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Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a short-deadline bid where the client answered our questions the next day and refused any extension, the account team pushed everyone to work the long weekend, and I told them our delivery teams were not available. I have rewritten it into advice on setting limits on bid work over holidays.

I had two bids: one with almost no work, and one due within a week. We sent our questions and, as usual, hoped the client would take time to reply and extend the deadline. Instead, the client answered the next day and said clearly there would be no extension. The account team started pressing every team for inputs and suggested working through the coming long weekend. I replied that our delivery teams were not available over the holiday but would respond the next working day and deliver before the deadline.

Is it reasonable to refuse holiday work on a bid?

Yes, if you can still meet the deadline. What the account team needs is confidence that the submission will be on time. A clear plan that avoids the holiday is often better received than reluctant weekend work.

How do you say no without damaging the relationship?

• Offer a date: when your inputs will arrive, before the deadline.
• Show the plan: who does what, and when.
• Offer a small window: for urgent questions, if the team can agree to one.
• Copy your manager: so the commitment is backed.

Why do clients refuse extensions?

Because their own timelines are fixed by budgets, contracts ending or board approvals. Plan every bid assuming the stated deadline is final.

What should you do before a long weekend?

Finish what you can on the last working day, list open items with owners, and agree the first task for the day after the holiday. A good hand-off lets everyone rest.

Did it work?

The response went in before the deadline. Setting the boundary early, with a plan, turned out to matter more than working every available day.

Keep reading

• Finishing a Proposal Deck on a Tight Deadline
• Running a Client Review Call So Changes Surface Early
• Last-Minute Changes Before Submission: What to Do

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a bid that started with a few hours of work a day and grew until it filled every day, with weekend support looming even though I rushed to finish early. I have rewritten it into advice on managing a growing bid workload.

At first the new bid was light. I finished my work in a few hours and had the rest of the day to myself. As days passed, I was given more and more slides, and the work filled whole days. The account team had already asked for weekend support, and I dislike working weekends, so I finished everything as fast as I could, hoping to keep the weekend free. By Friday the workload was still high, and I was sure I would be supporting the bid over the weekend.

Why does bid work grow?

Client answers arrive, reviewers add requests, and the story of the proposal changes. The final week of a bid often carries most of the work, however quiet the start.

How do you keep a growing workload under control?

• Track every request: with who asked and when it is due.
• Push back on duplicates: merge slides that say the same thing.
• Use templates: for recurring content such as governance and transition plans.
• Tell your manager when it doubles: they may add help or reset priorities.

Does working faster protect your weekend?

Only partly. Speed helps, but if new requests keep coming, finishing early just brings the next request sooner. Agreeing what "done" means for your part is what protects the weekend.

How do you make weekend support lighter?

Agree fixed windows, keep changes to review comments rather than new sections, and make sure your drafts are complete on Friday so only edits remain.

What is the lesson?

Plan for the final week to be the busiest, whatever the first week looks like.

Should you mention the extra hours?

Yes, factually. A short note to your manager listing what was added and the time it took helps them plan the next bid, and it is useful evidence at appraisal time.

Keep reading

• Finishing a Proposal Deck on a Tight Deadline
• Escalated Over Unaddressed Review Comments? Respond
• When Your Manager Assumes Old Slides Can Be Reused

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I continued my account of the 2015 Chennai floods: calling my parents to say I was safe, going to bed at 8pm with Tintin ebooks on my iPod Touch, and waking at 2am to thunder and the loss of mobile signal. I have rewritten it into advice on keeping in touch and keeping calm when the network goes down.

After a short walk around the apartment block, I called my parents to tell them it was pouring in Chennai, that I was safe at home, and that I would call the next morning. They were relieved. I went to bed around 8pm, earlier than ever in my life. One good decision I had made earlier was downloading about 18 Tintin ebooks to my iPod Touch, which kept me company for two long days. I slept for four or five hours and woke at about 2am to constant thunder and lightning. It was clear the rain would not stop soon, and the hope of power by morning faded.

What should you tell family before the network fails?

• That you are safe: and where exactly you are.
• When you will next contact them: and that silence may mean no signal, not danger.
• Who else can reach you: a neighbour or building contact.

How do you keep going with no power or signal?

Offline books, music and games make hours pass. A routine helps: fixed times to eat, check the phone and look outside. Sleep when you can, since nights in storms are often broken.

Is it normal to feel anxious?

Yes. Loud storms, darkness and isolation are stressful. Keeping busy and in contact with neighbours helps more than scrolling for news on a failing battery.

What should you check when you wake in a storm?

Water levels near the building, any sound of water inside, and whether neighbours need help. Keep a torch by the bed, not your phone.

What was the most useful thing I did?

The call to my parents while the network still worked. It spared them days of worry when my phone went silent.

Keep reading

• Back From Leave After Someone Covered Your Work
• Last-Minute Changes Before Submission: What to Do
• Naming a Backup Contact Before Leave: Ask First

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about recalculating my hike at home and finding I had made an error, so the percentage was higher than I thought, and then discovering how much of the increase went to tax. I have rewritten it into a guide to what a hike means for take-home pay.

After a manager on the team asked for my hike percentage, I went home unhappy and did not want to look at the letter again. Curiosity won, because I wanted to know my new salary and how much I could save for retirement. My numbers did not match the letter. I realised I had made a big error earlier, and the hike was higher than I had thought: not huge, but not small either. Then I worked out the final package and found that much of the increase went to tax, so the net gain was lower than I expected.

Why does a hike feel smaller in take-home pay?

Because the extra income is taxed at your highest slab rate. Provident fund contributions tied to basic pay may also rise, which is saving rather than loss, but it reduces the monthly credit.

How do you estimate take-home pay after a hike?

• Start with new fixed pay: the monthly amount before deductions.
• Subtract PF and professional tax: from the salary slip structure.
• Work out income tax: under the regime you have chosen, using the current slabs.
• Compare with last year's net pay: that is your real monthly gain.

Which tax regime should you pick?

It depends on your deductions. The new regime has lower rates and fewer deductions, and is the default; the old regime can suit people with large deductions such as home loan interest. Tax rules change often, so check the current slabs each year or ask a tax professional.

How do you make the most of a hike?

Increase retirement and savings contributions straight away, before spending rises to match. Even directing part of the net increase into savings makes a difference over time.

Keep reading

• India's Tax Trap: How GST and Income Tax Squeeze Earners
• Thinking of Switching Jobs? Manager, Pay and Growth
• Got the Top Rating? How to Use It at Hike Time

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about closing a complex bid with two feuding delivery experts, helped by a capable associate the cooperative expert brought in, while the difficult expert commented on every input. I have rewritten it into advice on getting a hard bid over the line.

I had hoped the bid would be dropped, but it was going to the client, so I had to work with both experts. To ease the load, the cooperative expert added one of his team members, who had good skills and gave me the information I needed. The difficult expert still had opinions on every input we collected. My advantage was time: the deadline was close. When other teams started questioning the estimates, the difficult expert was too busy on those to pay attention to the delivery inputs we were collating, which let us finish.

What helps most in the last days of a hard bid?

• A capable extra pair of hands: ask for one early rather than late.
• A frozen scope: no new sections after a set date.
• A single decision-maker: for each part of the solution.
• Short daily check-ins: open items, owners, blockers.

How do you handle constant comments from one person?

Log them, accept the ones that improve the response, and ask the decision-maker to rule on the rest. Not every comment needs to be answered before submission.

Why does a deadline sometimes help?

Because it forces decisions. Arguments that run for weeks end when the submission time is fixed. Use the deadline to close debates.

What should you do after submission?

Thank the people who helped, especially the associate who stepped in, and copy their manager. Write short notes on what worked and what did not for the next bid lead.

When is it right to hope a bid is dropped?

When the team cannot deliver a credible response. Hoping quietly does not help, though. If you think the bid should not go ahead, say so to your manager with reasons, early enough for the account team to decide. If it goes ahead, commit fully.

How do you recognise a helpful associate's work?

Name them in the submission mail, describe what they contributed, and mention them to their manager. People who step in on hard bids are easier to find next time when they know their help was noticed.

Keep reading

• Finishing a Proposal Deck on a Tight Deadline
• Last-Minute Changes Before Submission: What to Do
• Back From Leave After Someone Covered Your Work

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a bid that looked small, needing only estimates, until on the first early-morning call I learned my team was also expected to produce a deck. I have rewritten it into advice on reading a bid's scope correctly from the start.

I was assigned a bid with a delivery contact, and it seemed tiny: only estimates were needed. I expected a quiet week. The first call was at 9:30am, and waking early for an office call is my least favourite start to a day. The call covered what each of the three teams involved needed to provide. I was not paying much attention until they mentioned my team and said they might need a deck as well as estimates. Now I had real work to do.

Why do small bids turn out bigger?

Because the assignment note often describes the minimum. The kick-off call is where the account team sets out what it actually wants, and several teams' needs are combined.

How do you get the scope right early?

• Read the RFP before the kick-off: note anything your team might own.
• Listen for your team's name: and ask about deliverables directly.
• Confirm by mail after the call: what your team will provide, and by when.
• Ask about format: slides, a written response, a pricing sheet, or all three.

How do you prepare for early calls?

Set out what you need the night before, join a few minutes early, and keep the RFP and your notes open. Being alert for the first 15 minutes matters most, because that is when scope is set.

What if the scope grows after the kick-off?

Raise it quickly, with the extra effort it needs, so dates can be adjusted or help added. Silent scope growth is how bids end in late nights.

What did I learn?

That there are no small bids until the kick-off call says so.

How do you avoid missing your team's part on a crowded call?

Ask the organiser at the start whether your team will be asked for anything beyond estimates. A direct question in the first minutes saves you from hearing it for the first time halfway through.

Keep reading

• Running a Client Review Call So Changes Surface Early
• Finishing a Proposal Deck on a Tight Deadline
• Naming a Backup Contact Before Leave: Ask First