that shows whether the submission genuinely understood the project rather than simply meeting the formal requirements of the tender.

As Coniston continues to grow, she is also looking at how the bid function can develop. She wants to encourage greater knowledge sharing, support the team and strengthen the resources available for future submissions.

There is already a strong base to build from. Meggan’s focus is on continuing to improve the content library and internal processes, making it easier to respond efficiently without losing the care and quality each submission requires.

The person behind the role

For all the documents, deadlines and scoring criteria involved in bids, Meggan sees her job as being rooted in people. “People and relationships are at the heart of everything I do,” she says. “I enjoy bringing people together, sharing knowledge and finding solutions collaboratively.”

That applies whether she is working with a client, supporting a colleague or coordinating input from a project team. In Meggan’s experience, the best results come when people trust each other and feel able to contribute.

Her career has also taught her a great deal about confidence. Earlier on, she sometimes found herself walking into meetings feeling far less assured than she appeared. “Over time, I realised that confidence often comes from doing, rather than waiting until you feel ready,” she says. “Sometimes you have to trust your experience and capabilities before you fully believe in them yourself.”

Away from bid submissions, Meggan has another creative outlet. She is also a make-up artist, working on weddings and special occasions as well as more elaborate Halloween looks. “It is completely different from bid management, but it relies on many of the same skills,” she says. “You need attention to detail, an understanding of someone’s vision and the ability to deliver something they are genuinely excited about.”

Travel, new experiences and time with family and friends also help her switch off and continue learning from different people and perspectives.

Whether she is shaping a tender submission or creating a Halloween look, Meggan’s approach begins in much the same place: understand what someone is hoping to achieve and care about getting the result right.