How Lead a SUCCESSFUL Proposal Team

In this episode of The Stargazy Brief, Christina Carter sits down with Gareth Meredith (Softcat; formerly RingCentral, 8x8, Inventive AI), a bid leader known for building 60–70% win-rate systems through disciplined process, leadership, and one underrated lever... answer planning that sells.They break down what actually moves win rate in 2026:Why systems beat automation (and why AI only works when it supports a strong process)Where AI helps today: compliance, questionnaires, and reducing bid-manager overloadWhere AI still fails: breaking down questions, building persuasive structure, and “reading between the lines”How to operationalize a proposal function: front-loaded governance, repeatable kickoff, lean reviews, fewer late-night fire drillsHow to pitch change to a CRO: revenue math + voice-of-customer evidence, not emotionWhat to track (and what to ignore): win rate, quality scores, revenue/gross profit (and why shortlist rate is mostly noise)Cultural debt in bid teams: underinvestment, burnout norms, and the “admin label” that kills strategic impactFollow Gareth Meredith on LinkedIn for practical, transparent breakdowns of bid systems, quality, and process that scales.🌟 FIND STARGAZY 🌟✸ Website (shortlist tools + vendor profiles): https://stargazy.io/✸ Community (join the conversation + Gareth AMA): https://stargazy.circle.so/join?invitation_token=0856b517503bca21eecbae1d058313543675481b-28d54c10-c886-4708-8b3b-ffd62cd3c935✸ Newsletter: https://the-stargazy-brief.beehiiv.com/✸ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stargazyproposals/🌙 GUEST LINKS 🌙✸ Gareth Meredith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareth-meredith/