We recently had the chance to connect with Maurice Harary and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Maurice, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
That only big companies should be submitting competitive bids, contract opportunities, or Requests for Proposals (RFPs). But RFPs aren’t just for established big-box businesses. In fact, we cater specifically to small and medium-sized businesses and organizations. So many clients come to us with no previous experience in the bidding process. Plenty come to us at the eleventh hour, stressed and overwhelmed. We’re lucky to work with a variety of industries and projects, and so we do our best to carry over our experience and positivity to every client interaction. It’s easy to have fun while working on RFPs. And we’re incredibly dedicated to helping fellow small businesses build their own competitive bids.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Maurice Harary, the co-founder and CEO of The Bid Lab. I’ve been able to establish a successful business that’s dedicated to helping small and medium-sized businesses find, manage, and build their RFPs and proposals. Together with my co-founder and wife, Jordan, and my team of expert bid writers and project managers, I’ve helped countless companies win their first multi-million dollar deals. Our own initial startup has only continued to expand into a lucrative company over the past few years; we’ve since launched Bid Banana, a new subscription software that helps businesses find fresh bid opportunities. In 2025, our company earned a spot on the Inc. 5000.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I co-founded my company with my wife, Jordan, so her impact on both my personal and professional life is pretty significant. I already knew my wife and I would make great business partners because of how well we communicate in our personal lives. We extend that great communication, supportive ear and sense of fun throughout our relationships with clients and employees. As co-founders, I’ve learned so much about myself by working with her. We have very complementary work styles.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Nothing brings your attention to the little things in your life more than an unexpected crisis. Just as our business was starting to grow at a really rapid rate, my oldest daughter was born extremely prematurely. Seeing my daughter fight to be healthy made me reassess my priorities in life. If she could fight to be here, I could fight to create something for her to rely on and be proud of. So, when things seem challenging, I think about my family, about the future, and about why I’m doing what I do. And that gives me all the motivation I need to push forward. When I feel overwhelmed or when the unexpected happens, I think about how far we’ve come and about all the small steps we take each day to do better, and it fuels my resilience. I think about how my actions today will help me build for the future, and that’s how I regain focus.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
In our industry, the biggest lie we’re telling ourselves is that generative AI can draft solicitations, RFPs, and bid proposal responses. But as of now, even the most advanced AI models can’t do your RFPs for you. That’s not to say people shouldn’t use AI at all. It’s a writing tool! But AI is not a magic bullet and shouldn’t be used like one. If you’re not concerned with potentially adding your highly sensitive information to its training database, then you should at least be concerned with the possibility of submitting non-compliant content. You’re also risking the possibility of submitting a bid full of hallucinations, contradictions, oddly organized ideas, and embarrassing leftover bot-speak.
Of course, the most obvious issue is that everyone is using AI. If you allow AI to generate your content for you, you’ll sound exactly like everyone else in the industry who also uses AI as a writing shortcut. Proposals that win are cohesive and compelling. They take evaluators through a narrative in a natural and engaging way. Successful bids might use AI content here or there, but it probably still has a person overseeing, reading, and writing the content.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
I’ve been excited ever since my wife and I co-founded our online RFP consulting firm! We love learning about our clients, about what they do, and about what makes them unique. Even now, our enthusiasm for our work translates into winning RFPs and happy clients. When people visit our website, they can see what we’ve done for a singer-songwriter who focuses on disability advocacy, a software development company that handles pension technology, and even the Wyoming Office of Tourism. We work on all sorts of projects in a variety of niches, so it’s always easy to have fun while working on new RFPs. And despite our light-hearted nature, we are incredibly dedicated to what we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebidlab.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebidlab
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bid-lab/
- Twitter: https://x.com/thebidlab
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebidlab/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebidlab
Image Credits
Jamie Shields Photography
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