Meet Henri Datenis – Bid and Proposal Expert

How did you end up here? What is your professional background? 

My professional career started with several coordination type jobs, supporting departments and functions with coordination support to ensure work was staying on schedule and being delivered to a high standard. After about two years I was given the opportunity to step into the bid and proposal world, starting with supporting Bid Coordination for Allegis Global Solutions, part of Allegis Group. I quickly fell in love with bid management and decided to focus on that as a career path. After about two years of Bid Coordination work in Sydney Australia, I was able to secure a promotion to Bid Manager, supporting Allegis Group in the United Kingdom. I moved to the UK at the end of 2019 and stayed there for just over two years, working across several of Allegis Group brands, including TEKsystems, Aston Carter and Aerotek. In this time, I set up the bid function for Aston Carter, developing a library of content and processes for bid engagement. Due to personal reasons I needed to move back to Sydney Australia, and continued to work for Allegis Group once more, and then I was approached by ArcBlue.

How do you spend most of your days?

Most of my days are centred around meeting client deadlines and delivering high-quality, tailored, and distinguishing proposals. Once I have deadlines under control, I focus on process and quality improvements, ensuring that our teams have the resources required to efficiently respond to client requests and improve ArcBlue’s brand standing in the market.

What are you working on at the moment?

Currently I am working on several large public sector proposals due to the end-of-year crunch, as many organisations are trying to secure projects for next year and utilise their budgets. Additionally, I am working on improvements to our library of content, improving user experience and creating efficiencies where possible.

What trends do you see in your work?

Like mentioned above, bids and proposals tend to come in bunches, usually due to end of year or end of financial year. This means you usually have peaks and troughs in workload which allows you to focus on value adds and quality of life improvements.

What do you enjoy about working in consulting? 

Client requirements in consulting are constantly changing, meaning one client solution may be significantly different than a solution for another client. For bids this means that the documentation we are producing is constantly changing also, adding novelty to the day-to-day work, keeping me engaged and interested in every proposal, ensuring that the work I produce stays high quality.

What do you love best about procurement?

Procurement is an incredibly important part of an organisation, more so than what people think until they are forced to look at it. Having a strong procurement function allows organisations not only to save costs, but to negotiate strong terms with suppliers, improve the competitiveness in the market, drive innovation, and to support communities through social and sustainable purchasing. As part of ArcBlue I get to support clients with all these initiatives, helping them achieve their goals and drive business success, which is really rewarding.

What is the one thing you wish everyone would understand about procurement?

I wish people would understand that procurement is more than just buying goods and services. Procurement, if done right, will not only positively impact your organisation but can also strongly impact the communities in which you work. Supporting local businesses has never been more important, and having the right procurement strategy can greatly support local economies, driving growth and addressing disadvantage.

What are you currently trying to upskill in?

I am not doing any courses or anything at the moment, however I am looking into how I can extend my design and project management skills beyond bids, looking for opportunities to support ArcBlue and drive growth.

How long have you been at ArcBlue? What made you join us?  

I have been with ArcBlue for a year and 3 months now. A key reason for me joining ArcBlue was work flexibility. I wanted the ability to work remotely so I can stay more active with my family.

What project has been the most fun / the meatiest to work on at ArcBlue?

The largest project I worked on with ArcBlue was for procurement optimisation for an international airline, it had a large number of very pointed questions and a presentation to follow.

What’s the reason you love to work at ArcBlue?  

The people and culture at ArcBlue is great. Everyone is doing their absolute best to deliver high quality work for clients, sharing their experience and supporting each other as much as possible. I joined ArcBlue from a completely different industry and felt welcome, able to approach all staff, from consultants to managing directors, ask silly questions and get in depth answers.

What’s something not many people know about you?

I am a 1.5 generation migrant to Australia. I came from Lithuania with my parents at the end of 2004. I don’t have a Lithuanian accent, so most people think I am Aussie.