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Category Results for Proposal Doctor
What to do with proposal “graphics & mayonnaise” complainers?
Dear Proposal Doctor,
Managing a big, complicated proposal is hard enough without having to listen to my complainers all day. I have two of them. They complain about everything from the quality of the graphics to the mayonnaise on the sandwiches at lunch. Responding to their issues and listening to them vent is just taking too much of my time, and I am worried about meeting our deadline for red team. I might even have to postpone it. How can I deal with these individuals?
Sick and…
Dear Proposal Doctor,
Please help. I am mid-way through a large and important government bid. The two or three people who have all the knowledge we need to document the solution are in pricing meetings that go on for hours, and by the time they start working on the non-price aspects of the proposal, they are exhausted and not productive.
I’m worried that we are going to miss interim deadlines and have to rush through our reviews and document production cycles. I don’t…
Dear Proposal Doctor,
Despite a kick off meeting at which we discussed roles and responsibilities, everyone on this proposal seems to be stepping on everyone’s toes. The coordinator keeps trying to do my job; the capture manager is trying to be the solution architect; the contracts representative is getting way too involved in pricing. We have redundancy and re-work in some areas and complete neglect in others. How can I get things back on track?
Proposal-Manager-in-Chaos
Dear Proposal Manager,
I feel your pain and have lived…
Proposal Doctor: Stop the madness
Dear Proposal Doctor,
The company I work for is bidding on a large government contract, and the proposal is a huge undertaking. My team consists of more than 50 people, and my MS Project schedule has hundreds of lines. It’s a challenge, which is to be expected. I was excited and optimistic when we started, but now I have a boatload of senior executives breathing down my neck. All the time! I spend at least half of every day explaining and justifying what we…
Ask the Proposal Doctor: How to write technical volumes more efficiently
Dear Proposal Doctor,
I work for a small business, and all our engineers work on a customer site while our BD/Proposal staff work at our office (which is in another state). This makes writing the technical volume really difficult because we can’t get our engineers on site to write. We end up having to travel a lot, which disrupts the proposal and takes people away from their families for weeks at a time. How could we write technical volumes more efficiently?
Running Out of Ideas
Dear…
Ask the Proposal Doctor – Waiting by the phone
Dear Proposal Doctor,
One subject matter expert (SME) in my company has the bulk of the information we need for the technical proposal. It is all in his head. This person is very busy with clients all day and keeps telling me that he will write the sections assigned to him at night—and that he will meet the deadline. We are a week into the writing period, and so far, he has produced nothing. He is inaccessible all day and often does not…
Dear Proposal Doctor,
We are a little more than halfway through the response time for a big, must-win bid. Red team madness is approaching. Big gaps exist. We have not road-tested the solution, and we are still missing resumes for people badly needed for us to be credible for this job. Two partners have yet to sign their teaming agreements. Yet the capture manager and the two senior executives with a lot to lose (or gain) are focused (read obsessed) with tiny proposal details…
Dear Proposal Doctor,
You must help. The senior proposal manager has gone on emergency medical leave, and the big and long-anticipated RFP is in my lap. This is hugely scary for me. I have never managed something this big and complex. So much is riding on a winning response—my heart is racing, and I am escalating into panic mode as I type these words. Should I just tell management that I am not up to the job? What to do?
Worried and Panicked
Dear Worried,
Only…
How to Build Professional Skills in Proposal Management
Dear Proposal Doctor,
I have been in proposals for five years and love the industry— I am one of those anomalies that thrive on little sleep, junk food, and a drive to win! I am hungry to improve and learn as much as I can.
Besides joining the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), what else do you suggest I do to improve my skills, knowledge, and general competency in proposal management?
The “green” Proposal Manager”
Dear Green,
Great question. I admire your commitment to continuous improvement.
Knowledge is experiential in…
Dear Proposal Doctor,
People say I have a big head, but believe me, I would prefer to only wear one hat. Unfortunately, my capture manager is not doing his job. Communications with subcontractors are erratic and inconsistent, the pricing team does not have a strategy, and progress towards a viable solution is slow. Every time I jump in to help with these items, the team is so grateful to have someone providing direction. In fact, if not for my efforts, nothing would have been accomplished on…
