Your CV is Your Leverage: What to Know Before you’re added to a Bid

It started with a polite email:

“We’re assembling a proposal team for an upcoming development project and would love to include your profile.” It was flattering, but also familiar. Too familiar.

In the growing world of development and management consulting across Africa, it’s not uncommon to be approached by firms building technical teams for donor-funded or government-led projects. Often, they ask for your CV and certificates with the promise of a potential role if the bid is successful.

This kind of outreach signals something positive. Local firms are gaining traction. Young professionals are increasingly being recognised as valuable contributors. The ecosystem is becoming more collaborative, cross-sectoral, and regionally grounded. But alongside these opportunities comes a need for greater awareness and more intentional engagement.

Recently, I received a message from a well-established consulting firm with a continental footprint. They were interested in my profile and asked to include me in their expert pool. Their message was professional, sincere, and full of ambition, something I respect. But it made me pause. Not because I didn’t trust them, but because I realised how easily our CVs can be shared without context, used without consent, or attached to projects that may not align with our values or focus areas.

That reflection inspired this article.

The Problem Isn’t the Ask—It’s the Assumption

For many young professionals, especially those working to establish their profile in consulting, these requests feel affirming. They suggest your skills and experience are being recognised. But it’s worth pausing to consider a few things.

Your CV is your intellectual property. It reflects your time, your track record, and your lived expertise. It should never be used without your knowledge or permission. Not every opportunity is a good fit. Projects differ in scope, ideology, and execution. You deserve to be associated only with work that aligns with your values and professional direction.

Follow-through matters. Some consultants are listed in proposals but never contacted again, regardless of whether the project is awarded. Some only find out months later that their name was included at all. This isn’t about mistrust. It’s about setting professional standards. In my work, I’ve found that the most effective approach is to offer a basic consultant agreement before any profile is submitted, not to complicate things but to create clarity early.

It’s a simple document that does three things:

• Confirms that I will be consulted before my CV is submitted,
• Ensures alignment between the opportunity and my values, and
• Outlines what happens if the bid succeeds. There is no bureaucracy, just basic professional respect.

To my surprise, this has often been received positively. It has led to better conversations with firms serious about doing good work and not just chasing submissions.

At Mbhazi Advisory Services, we work with professionals and organisations to help implement these frameworks. Whether we’re co-developing simple agreement templates or training teams on ethical engagement, clarity leads to better collaboration, not less of it.

Boundaries Don’t Close Doors—They Define Them

If you’re navigating this space, especially early in your consulting journey, here are three things I’ve found helpful:

• Ask questions before saying yes. What’s the project about? Who is the client? What’s your role? What happens if the bid is won?
• Establish your boundaries. Make it clear that your profile can’t be used without your consent. You don’t need to apologise for protecting your time and your name.
• Use a basic agreement. It doesn’t need to be legalistic. Just a short document that ensures consent, clarity, and values alignment. You can adapt it for different firms and contexts.

You don’t need to be defensive to be discerning. You need to be intentional about how you engage and with whom.

It’s Not Just a CV

Imagine this.

You’re listed on a proposal you never approved. The project is awarded. A report comes out and your name is in the team list, but no one ever called you. No one ever paid you. You were never involved.

That’s what we’re trying to avoid.

The future of consulting in Africa isn’t just about capacity. It’s about clarity, values, and, most of all, choice. Let’s protect our profiles, not out of fear but out of principle.

At Nishati Initiative East Africa , we’re deeply invested in nurturing young professionals and building a values-based consulting culture. That includes not just providing technical mentorship, but also helping people strengthen their professional agency.

If you’re a registered energy, sustainability, or development business, we welcome you to explore membership in our business development network. Our members gain access to curated partnerships, structured programmes, and shared training resources focused on ethical growth and long-term impact.