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Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a bid with a very short turnaround, where I drafted the client questionnaire from experience and the delivery expert had little to add. I have rewritten it into a guide to writing clarification questions for a tight RFP.

With one bid dropped for lack of expertise, my manager assigned another the next day. It had to be submitted the following week, with questions to the client due in two days. After reading the documents, I judged it could be a standard response with some tailoring, and asked the delivery expert for his view. To my surprise, he asked for my input. I already had a list of questions from earlier bids, tailored it to this client, and he had little to add or remove. We sent it, hoping the client would take a while to reply.

Why do clarification questions matter so much?

Because they shape the scope you price. A good question can remove a risky assumption or reveal that the client wants something different from what the RFP says. On a short timeline, they are your one chance to reduce guesswork.

What makes a good clarification question?

• Specific: "How many users are in scope for the service desk?" rather than "Please share volumes."
• Tied to price or risk: ask what changes your estimate.
• Not revealing your approach: in open processes, other bidders may see the answers.
• Grouped by topic: so the client can route them to the right people.

How do you reuse questions from past bids?

Keep a question bank by service type, with notes on which questions produced useful answers. Tailor each set to the client's documents, and delete any question the RFP already answers, since those make a bidder look careless.

What if the client replies quickly?

Then the deadline is real. Plan as if answers will arrive the next day and there will be no extension. Hoping for a slow reply is how short bids become weekend work.

Should presales or delivery own the questions?

Both. Presales knows the patterns; delivery knows what will hurt later. A draft from presales, checked by delivery, is usually the quickest route.

Keep reading

• Asked for Overnight Changes After a Client Call?
• Your Weekend Work Was Called Irrelevant? Respond Calmly
• The Team Wants a New Approach Days Before the Deadline

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a bid that warned of weekend work but needed only minimal support at first, where I finished my deck in under an hour and spent the rest of the day browsing. I have rewritten it into advice on using slack time during a bid.

After the first conversation suggested weekend support on a tight deadline, I waited anxiously for the next day's call with the account team. They wanted only minimal support that day. I took the early call from home, went to the office, and finished my deck in under an hour, though I sent it three hours later. The delivery expert was very impressed with it. With my part done, I spent the day watching videos and looking at shopping deals, unaware of what was coming next.

Why hold a finished deck for three hours?

Many people do it so that quick work does not look easy. It is usually better to send it when ready. Early delivery gives reviewers more time, and fast turnaround is noticed.

How should you use quiet time in a live bid?

• Anticipate the next request: draft the slides that are likely to be asked for.
• Check the RFP again: for requirements not yet covered.
• Prepare for questions: write short answers on your assumptions and estimates.
• Rest if you can: quiet days before a deadline are worth protecting.

What does "minimal support" usually hide?

Work that has not arrived yet. On bids with tight dates, the heavy requests tend to come in the last few days, often after client answers or leadership review.

How do you build on a good first impression?

Thank the expert for the feedback, ask what they need next, and deliver it as quickly. Early trust makes the later, harder days of a bid easier.

What did I learn?

That a fast start is valuable only if you use the time it buys. Spending it on the next part of the bid is what keeps weekends free.

Keep reading

• A Same-Day Deadline Lands While You Are on Leave
• Asked for Overnight Changes After a Client Call?
• Why One Clear Task List From Onsite Cuts Rework

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I continued my account of the first day of the 2015 Chennai floods, when my MacBook Pro ran out of battery around 7pm and took my hotspot, and every connected device, down with it. I have rewritten it into advice on planning devices and power for a long outage.

After shutting my office laptop, I kept browsing on the MacBook Pro in hotspot mode. I had an old Samsung Galaxy phone and an iPod Touch, both charged to 100%. By about 7pm the MacBook Pro was out of battery, and since it was the hotspot, everything else lost the internet. The rain kept pouring. For the first time I went down to the portico to look, saw the rain lashing everywhere, and went back in after a few minutes. I did not know it was the last time my phone would have signal at home.

What went wrong with the setup?

Everything depended on one device with the largest battery drain. When it died, so did the connection for all the others. A phone hotspot would have lasted longer and cost less power per hour.

How should you plan devices for an outage?

• Give each device a role: phone for calls and messages, one device for news, one kept off as reserve.
• Avoid single points of failure: do not route everything through one device.
• Download entertainment and documents early: offline content needs no signal.
• Know where signal is strongest: near a window or on a higher floor.

What happens to mobile networks in a flood?

Towers run on grid power with limited backup. In long, widespread outages, as in Chennai in 2015, the backup runs out and coverage disappears. Expect your signal to fail after a day or so, and send important messages early.

Is it safe to go out and look?

Only within the building and away from water, wires and basements. Floodwater hides open drains and live cables. Staying in was the right choice.

Keep reading

• Seeing Your iPhone Battery From a Mac
• Replacing an Old First-Generation Chromecast
• Moving From Windows To Mac: What Actually Ports

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about feeling devastated after hearing colleagues' hikes, and then being asked directly for my hike percentage by a manager on my team, who I later felt had betrayed me. I have rewritten it into advice on handling questions about your pay.

After learning that one colleague had almost the same hike as me and another had an unimaginably large one, I was upset and blamed my luck. I did not want to work on my bids, since I felt I had put in more effort than others. I wanted to go home early. Then a manager on the team messaged me and, without hesitation, asked my hike percentage. After a pause, I said I had not calculated it yet. He said he wanted to check whether hikes differed between our team and delivery. I later came to believe he had used the information against me.

Do you have to tell a colleague your hike?

No. Pay is personal, and many companies ask staff to keep it confidential. Declining politely is always acceptable: "I would rather not share numbers, but I am happy to talk about the process."

Why do people ask?

Curiosity, comparison, or to gather information for their own negotiation. Sometimes, as in my case, for reasons that are not in your interest. You cannot always tell which, so it is safest to share nothing specific.

How do you manage the disappointment of a low hike?

• Wait a day before reacting: first calculations are often wrong.
• Check the facts: fixed pay, variable pay and effective date.
• Ask your manager for the reasoning: calmly, with your achievements listed.
• Keep working well: a visible dip in effort can affect next year's rating.

What if a colleague uses your pay information against you?

There is often little to be done after the fact. Learn from it, keep future conversations general, and raise any misuse with your manager or HR if it affects your work.

What should you say instead of a number?

Something honest and general: that you are still reading the letter, or that you prefer to keep pay private. You can also ask how the revision process worked in their team, which gives useful context without exposing your own figures.

Keep reading

• Waiting for Your Rating: Handling the Questions
• Company Says Jobs Are Safe but Your Team Is Silent
• A Same-Day Deadline Lands While You Are on Leave

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.

Keep reading

• Asked for Overnight Changes After a Client Call?
• The Team Wants a New Approach Days Before the Deadline
• A Same-Day Deadline Lands While You Are on Leave

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote that, after trying several fuel brands in my Ford EcoSport, Bharat Petroleum seemed to give me the best mileage, and compared the EcoSport's low running costs with the high maintenance bills of my earlier Hyundai i20. I have rewritten it into a guide to fuel brands, mileage and running costs.

By that point I had driven my EcoSport about 27,000 km and spent around Rs 8,000 on maintenance, including filters, oil changes and punctures. My earlier Hyundai i20 had cost me far more in maintenance over the years I owned it, and I eventually sold it through Ford at a price I was happy with. In my experience, Bharat Petroleum fuel gave the EcoSport better mileage than the other brands I tried. I also felt that cars had become a way to show off wealth, when they should simply be a comfortable way to get somewhere.

Does the fuel brand really change mileage?

Regular petrol and diesel from the main oil companies in India are made to the same national standard, so large differences between brands are unlikely. What does vary is how much fuel is actually dispensed, fuel quality at a particular pump, and how you drive. My observation was personal and not a controlled test.

How do you measure mileage properly?

• Fill the tank to full: reset the trip meter.
• Drive normally: until the tank is well down.
• Fill to full again: divide the distance by the litres added.
• Repeat several times: at the same pump, before comparing brands.

Are premium fuels worth it?

Mostly for engines designed for higher-octane fuel. For ordinary engines, the benefit is usually small compared with the extra cost. Check the owner's manual.

What drives maintenance costs?

Service intervals, parts prices, the brand's service network and how the car is driven. Keep records of every service; they help when selling. Ford stopped making cars in India in 2022, so owners now rely on its remaining service support and independent garages, which is worth checking before buying a used Ford.

Is a car a tool or a status symbol?

That is a personal choice. Buying the car you need rather than the one others expect usually saves a great deal over its life.

Keep reading

• Ford's Chennai Restart Changes Nothing for EcoSport Owners
• Repair or Replace an Ageing Car? How to Decide
• Used EV Resale In India: Nobody Can Price The Battery