Proposal Development and Capture Management Articles

Recently, I received a frantic email from a friend who’s been interviewing for proposal manager positions. “Beth, what’s your 30-second response to ‘what makes a proposal compelling’?” She’d been asked that question during her interview and thought she’d “flubbed” the answer. She wanted to hear my perspective so she could prepare for her other interviews later that day and the next.

I paused for a moment to consider the question and then banged out this response on my BlackBerry: “a well-developed value proposition and (technical) solution supported by excellent pre-RFP capture development and client intimacy. A cleanly designed proposal with relevant, clear, insightful, professionally developed graphics.”

It’s incredible when you think of the tremendous number of labor hours, dedication, money, expertise, education, and opportunity costs that underlie that 28-word response. The lessons we’ve all learned over the years fill thousands of books and PowerPoint presentations designed to share our pains and successes—and causes for both—with others in our profession. (Click here to read the entire article.)

Applying Industry Best Practices to Proposal Management by Brenda Crist

How do you measure your success as a proposal professional? I had one former boss tell me my success (and bonuses) depended solely on the company’s win rate, and proceeded to bid on anything that moved whether the company had any previous experience performing similar work or not. Needless to say, my success rate was not particularly high, and I never got a bonus.

Obviously, this single metric was not working, but it prompted me to think about other metrics and best practices I could apply to improve my performance and quality. Then it occurred to me. I spend a great deal of time explaining how to apply “industry best practices” and performance-based metrics to the technical and management solutions of proposals I write. Why not glean lessons learned from these solutions and apply them to my own situation? (Click here to read the entire article.)

Crocodile Wingate Responds to Fast-turnaround Proposals by Beth Wingate, AF.APMP

If I ever dreamed about becoming a “legend,” I never imagined it would be as a proposal manager cranking out winning fast-turnaround proposals. But, in the eyes of the Australian contingent at this year’s APMP International Conference in Palm Springs, apparently those of us that do so are true legends. Hmm…Crocodile Wingate?

Nigel Denis from Australia’s The Proposal Company had all of us drooling and daydreaming at the conference as he presented “Ten Tender Tricks When Time is Tight”—a presentation interspersed with gorgeous pictures of the Aussie fun-loving lifestyle (beach, boats, eating, relaxing), combined with his methods for ensuring that proposals don’t interfere with leisure time! Afterwards, Nigel was amazed when listening to a group of us late one evening by the pool discussing the challenges of successfully producing fast-turnaround task order proposals worth $30–100M in five days and still remaining sane (along with preparing our “regular” 15- to 30-day “regular” proposals). (Don’t dwell on the fact that we were by a stunning pool and avidly discussing proposals!) Nigel promised we’d become legends in Australia once he returned home and shared our tips and hints! (Click to read the entire article.)

Measuring Success by Beth Wingate, AF.APMP

Most of us like to know how we’re doing—whether it’s in our personal or professional relationships or in our daily lives. We spent our childhood through early adulthood being measured by our teachers via exams, essays, and research papers. “Report card day” was either a day of triumph or a day spent with a sick stomach wondering how we would survive that moment we handed over our “measurement of success” to our parents.

As adults, we’re measured every day by our job performance, proposal wins and losses, team building expertise, proposal sections, graphics, articles—whatever we get paid to produce. We’re measured on the homes we live in, the appearance of our gardens, the clothes we wear, the way we look, the behavior and performance of our children.

“Measuring Success” is the theme of the NCA Chapter’s October 14 Professional Day, and it’s the theme of this fall Executive Summary newsletter. How do you measure success—your own personal success, the success of your teams, the success of everyone you meet? (Click to read the entire article.)

The Art of the Proposal Craft by Beth Wingate, AF.APMP

There’s a logical transition from our June 6 APMP-NCA Proposal Basics Boot Camp to the theme of our summer Executive Summary—“The Art in the Proposal Craft.”

After our sold-out Proposal Basics Boot Camp where our knowledgeable NCA Corporate Partners shared their expertise in proposal writing, proposal coordination, and proposal management basics, it’s time to explore these topics in more depth and realize that once you understand and master the basics, the fun begins in learning the “Art” of our profession.

How do we go beyond the basics of developing merely “compliant” proposals to producing responsive, hard-hitting, concise, graphics-rich, elegant proposals written in one voice with truly “unique” value propositions and with truly “unique” win themes (ones our competitors really can’t claim!) woven throughout? How do we develop the 3-ring binders of content that we flip through the day after we deliver the proposal and say, “Wow! That really is a top-notch, good looking proposal—how the heck did we do that?!” (Click to read the entire article.)

Back to Basics by Beth Wingate, AF.APMP

As I sit here contemplating the “Back to Basics” theme of our spring 2008 NCA Executive Summary I have my office window open to enjoy a brief 70-degree day respite from winter (preceded last week by an ice storm the day before my proposal was due and soon to be followed by a thunderstorm, flood watch, and then more 30-degree days). A huge flock of robins gathers chirping in my side yard (there must be 200 of the little critters out there—shades of Alfred Hitchcock!), little purple crocuses peep out from under their covering of fall leaves, Easter candy hides in my credenza (there are some compensations to being Mom after all!), and visions of spring cleaning dance in my head. (Click to read the entire article.)