Managing a Clash Between Two Experts on Your Bid

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about scheduling joint calls with two delivery experts who, it turned out, had ego issues with each other, avoided speaking directly and complained about each other to me separately. I have rewritten it into advice on managing a conflict between two experts on your bid.

I had promised to own the bid, including scheduling calls with the difficult new expert. To keep things smooth, I set up calls with him and with the expert I had a good rapport with. It backfired. The new expert spoke only to me and ignored the other, who did the same. I was the only person on the calls with no idea what was going on. After several calls and mails, I realised they had an ego clash, and neither would listen to me. They argued on every call and complained about each other in separate calls with me.

Why put two clashing experts on one call?

Usually because you do not know about the clash yet. Once you do, joint calls make it worse, and the bid pays the price.

How do you manage a clash you cannot fix?

Divide the work: give each expert a clearly separate part.
Meet separately: and combine their inputs yourself.
Bring them together only for decisions: with a written agenda.
Stay neutral: do not repeat one expert's complaints to the other.

When should you escalate a clash?

When it threatens quality or the deadline. Tell your manager what is happening, factually, and ask for one of the experts to be designated the final decision-maker on the solution.

How do you protect yourself?

Record decisions and inputs by mail. If the bid goes wrong, a clear record of who provided what shows that you coordinated responsibly.

What does the experience teach?

That coordinating people is part of presales work, not a distraction from it. Knowing who works well together is valuable knowledge to pass on to the next bid lead.

Can a clash between experts be repaired?

Sometimes, but not by the bid lead in the middle of a deadline. Their managers are better placed to address it after the bid. Mention it in your end-of-bid notes so the pairing is avoided or handled next time.