Current Issues in Proposal Creation

As a contract Proposal Manager, I’ve had an opportunity to observe, and lead, proposal efforts in a variety of circumstances. Every proposal effort is different, and therefore the actions required to create a winning proposal are different. Nonetheless, I see the same basic issues occurring in just about every proposal effort. Here are nine current issues, and my answer to each question. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me about the correct answer, but experienced proposal people have surely wrestled with these issues.

Nine Issues:

1. Are proposals created "top-down", or "bottom-up"? (That is do we START with good themes and discriminators, or do we just start creating the proposal, and see what good themes bubble up from the bottom?) Top-down. My experience is that, by the time the final solicitation is out, the proposal team should have a handful of good themes, which answer the customer’s implicit question, "Why Us?" In fact, if the team CAN’T create these top-down themes, and answer that implicit question, then it’s probably a "no-bid". Now, SOME themes MAY develop as a result of our detailed work, but those are the exception, and not the rule.

2. Should we start writing text, in advance of the final solicitation? No. This is universally a mistake. Such text NEVER survives a review process, as the text doesn’t match the solicitation. Further, such text creates text management costs, and gives the false impression of progress toward a final version of the proposal, when in fact there IS no progress.

3. Are proposal efforts a dictatorship, or a democracy? A dictatorship. I know this isn’t a popular, politically correct, answer, but questions of responsiveness, format, and proposal process are NOT subject to debate and discussion. Such debates are unnecessary and counterproductive. Now there IS plenty of room for creativity about the details of the technical and management solutions, but the proposal process itself, including the requirement for intermediate products such as storyboards or outlines, and the requirement for reviews by external, knowledgeable people, is NOT negotiable.

4. Which is more important: the Management Solution, or the Technical Solution? Management. Again, this is perhaps controversial, but my experience tells me Technical Solutions – particularly in services contracts – tend to be similar, and the Technical Solutions become a commodity product. Therefore the real differences in offerors’ proposals turn out to be in the Management Solution. Sorry, technical folks, but that’s my experience.

5. Are page targets specified by proposal management, or are they negotiated? Negotiated. Here’s an example of "democracy“. The Proposal Manager should begin with a strawman for page targets (especially in a page-limited circumstance), but then be open to negotiating the final targets. Often, these negotiations lead to better total solutions.

6. Should the company management be involved as a member of the Red Team? No. Best practices for reviews excludes management, and particularly Top Management, from Red Teams for two reasons: a) Top Management should be involved with proposal creation, and therefore ineligible as a reviewer, and b) Top Management presence on the Red Team CAN cast a "dead hand“ on the process, as the other reviewers are hesitant to speak up, and contradict the opinions of that Top Manager. This makes the review process useless.

7. Should reviews be done throughout the creation process, or only at the end, with a Red Team? Throughout. Even an informal team, such as at the outline level, or reviews of the competitive situation, or reviews of the cost approach, can be very useful. These reviews belong early in the creation process, and not just at the end, when it’s too late to make significant changes.

8. Should proposals appeal to the ultimate decision-maker, or to the scorers, who evaluate the proposal in detail? Both. As the Proposal Manager, I strive for these reactions: a) for the decision-maker (such as the Source Selection Authority), I want his/her reaction to be, "Good ole _________ came through for me!“, where the blank is the Top Management of my customer. This means that the SSA knows the executive by name, and is pleased with the work that we’ve done in response to the solicitation. b) for the scorers: "This is the proposal against which all others will be measured.“ This means that the response is complete, and in the correct format, and easy to score.

9. Should the Program Manager-Designate manage the proposal effort? No; if your company’s size allows, and if winning this competition is particularly important, because the skill set for a Proposal Manager is different from that of a Program Manager. Further, the Proposal Manager has enough responsibility to do two things: DISCOVER the best case we can make for the offeror, and do the best job of COMMUNICATING that case. The Program Manager-Designate should be on the proposal team, and ensure that the proposal, as submitted, can actually be executed, in the way described, and for the cost/price offered.

Summary

I don’t expect any reader to agree with me on all nine points, but I firmly believe that these are all valid issues, and your answer will be reflected in the proposal process you use.

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