How to Create a Compliance Matrix
A proposal copmliance matrix is the secret to untangling the requirements hidden in a complex RFP. Creating a compliance matrix is the first step in creating a proposal outline. When an RFP has lots of requirements in multiple sections, a compliance matrix can help you make sure that you don't leave any of the requirements out of your proposal.
Using A Compliance Matrix To Create An RFP Compliant Proposal Outline Developing a Content Plan for a proposal typically starts with creating an outline. For proposals that are based on complex RFPs, the outline is based on an RFP compliance matrix. A compliance matrix is a table that shows where the various RFP requirements are addressed across the outline for the proposal. The first column of the matrix is the heading for the proposal. Each section of the RFP also gets a column. Each row in the matrix links each proposal section with one or more RFP requirements. RFP requirements can be entered into the matrix cells either as full text or just the RFP paragraph numbers (depending on the length of the RFP). A compliance matrix serves three purposes:
It shows you what requirements must be addressed in a given section. It enables you to validate that all requirements have been responded to. It makes it easier for you (and potentially your customer) to understand the RFP and how to navigate your response to it. Creating the outline and the compliance matrix go hand-in-hand. If the RFP contains instructions regarding how to organize the proposal, you should start there. Next, add items to the outline until you have a place for everything you need to address. Because any given requirement or topic may impact the outline in multiple places, creating a compliance matrix can get complex. For example, if the customer asks you to address risk, but doesn't provide a specific place to do it, you may need to address risk throughout the proposal in a variety of contexts (technical, management, staffing, etc.). Parsing the RFP for individual requirements and then using the matrix to allocate every single requirement to one or more specific proposal sections can be a daunting task --- analogous to untangling spaghetti. Because of the vagaries of language, judgment calls may be necessary regarding where some items are relevant. As you complete the compliance matrix, you will modify your outline, probably many times, until you have the right balance of:
Following the customer's instructions regarding organization A rational organization of information that will answer all of the customer's questions A clear, easy to navigate structure for the proposal document Complete compliance with all requirements An organization that is optimized against the customer's anticipated evaluation criteria and approach A presentation that best reflects your offering Your outline is not complete until it accommodates all of the requirements and other topics you need to address in your proposal.
It shows you what requirements must be addressed in a given section. It enables you to validate that all requirements have been responded to. It makes it easier for you (and potentially your customer) to understand the RFP and how to navigate your response to it. Creating the outline and the compliance matrix go hand-in-hand. If the RFP contains instructions regarding how to organize the proposal, you should start there. Next, add items to the outline until you have a place for everything you need to address. Because any given requirement or topic may impact the outline in multiple places, creating a compliance matrix can get complex. For example, if the customer asks you to address risk, but doesn't provide a specific place to do it, you may need to address risk throughout the proposal in a variety of contexts (technical, management, staffing, etc.). Parsing the RFP for individual requirements and then using the matrix to allocate every single requirement to one or more specific proposal sections can be a daunting task --- analogous to untangling spaghetti. Because of the vagaries of language, judgment calls may be necessary regarding where some items are relevant. As you complete the compliance matrix, you will modify your outline, probably many times, until you have the right balance of:
Following the customer's instructions regarding organization A rational organization of information that will answer all of the customer's questions A clear, easy to navigate structure for the proposal document Complete compliance with all requirements An organization that is optimized against the customer's anticipated evaluation criteria and approach A presentation that best reflects your offering Your outline is not complete until it accommodates all of the requirements and other topics you need to address in your proposal.
Planning To Win A Proposal By Going Beyond RFP Compliance Responding to the RFP is only part of what needs to go into a winning proposal. Consider:
Evaluation criteria should be taken into consideration everywhere relevant in your proposal. The customer, opportunity, and competitive intelligence you have gathered that should be incorporated into your responses. The major components, features, and corresponding benefits of your offering. Your strategies for winning. All the themes and discriminators that provide the customer with the reasons they should select you. The points that you would like to emphasize in your response. The recommendations you would like to make to the customer. Any calls to action or things you would like the customer to do after reading your response. Any graphics, tables, appendices, and other exhibits or attachments you may want to include. Anything else you can think of that should go into your proposal. Each of the items above should be allocated across the outline for your proposal so that you know where they should be addressed.
A compliance matrix is only part of what you need to plan your proposal writing. One approach you can take is to expand the compliance matrix into a comprehensive cross-reference matrix and include columns for each of the items on the list above. The only problem with this approach is that your matrix will quickly outgrow the paper size you are printing to. You need to cross-reference everything that will go into your proposal; you just can't (practically) use only a table to do it.
Evaluation criteria should be taken into consideration everywhere relevant in your proposal. The customer, opportunity, and competitive intelligence you have gathered that should be incorporated into your responses. The major components, features, and corresponding benefits of your offering. Your strategies for winning. All the themes and discriminators that provide the customer with the reasons they should select you. The points that you would like to emphasize in your response. The recommendations you would like to make to the customer. Any calls to action or things you would like the customer to do after reading your response. Any graphics, tables, appendices, and other exhibits or attachments you may want to include. Anything else you can think of that should go into your proposal. Each of the items above should be allocated across the outline for your proposal so that you know where they should be addressed.
A compliance matrix is only part of what you need to plan your proposal writing. One approach you can take is to expand the compliance matrix into a comprehensive cross-reference matrix and include columns for each of the items on the list above. The only problem with this approach is that your matrix will quickly outgrow the paper size you are printing to. You need to cross-reference everything that will go into your proposal; you just can't (practically) use only a table to do it.
Before and After - Creating a Better Proposal Outline There are a lot of bad examples of proposal outlines out there on the Internet. And many of them come from textbooks!
Here is an example. Take a look at this proposal outline derived from an “Advanced Technical Writing” course offered by a university:
Then forget you ever saw it. You don’t want your proposal to be organized like this because it:
Forces the decision maker to read halfway through it before they find out what you are proposing Patronizes the decision maker by describing their own background to them and then telling them what their problem is Saves the conclusion for the end, when that should be the place where a proposal starts You see variations on this outline all over the place, probably because that's what people learned in school.
The biggest problem with the outline above, and the reason why it increases the odds of losing your proposal if you follow it, is because it is not written from the decision maker’s point of view. All the headings do is categorize information. The primary goal of a proposal is not to deliver information or to be descriptive. The primary goal is to persuade a decision maker. Instead of delivering information, you need to help the receiver make their decision. This may involve delivering some information, but it is in a specific context and is not simply descriptive. The difference is vital.
The best way to understand how to write a proposal is to put yourself in the shoes of the person making the decision. When someone asks you to do something, what do you need to see in order to reach your decision? The decision maker starts with questions and looks for answers. They don’t read your proposal. They look for answers.
When you are the decision maker, your questions might include:
What am I going to get or what will the results be? What do you want (from me)? How much is it going to cost and is it worth it? What will it take to make it happen? What could go wrong? Why should I believe you? Now pretend that you are receiving a proposal from someone who wants you to do something, approve something, or buy something. Think about the first thing you want to read. If you weren’t expecting to receive a proposal, it might be “What do you want (from me)?” If you were expecting the proposal, then the first thing you'll probably want to know is “What am I going to get?” This is closely followed by “What do I have to do to get it?” and “Is it worth it?” If you agree that it’s worth it, you’ll want to dig deeper and find out what it will take to make it happen. At that point you start looking for things that could go wrong and will want to make sure you can trust the person or company who brought you the proposal to deliver what they promise. If this is what the decision maker is looking for, then that is what your outline should be. You can use the questions above as your outline, but it's even better to use statements that summarize the answers.
If you're writing a proposal in response to a written RFP that specifies how they want the proposal organized, you must follow their outline. However, the evaluator still has the same questions and they still need to find the answers in your proposal. An excellent way to exceed the RFP requirements without increasing the cost of your solution is to do a better job of answering these questions, especially the ones they forgot to ask.
To win your proposal, you need to provide the decision maker with the answers they need and then motivate them to accept your proposal. You outline should be organized to meet their needs.
Here is an example. Take a look at this proposal outline derived from an “Advanced Technical Writing” course offered by a university:
Then forget you ever saw it. You don’t want your proposal to be organized like this because it:
Forces the decision maker to read halfway through it before they find out what you are proposing Patronizes the decision maker by describing their own background to them and then telling them what their problem is Saves the conclusion for the end, when that should be the place where a proposal starts You see variations on this outline all over the place, probably because that's what people learned in school.
The biggest problem with the outline above, and the reason why it increases the odds of losing your proposal if you follow it, is because it is not written from the decision maker’s point of view. All the headings do is categorize information. The primary goal of a proposal is not to deliver information or to be descriptive. The primary goal is to persuade a decision maker. Instead of delivering information, you need to help the receiver make their decision. This may involve delivering some information, but it is in a specific context and is not simply descriptive. The difference is vital.
The best way to understand how to write a proposal is to put yourself in the shoes of the person making the decision. When someone asks you to do something, what do you need to see in order to reach your decision? The decision maker starts with questions and looks for answers. They don’t read your proposal. They look for answers.
When you are the decision maker, your questions might include:
What am I going to get or what will the results be? What do you want (from me)? How much is it going to cost and is it worth it? What will it take to make it happen? What could go wrong? Why should I believe you? Now pretend that you are receiving a proposal from someone who wants you to do something, approve something, or buy something. Think about the first thing you want to read. If you weren’t expecting to receive a proposal, it might be “What do you want (from me)?” If you were expecting the proposal, then the first thing you'll probably want to know is “What am I going to get?” This is closely followed by “What do I have to do to get it?” and “Is it worth it?” If you agree that it’s worth it, you’ll want to dig deeper and find out what it will take to make it happen. At that point you start looking for things that could go wrong and will want to make sure you can trust the person or company who brought you the proposal to deliver what they promise. If this is what the decision maker is looking for, then that is what your outline should be. You can use the questions above as your outline, but it's even better to use statements that summarize the answers.
If you're writing a proposal in response to a written RFP that specifies how they want the proposal organized, you must follow their outline. However, the evaluator still has the same questions and they still need to find the answers in your proposal. An excellent way to exceed the RFP requirements without increasing the cost of your solution is to do a better job of answering these questions, especially the ones they forgot to ask.
To win your proposal, you need to provide the decision maker with the answers they need and then motivate them to accept your proposal. You outline should be organized to meet their needs.
How Long Should Your Proposal Be? The best practices for proposals say you should make your proposal as short as you can while still answering all of the customer’s questions.The best practices are wrong. If you follow them, and your competitors follow them as well, your proposal will be ordinary. Instead, you should turn the length of your proposal into a competitive advantage. Here's how:
Be much, much, shorter. If your competitors are going to submit 50-page proposals, then make your proposal only five pages. Just sum up all the issues. Focus on what really matters. Use short, choppy sentences instead of run-on passive voice elaborations that don’t really add anything. Make it bold.
Stand out from the pack. Longer proposals do not mean they were written by people who know more. It means they are disorganized. Say that. Don’t just offer the customer a choice — demonstrate the difference between you and your competitors. Give the customer a chance to choose a contractor that isn’t the same old, same old kind of provider, making it up as they go along and just muddling through.
If you're afraid of making unsubstantiated claims, then put the long version with all the substantiate on the web. Let your executive summary be your proposal. You can make the proof with all the details available to them if they want to test you.
By being radically short, you become the unit that everyone is measured against. So make darn sure you have a great offering. Make darn sure you truly understand what they want (as opposed to what they’ve asked for). If they want to select you, then they will look at the other, longer, and far more boring proposals with dread. Your competitors will seem unenlightened, uninspired, and out of touch. But if you offer something ordinary, they might seem like they did more of their homework.
It is harder to write a short proposal than it is to write a long proposal. If you want to win.
Be much, much longer. If you’re competitors are going to submit 50-page proposals, then make yours 500. Give them all the details. Prove that you've thought about every possible contingency. Prove that you're ready now and not just making it up as you go along. Just put it in appendices so they don’t have to actually read it. Instead of referring to procedures, show them the procedures. All of them. Don’t just promise. Show. Demonstrate. Ghost against the uncertainties of dealing with other contractors. Instead of offering to become what they need, you should already be it. Tell them straight up that you included all the backup, just to prove you are that ready and that your credibility surpasses that of your competitors. Tell them that if they select you they already know what they're going to get. If they select your competitors, all they get are promises.
Make sure you include an executive summary that sums it all up in just a couple of pages. Tell them that they don’t have to read any further, unless they need to see proof. Make sure that the material is very, very well organized. Make it easy to skim. Make it visual. Make it easy to find things, like answers to questions.
Give them a link to an online, searchable, clickable, expandable, collapsible version of your proposal. Better yet, turn it into a project portal that can be used as a tool for performance after award. Only give it to them before award so they can kick the tires. Be better prepared. Some RFPs specify a page limit. When they do, you can expect nearly all of your competitors to turn in proposals that are within a few pages of the limit. You can easily stand out by turning in a proposal way below the limit. After all, what message is the customer sending by having a page limit?
When you have to provide information and that information is going to add significantly to the page count, remember to format the document to separate what you want them to read from the reference material. Put all the dry, data heavy, information intensive pages in an appendix or separate section of your proposal. When they open your proposal, you want them to read your story and see why they should select you. If they need substantiation, questions answered, demonstrations, detailed procedures, etc., then tell them where they can find them. But don’t let them disrupt your story.
If you want to be competitive, there is no such thing as having “just the right” length to your proposal. You can either be way too short, or way too long. Either way, you can turn it into a competitive advantage. Avoid being comparable to your competition. Stand out. Be extraordinary. Get selected. Win.
Be much, much, shorter. If your competitors are going to submit 50-page proposals, then make your proposal only five pages. Just sum up all the issues. Focus on what really matters. Use short, choppy sentences instead of run-on passive voice elaborations that don’t really add anything. Make it bold.
Stand out from the pack. Longer proposals do not mean they were written by people who know more. It means they are disorganized. Say that. Don’t just offer the customer a choice — demonstrate the difference between you and your competitors. Give the customer a chance to choose a contractor that isn’t the same old, same old kind of provider, making it up as they go along and just muddling through.
If you're afraid of making unsubstantiated claims, then put the long version with all the substantiate on the web. Let your executive summary be your proposal. You can make the proof with all the details available to them if they want to test you.
By being radically short, you become the unit that everyone is measured against. So make darn sure you have a great offering. Make darn sure you truly understand what they want (as opposed to what they’ve asked for). If they want to select you, then they will look at the other, longer, and far more boring proposals with dread. Your competitors will seem unenlightened, uninspired, and out of touch. But if you offer something ordinary, they might seem like they did more of their homework.
It is harder to write a short proposal than it is to write a long proposal. If you want to win.
Be much, much longer. If you’re competitors are going to submit 50-page proposals, then make yours 500. Give them all the details. Prove that you've thought about every possible contingency. Prove that you're ready now and not just making it up as you go along. Just put it in appendices so they don’t have to actually read it. Instead of referring to procedures, show them the procedures. All of them. Don’t just promise. Show. Demonstrate. Ghost against the uncertainties of dealing with other contractors. Instead of offering to become what they need, you should already be it. Tell them straight up that you included all the backup, just to prove you are that ready and that your credibility surpasses that of your competitors. Tell them that if they select you they already know what they're going to get. If they select your competitors, all they get are promises.
Make sure you include an executive summary that sums it all up in just a couple of pages. Tell them that they don’t have to read any further, unless they need to see proof. Make sure that the material is very, very well organized. Make it easy to skim. Make it visual. Make it easy to find things, like answers to questions.
Give them a link to an online, searchable, clickable, expandable, collapsible version of your proposal. Better yet, turn it into a project portal that can be used as a tool for performance after award. Only give it to them before award so they can kick the tires. Be better prepared. Some RFPs specify a page limit. When they do, you can expect nearly all of your competitors to turn in proposals that are within a few pages of the limit. You can easily stand out by turning in a proposal way below the limit. After all, what message is the customer sending by having a page limit?
When you have to provide information and that information is going to add significantly to the page count, remember to format the document to separate what you want them to read from the reference material. Put all the dry, data heavy, information intensive pages in an appendix or separate section of your proposal. When they open your proposal, you want them to read your story and see why they should select you. If they need substantiation, questions answered, demonstrations, detailed procedures, etc., then tell them where they can find them. But don’t let them disrupt your story.
If you want to be competitive, there is no such thing as having “just the right” length to your proposal. You can either be way too short, or way too long. Either way, you can turn it into a competitive advantage. Avoid being comparable to your competition. Stand out. Be extraordinary. Get selected. Win.