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Managed bid services · Checked 31 October 2026

Shipley alternative: Ziva vs Shipley Associates (2026)

Choose Ziva if you want your own team to produce every bid with software that drafts the narrative and fills the buyer’s files, at a published price and month to month, with our Zelius bid team on the tenders you hand over. Choose Shipley Associates if you want its proposal methodology and training, or a managed proposal team on a retainer of at least 12 months.

Choose Ziva if

You want every bid drafted in your own workspace from the first month, without a year-long contract, and with the buyer’s files finished.

Choose Shipley Associates if

You run a large proposal organization that wants the Shipley method, certified staff and an embedded or retained proposal team for a year or more.

See Ziva pricing→ Bring a tender to a call →

At a glance

Ziva and Shipley Associates, fact by fact.

Every Shipley Associates entry links to its source and shows when we checked it. Where we could not find a published fact, we left the row out.

Ziva and Shipley Associates compared
FactZivaShipley Associates
Price modelZivaOne published price per project. You choose how many new projects you open each month.Shipley AssociatesManaged services as an embedded team, a monthly retainer or proposals as a service, scoped during discovery. Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026
Published entry priceZivaCHF 500 (EUR 550, USD 650) per month for one project, falling to CHF 400 per project at 20 a month. Annual billing saves 10%.Shipley AssociatesNot published for managed services. Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026
Minimum commitmentZivaMonthly or annual. A monthly plan runs month to month.Shipley AssociatesA 12-month minimum, typically multi-year. Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026
Time to the first bidZivaNo library to build first. Upload past bids and documents as they are and start on a live tender, or on one you submitted before.Shipley AssociatesTeams operational within 30 to 60 days of contract start. Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026
Bid help from peopleZivaYes. Our Zelius bid team can take on a tender with you, scoped per bid.Shipley AssociatesYes. Shipley-trained professionals run proposals end to end, from management and writing to compliance, reviews, graphics and delivery. Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab)Shipley Associates homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026
LanguagesZivaDrafts and answers in more than 100 languages.Shipley AssociatesEnglish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean and Hindi among others, depending on the engagement. Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026

Ziva prices exclude VAT. See current pricing for every plan and currency.

In their own words

Where Shipley Associates falls short.

Taken from Shipley Associates’s own pages and from public reviews, each with its source.

  1. A year-long minimum

    Managed service engagements require a 12-month minimum and are typically multi-year.

    “12-month minimum”
    Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab)

  2. No published price for managed services

    Team size and scope are set during discovery; no rates are listed.

    Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab)

  3. Weeks before the team is running

    Shipley says teams are operational within 30 to 60 days of contract start.

    Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab)

Where Ziva goes further

What changes for your bid team.

Software and people in one workspace

Your team works with Ziva on every tender. When a bid needs more hands, our Zelius bid team joins the same workspace, with the same files and history.

Your knowledge stays with you

Past bids, CVs, references and certificates become reusable company knowledge in your own workspace, with unlimited users and no platform fee.

The buyer’s files, finished

Ziva fills the buyer’s own Excel forms and writes inside their Word templates, and produces the full package as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.

What Shipley Associates does well

Switching

Moving from Shipley Associates to Ziva.

  1. 1

    Start with one tender

    Bring a live or recent tender. Your team works on it in Ziva, and our Zelius bid team can join for the parts you want to hand over.

  2. 2

    Keep the knowledge

    Upload past bids, CVs and references once. They stay in your workspace for every later bid, whoever writes it.

  3. 3

    Decide on evidence

    Compare the finished submission and the effort it took with your current provider before you commit further.

Questions

Ziva vs Shipley Associates: straight answers.

What is the minimum term for Shipley managed services?

Twelve months, and engagements are typically multi-year.

Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab)
Does Shipley use AI?

Yes, at specific points such as first drafts, content reuse, compliance checks and competitive intelligence, and it runs AI training for proposal teams.

Shipley Associates managed services(opens in a new tab)Shipley Associates homepage(opens in a new tab)
Can I use the Shipley method with Ziva?

Yes. Ziva works with your team’s process on every bid, and your reviewers approve and comment on each answer in the same workspace.

Sources and method

We read Shipley Associates’s own website and, where noted, public review pages. Last full check: 31 October 2026. Review quotes are short excerpts from the named page. Zephior publishes this page and sells Ziva; our facts follow our published pricing and product pages. If anything about Shipley Associates has changed, tell us at hello@zephior.com and we will correct it.

Try it on a real bid

Bring a tender you know.
Compare what comes back.

Run a live tender, or one you submitted before, in your first month. If Ziva does not convince you, you get your money back.

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