Insights Blog
Articles tagged with: proposal review
Requirements matrices, compliance matrices, and why you need both
Brenda Crist shares her advice on developing both requirements matrices and compliance matrices for all proposals.
A proposal manager’s biggest concern is working on a huge proposal for months and having it rejected because an instruction was not followed or an esoteric requirement was not addressed.
Adding to this risk are disconnects between the statement of work, proposal instructions, and evaluation criteria.
To avoid compliance issues, consider building a requirements matrix and a compliance matrix. The requirements matrix assigns each requirement a specific number and verifies that it is met in the proposal, as Table 1 illustrates. To…
12 important tips for developing proposal schedules
At each Kickoff Meeting, I provide the final proposal schedule to the proposal team; however, much effort goes into getting to the final schedule.
Here are some tips to help your proposal schedule development efforts.
- Maintain templates of standard, achievable, detailed proposal schedules for 5-, 10-, 15-, and 30-day turnarounds – or whatever the typical turnaround times are for your industry and clients. Once you have the templates developed, you can tweak them for particular efforts and know that you’ve already accounted for all the…
Proposal graphics must appeal to 3 types of client evaluations
Graphics of all types should be used profusely throughout your proposal – but for every graphic, always ask why is this illustration being used? If the graphic does not add value, either change the graphic so it conveys information effectively or remove it. Charts and graphs should convey a message and/or tell a story. Graphics must appeal to three types of client evaluations:
- 5-second glimpse and grasp
- 60-second understanding
- Detailed scrutiny (for complex items)
To score maximum points from graphics, develop graphics in parallel with proposal drafts – this will ensure graphics are reviewed carefully at all stages of proposal review and will…
Top 10 Reasons to Vote Your Color Team Reviewers Off the Island
We all know that proposal color teams reviews are valuable. When done correctly, color team reviews are the most cost-effective way to improve a proposal. These color teams provide an independent, comprehensive review of how the proposal strategy, solution, compliance, responsiveness, and value have been addressed in the document.
In an ideal situation, proposal writers get collaborative, constructive guidance to improve the proposal. A solid independent review shows us where we’ve gotten too close to our topic to make good cuts and adjustments.
We all recognize, however, that some reviewers don’t really seem to understand how to provide the clear, constructive…
