Tender bidding
Ben Buckley, Chief Executive Officer, Football Federation Australia
Projects include: Writing and editing tender proposal documents for hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2015 and the FIFA World Cup 2022; editing FFA submission to the Australian Government
“John Carrick was referred to Football Federation Australia because of his editorial experience on major sporting tenders, notably as the writer of all of Sydney’s Olympic bid communications including the Candidature File.
In 2009 we invited John to assist on our bid to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2015. He acted as senior writer and editor on the bid document. In rewriting our offer to the AFC he brought the contributions of diverse internal and external chapter authors into a unified, clear and coherent style. We wanted the document to be a model of its kind and achieve the highest editorial, design and production standards. John helped us to do that. Our bid was successful and Australia is now preparing to host the event in 2015.
Preparing the bid document for our quest to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 was a complex and demanding communication project, taking many months and involving a range of authors. In 2010 we asked John to provide final editing and proofreading on the bid document of some 750 pages. John helped us to ensure that the document was clear, accurate, correct and consistent in style as well as fully compliant with FIFA’s detailed specifications for the contents of the document and its editorial format and organisation. His prompt responsiveness was especially valuable in helping us to meet a strict and demanding deadline for submitting the bid document.
John provided writing and editing services of the highest quality to FFA, in keeping with the top standards we set for all of our communications. On both projects his work was skilful, reliable and timely. He was able to work harmoniously with the members of our project team and provided FFA with value for money.
If the need arose we would call on John again. I would recommend his services for similar assignments when clarity, economy and effective communication are paramount.”
Neil Flett, Chairman, RogenSi, international pitch consultants
Projects include: Tender bid document writing for a wide range of corporate clients since 1993
“I recommend few writers to my clients for the writing of major tenders and proposals. John Carrick is at the top of the list, for three good reasons:
1. Because our clients tend to get too close to the detail of tenders, John can provide them with a clean perspective leading to more concise documents, without repetition or wasted explanation.
2. John knows that the act of claiming to have an ability does not in itself convince the reader, so he turns tracts of information into persuasive arguments.
3. John’s professional experience allows him to place himself in the decision-maker’s seat, asking the questions: ‘Do I understand this?’ and ‘What does this mean to me?’ The answers lead to clarity.
For those reasons alone – conciseness, persuasiveness and clarity – the investment in John’s writing skills has paid off again and again for our clients, from the Sydney Olympic bid to major infrastructure, construction, and business and professional services bids.”
Rob Abernethy, Head, AFC Asian Cup 2015 Bid, Football Federation Australia
Projects include: Writing the bid book for FFA’s successful tender to host the Asian Cup in 2015
“Dear John, On behalf of Football Federation Australia (FFA), I thank and commend you for your major contribution in the drafting of our AFC Asian Cup 2015 Bid Book.
A unique, multi-faceted and complex document, it will serve as the most important formal element of our proposal to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in seeking hosting rights for this prestigious regional football tournament.
It is a significant piece of work containing 20 chapters and some 250 written pages covering a diverse range of topics. FFA is very pleased with the final result that you produced as the senior writer and editor overseeing content creation delivery from many authors.
Your interpretative ability, creative style, consistency in theme and first draft accuracy was most complimentary to the outcome we were seeking. Equally important, your diligence and speed in content turnaround ensured that we kept within the strict project timetable of draft, review and completion.
Once again, I thank you for a job very well done and wish you all the best for the future.”
- Rob Abernethy, 12 November 2009
Rod McGeoch, AM, leading lawyer, company chairman and director, CEO of Sydney’s bid for the 2000 Olympic Games, founder and first Chairman of the Committee for Sydney
Projects include: Sydney’s and Bangkok’s Olympic bids, the founding document for the launch of the Committee for Sydney, major corporate tender bids
“John Carrick is a person of high intellect, outstanding analytical skills and a pre-eminent strategic thinker who, for me, has written to win.
Over the past 15 years or so, I led Sydney's Olympic Bid, advised on the winning Olympic Bid for Athens, chaired the winning bid for Australian Pacific Airports Corporation for Melbourne Airport, prepared Olympic Bids for Bangkok and Buenos Aires and was originally involved in the Australian Rugby Union’s Bid for a World Cup in the 1990s.
On a number of these occasions I have needed a person who has the ability to express in words what the team is trying to do in winning a particular assignment.
Carrick is my first and only choice as he absorbs himself in the project, becomes a crucial part of the team and in the end produces a winning piece of writing that exemplifies skills unique to him.
On my recommendation he has done similar work for some of the major organisations in Australia. If you want a wordsmith who attains world-class levels then Carrick is the man.”
Emmet Hobbs, Executive Director, Brambles Australasia
Projects include: Writing and editing documents for airport purchase bids, airport services tenders and business development programs
"John Carrick assisted the Australian Airport Services joint venture, in which Brambles was a principal shareholder, as writer and editor in preparing the AAS tender documents for bids to lease Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth Airports.
Brambles believes that investing in professional writing and editing services can make a contribution to our success in winning new business opportunities.
The personal aspect we like about John Carrick is that he fits in so well with the diverse team groups we have used. His ability to absorb complex issues and condense them into readable, clear, sometimes even enjoyable prose has made the association comfortable, reliable and fruitful.
I spent the first seven years of my working life in journalism, covering print, radio and television, in a senior journalist role for the last few years, before embarking on a business career. John's skills brought back so many memories of how clearly I should write."