This paper is devoted to the construction of what we will call exactly solvable models, i.e. of quantum mechanical systems described by an Hamiltonian H whose eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be explicitly constructed out of some minimal ingredients. In particular, motivated by PT-quantum mechanics, we will not insist on any self-adjointness feature of the Hamiltonians considered in our construction. We also introduce the so-called bicoherent states, we analyze some of their properties and we show how they can be used for quantizing a system. Some examples, both in finite and in infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, are discussed.1 This paper is dedicated to the memory of Syed Twareque Ali, much more than just a colleague!