Insights Blog
Articles tagged with: proposal solution
6 more changes experts would make to the BD, capture, and proposal process
“He that will not apply new remedies, must expect new evils: for Time is the greatest innovator: and if Time, of course, alter things to the worse, and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better, what shall be the end?” –Francis Bacon
In everything we do in business, we constantly work to make our products, processes, and procedures faster, more efficient, easier, cheaper, or more reliable to gain increased market share.
I asked a number of capture and proposal experts to share…
Industry experts’ proposal war stories and lessons learned – Part 2 of 4
We’ve all heard, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” (–Albert Einstein) Has this quote applied to any capture or proposal efforts you’ve supported?
I’ve heard war stories and observed some first-hand over the past 25 years that make me wonder how some capture and proposal folks simply haven’t learned from their own and others’ mistakes and broken the constant cycle of self-sabotage.
I asked a number of my colleagues to share some of their…
Don’t make these mistakes – 12 vital proposal lessons
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (George Santayana)
Over the past 25 years spent managing and submitting thousands of proposals and task order responses, I’ve developed a long list of lessons learned.
Of course, I have many proposal section-specific lessons learned that I’ll share in upcoming Lohfeld Insights posts, but here are some of my favorite overall lessons learned:
- Address solicitation requirements in the required order and substantiate every response. This makes it easier for evaluators to score your proposal. (Include RFP section numbers in your section headings so evaluators can easily cross reference…
2-Step process for finalizing your proposal solution
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. –Albert Einstein
During the Pursuit Phase, your Capture Team should have developed a solution that addresses your client’s needs and provides a clear basis for award. The Capture Team continually refined and tested this solution with the client during the Pre-proposal Preparation Phase all the way up to final RFP release.
With significant effort directed at the solution during these phases, it is important to spend time immediately after final RFP release and before conducting the kick-off meeting to review the proposed solution against the final RFP…
10 Ways to mitigate pursuit phase 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 Pursuit Phase Risks and recommended Mitigation Strategies:
- Is the bid a strategic fit for your company? If no, consider not bidding.
- Do you understand the customer’s requirements? Use the time during the pursuit phase to learn more about the customer’s requirements.
- Do you know who constitutes your competition? Use this time to learn more about the competition through open-source documents, employees, partners, vendors, and hired consultants.
- Do you have advocacy with the customer? Use this time…
