I've seen a lot of proposals submitted by businesses during my career as a contracting manager and now as a consultant. Some were very effective and communicated a
clear message that directly responded to the Request for Proposals (RFP). They were easy to read and inspired
confidence. Other proposals wandered across the
landscape – a hapless collection of paper that read more like a corporate
policy manual divorced from the project at hand.
Suggestions for businesses: I'd like to offer some suggestions for businesses responding to RFPs on how to craft an effective proposal that gets
attention.
Develop the strategy: When an RFP is issued, some businesses
are tempted to jump right into the process of producing the proposal. The deadline is looming, so they start
writing the proposal immediately without really knowing what they want to say. Or perhaps more commonly, they don’t do much
writing at all. Instead, they merely
collect and collate pages from previous proposals, policy and procedure
manuals, mission statements, forms, and websites – and top it off with a nice
cover page and a binder – ready (or not ready!) to submit to the public agency. This approach results in a hodgepodge
proposal without a strategic focus.
Good
proposal development is not a random, trial-and-error process of slapping words
onto paper. It should be strategic, deliberate, and laser-focused.
Before
the first words of a new proposal are written, it is critical for a company to pause, take
a deep breath, and step back the immediacy of the proposal deadline. Here are three strategic actions business
should take once an RFP has been advertised.
- Read the RFP: It seems like an obvious first step, but
from some of the proposals I’ve read, I’m not sure those companies
have looked at the RFP – or if they did, that they actually paid
attention to what was asked for. RFPs reflect the values and objectives of public agencies,
so reading the RFP carefully provides insights into what the agency
cares about and their expectations. Pay close attention to the specific
words used in the RFP – especially for the scope of work and evaluation
criteria. These sections will give
you a good sense of how closely your company’s experiences match with what
services the agency is seeking and how it will evaluate proposals.
- Assess your chance of
success: Responding to an RFP
will cost your company time, money, and focus. Be deliberate in
assessing whether you actually have some chance of being awarded the contract. Gather your key management
and project team to think strategically about the RFP before you
decide whether to respond to it. Here
are some questions that should be part of your decision making process:
- Project Fit:
- Does your company have
experience performing this scope of work?
- Is the scope of work a good
fit for your company?
- Is the work part of your
core business?
- Have you performed projects
of this size and complexity before?
- Agency Fit:
- Have you worked for this agency or type of
agency before?
- If you haven’t worked for the agency, do their decision makers know your company through contacts you’ve made with them or by reputation?
- Are you prepared to deal with the administrative
requirements of the agency?
- Staffing:
- What personnel would you assign
to the project?
- Does your staff have the
right experience for this kind of work?
- Are they available to work
on the project within the project’s schedule?
- Competition:
- Who are your likely competitors?
- What are your company’s strengths and weaknesses compared to your competitors?
- What strategies can you use to compensate for
your weaknesses?
- Do any of your competitors have contracts or
established relationships with the agency?
- Preparation Time:
- How much time and effort will be involved in
developing the proposal?
- Do you have appropriate staff available to
develop the proposal?
- Develop your message: After you’ve decided to propose, but before you begin writing, think conceptually
about the big picture. What unique message do you want to convey throughout your proposal about why
your company is the right company for the project? This is an opportunity for you to not
just mechanically respond to evaluation criteria in the RFP, but to proactively influence the evaluators.
Prepare Your Proposal: Even if you’ve developed an effective
strategy, a poorly executed proposal will reduce your
chances of success. There are four areas where proposals often fall short: content, structure, writing, and layout.
Let’s look at some of the common mistakes in these areas
and how you can make your proposal more effective.
1. Tailored Content:
One of the most common weaknesses of proposals I review is they are
generic, and very boring to read. They
have the same content the company used in the last proposal – and will use in
the next proposal. Agencies who read
such proposals are not convinced that the proposer understands the scope of
work, or has even read the RFP. Though it takes additional effort, companies that
research a project and tailor the proposed solutions to the agency’s specific
needs generally score higher.
The same customized approach applies to the cover letter. A generic cover letter fails demonstrate that
you know anything about or care about the agency’s needs. Even if the agency’s evaluators read nothing but
your cover letter, they should still come away with a clear understanding of your
strengths, your core message, and why you should be selected. That core message that you developed in your
strategy sessions should then be embedded throughout your proposal.
Though you may
be confident that you can perform the work of the project, you must actually
demonstrate the relevance of your experience in your proposal.
This requires you to take your experiences and translate them into
language that makes sense for the scope of work required.
2. Methodical Structure: When agency evaluators review proposals, they
usually have both the RFP evaluation criteria and your proposal opened up on
their desk. You can make this review easier
by responding in the same order as the evaluation criteria, repeating the evaluation criteria in your proposal, and making sure you address
all of the specifics outlined in each criterion. This methodical approach will help evaluators
see that you are addressing what was requested – and will make sure you don’t forget
anything. If evaluators have to hunt
through your proposal to find where you’ve addressed a topic, you may loose
points.
RFPs often have many administrative requirements
related to proposals. Pay attention to
these details – things like not exceeding a certain number of pages in your proposal
and making sure all forms have been completed and submitted.
3. Clear Writing:
A poorly written proposal is ponderous to read, while a well-written
proposal is a joy to peruse. Language
should be crisp, clear, and concise – not corporate and unwieldy. Avoid long and complex sentences that are
hard to keep track of, as well as wordy and
dense paragraphs that are hard for the eye to follow. Use an active voice – it’s more direct and
easier to read. In other words, to say it in the non-preferred
passive voice: “Active voice should be used, and passive voice should be
avoided.” Don’t repeat your content in
multiple places or say the same thing over and over in your proposals – or for
that matter, don’t be redundant! Check
your spelling and grammar, and if you don’t have a good technical writer on
staff, hire one as an employee or on a contract basis.
4. Pleasing Layout:
You should make it easy for the agency's evaluators to read your proposal and quickly understand your message. Photos, charts, and graphs can be used effectively to break up text and
communicate information. Well described
paragraph headings help readers follow the flow of your proposal.
Use a well-organized table of contents and tabs (with the name of the section on
the tab) to help readers maneuver the proposal. Color, shading, boxes, and other graphic
design tools can further enhance the readability of your proposal. If you don’t have a graphic designer on
staff, consider hiring one as an employee or on a contract basis.
Summary: What makes some proposals stand out while
others fall to the bottom of the pile?
Development of your overall strategy and message is just as important as
careful production of the content, structure, writing, and layout of a
proposal. Though there are no guarantees,
these keys can make your proposals more competitive and increase your company’s
chances of being awarded a contract.
Mike Purdy's Public Contracting Blog
© 2013 by Michael E. Purdy Associates, LLC
http://PublicContracting.blogspot.com
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