John Hudson – In Conversation With (Creative Tenders)

Why do you think Creative Tenders was an instant success?

For me the answer is simple.  We created a platform specific to the creative sector that was easy to use, wasn’t complicated like most platforms on the market and we ensured that the product does what it says on the tin.

As a business, we know how to communicate to creatives due to our sector knowledge which helped us to understand the pain points when tendering in the sector and how we should work towards minimising these through the effect build of the product.

What do you see changing in the world of procurement over the next 3 years?

More opportunities for SMEs.  The government have announced they will spend £1 in every £3 with SMEs by 2020. Coming down from £1 in every £5 which is the current standard.  An approximate £15billion will be spent annually with SMEs either directly or through the supply chain.

For this to happen I believe government need to strongly address how they buy and the scoring systems they put in place for purchase to ensure fair procurement processes with a reduction on ‘free pitching’ which is a major bug bear of directors here at Creative Tenders.

What’s your thoughts on the current procurement practices for our government?

Procurement has improved a lot since we started tendering but they still have a very long way to go.  We’re seeing a lot less handshakes and more open procurement processes with sufficient feedback for agencies to improve their tendering next time round. However, we’re still seeing horror stories and wasted pitching which needs to stop.

Feedback is business critical for agencies who tender.  They need to be able to improve to ensure tendering is a viable route to market, so we’re spending some time working with government procurement departments to fly the flag for the sector and to make sure we’re heard as a united voice.

What is your hope for the UKs creative sector?

I hope that we become the world leaders for setting creative design trends, which I believe we’re extremely strong, and that our UK businesses look Internationally for their work.  The perception of the UK design capabilities is fantastic, the US love British design so let’s embrace that and start growing our client base outside of the UK.

You’ve chosen Boston as your first US office, why is this?

Massachusetts is the closest state to the UK, so logistically it is the easiest for our commute.  We’ll need to be in the US a lot over the first 24 months so we need to think about ease of travelling and distance to New York.  We’ve recently attended Inbound in Boston, Hubspot’s event, which has a fantastic community and 20,000 businesses gather to hear what’s new in the world of inbound marketing.

America will be a challenge as there is a lot less structure in America when it comes to procurement, but our product will provide businesses with the much needed process to carefully and correctly select its suppliers.

What’s the future for Creative Tenders?

Creative Tenders has a 15-year business plan.  This business plan evolves every 3 months during our management meeting, but the core goals remain the same, just the delivery behind them evolves as technology and external factors evolve.

First, we’ll crack America and ensure the products we develop for our customers are built with the customer in mind, ensuring our core goal of growing the UKs creative sector remains at the forefront of what we do.

What can agencies expect when working with Creative Tenders?

Great customer service and a product which is easy to use that benefits our buyers.  After attending Inbound and meeting many of the world leading SaaS businesses we believe America leads the way with regards to customer service.  I know it’s a real cliché but I genuinely feel this is how we gain loyalty from our customers.

If you could explain Creative Tenders in 3 words what would you say?

Effective, simple, approachable.