Kenneth Wong's Virtual Desktop over at Desktop Engineering ran an interview in May 2010 with Blake Courter and Jeff Waters from SpaceClaim. Blake and Jeff suggested that adding a customized 3D model to an engineering contract bid significantly improved the bid's chance of winning a contract. They coined the term Bid Modeling to describe this process. I think this same idea can be extended to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) consultancy contract bidding - let's call it CFD Bid Modeling.

RC Car in Ground Effect Contract Bid

It is a great time to be a CFD consultant. Access to state-of-the-art CFD tools has never been easier or more affordable. Similarly, computers capable of running CFD simulations in reasonable turnaround times are readily available to fit any budget - single multi-core computers, clusters, or even a remote cloud computing resource. The problem, as with any business, is standing out in a crowded field where everyone else has access to the same tools and resources.

Turn to CFD Bid Modeling to set you free from commodity pricing. The concept is simple, either get a representative model from the prospective customer under the condition you can share it, or create your own, and then perform a CFD simulation that shows you understand:

• The prospect's problem
• How to perform CFD simulations
• How to communicate CFD results

In addition to your bid, share the CFD simulation (often CFD viewers are freely available) with your prospect for a credibility boost. Not only will your chances of a successful bid improve, but you'll also build up a valuable portfolio of CFD simulations.

A good CFD simulation portfolio serves as a great marketing tool and makes it that much easier to prepare a similar bid in the future.