When to stop last-minute changes

One of a proposal team’s biggest frustrations is last-minute changes, which can introduce errors into written proposals or cause synchronization issues with oral proposal slides and scripts.

Before making last-minute changes consider the type of change you are making and how it affects proposal timeliness and quality.

Table 1 Column 1 lists welcome changes that can make a proposal more compelling or increase its score.

Table 1 Column 2 lists unnecessary changes that may cause significant work, burn out team members, and not increase a proposal’s score.

Table 1. Types of last-minute changes to consider

If you routinely get a lot of last-minute changes:

• Provide leadership with a schedule and specify how last-minute changes affect delivery.
• Ask leadership to describe how unnecessary changes can improve the proposal’s score.
• Explain how the last-minute changes affect quality, timeliness, and team morale.

By negotiating last-minute changes and picking your battles, you can gain better control over your proposal schedule, timeliness, and quality, while also reducing bid and proposal (B&P) costs.

By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals.
As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Go-to-Market Strategy, Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.