Insights Blog
Articles tagged with: pre-RFP
Working with project managers on recompetes: project manager as proposal SME (Part 3)
Lisa Pafe’s previous blogs discussed how capture and project management can work together during recompetes to influence the customer and gather competitive intelligence. This week, Lisa discusses how the project manager must work with the proposal manager to provide essential information for the recompete proposal itself.
In addition to providing customer and competitive intelligence, the project manager also has a role to play in helping the proposal manager gather artifacts that can be used as proof points for discriminators. Additionally, the project manager serves as an…
21 Experts’ predictions for capture/proposal industry changes – Part 3
Bundled contracts, unbundled contracts, emphasis on well-trained procurement support staff, training axed in cost-cutting measures, short turnarounds, extended and extended extensions, virtual proposals, everyone in the war room…
The more things change…
Play this government capture and proposal game long enough, and you start recognizing and anticipating the changing patterns. Talk to those who’ve been in the business for years, and you’ll gain insights into how to deal with a particular round of changes based on what the veterans experienced the last go round.
I recently asked a…
21 Experts’ predictions for capture/proposal industry changes – Part 2
The old adage says, “Nothing’s constant except change.” (We can add death and taxes, but even the taxes part seems in constant flux these days!)
Stay in the government capture and proposal game long enough, and you’ll start recognizing patterns in the changes. Over the years, you’ll add strategies to your bag of tricks that you’ll be able to whip out to deal with round x of a particular procurement “flavor of the year.”
Throughout all of these fluctuations and transformations, though, one thing does remains…
The art of the data call: 7 questions to ask pre-RFP
In today’s blog post, Lisa Pafe provides advice on 7 questions to ask before RFP release…
Over the past few months, I have served as a Color Team Reviewer on many proposals that, while compliant, had a glaring lack of proof points. When I debriefed the team, I told them that they had forgotten an important proposal task: the team-wide data call.
Unfortunately, too many companies limit data calls to resumes, past performance, and a company bio of revenues and full time employees (FTE). But, a…
12 Ways to mitigate proposal kick-off planning risks
At the 2011 APMP International Conference, Lohfeld Consulting Group’s Managing Director Brenda Crist presented an informative session on mitigating proposal risks. Here are Brenda’s identified Proposal Kick-off Planning Risks and recommended Mitigation Strategies:
- Insufficient time to prepare for the Kick-off Meeting. Allow approximately 10% of proposal preparation time to conduct planning in preparation for the kick-off meeting. Ensure attendees receive the schedule and writers packages, draft executive summary, and communications/collaboration instructions.
- Little or no advance warning of the Kick-off Meeting resulting in limited participation. Before RFP release, identify as many kick-off meeting participants as possible. Keep them informed of…
12 Required kick-off meeting elements
Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. –Andrew Carnegie
You should design all aspects of your kick-off meeting to motivate your team, communicate your proposal plan, and set the overall tone for how your proposal team will operate.
Though the kick-off meeting typically occurs a few days after RFP release, planning for the kick-off meeting prior to RFP release saves time once the RFP drops – a major advantage for your team. Once actual…
6 Early-stage proposal products to identify and develop
More adventures start with a lack of planning. –Capt. Dick Shakeshaft, Keynote Speaker, APMP Nor’easters 2011 Fall Symposium
Keeping a proposal team on a winning track means getting an early start on the proposal. Arguably, the most important activity during the Pre-proposal Preparation Phase is preparing proposal products early. While each RFP contains unique questions that are difficult to anticipate, we can get a head start on many standard proposal sections during this phase.
Identify proposal products typically included in similar or related bids for this client, and begin developing these sections before RFP release. Typically, these products include:
- Resumes
- Past…
Top 5 reasons to gather info about business opportunities – and what to gather
There are multiple reasons to gather information about an opportunity.
1. We need to confirm the four opportunity elements listed in our previous blog post, 4 Major Elements of Qualified Business Opportunities.
2. We have to ensure that no organizational conflict of interest (OCI) situation exists that will affect our business—such as our already holding a contract that specifically precludes our bidding on the identified opportunity.
3. We need to work internally and with any teammates to determine ways to influence or shape the procurement—ethically, of course—and to gather details continually to support our ongoing Bid/No Bid assessments.
4. We need…
