Use AI to Drive Information Collection for Bids and Proposals

Introduction

As bid and proposal professionals, we know that being well-informed is crucial for winning contracts. However, finding and processing relevant information can be time-consuming and challenging. We can use Artificial intelligence (AI) to meet this challenge by harnessing its ability to quickly access, organize, and synthesize vast amounts of data, as described below.

Use Large Language Models (LLMs)

AI-powered Large Language Models (LLMs) have been trained on massive amounts of text data, allowing them to understand and generate human-like text. AI can expedite information collection about your customers and competitors and enable you to identify gaps in information collection. However, AI is no substitute for digging into customer-specific documents the LLM has not trained on and gathering first-hand information from your customers or about your competitors.

Efficiently Extract and Organize Data

Bid and proposal professionals are challenged to sift through extensive information repositories to find relevant data. AI can be invaluable in this regard. You can use AI to:

• Summarize Text: AI can help you quickly grasp the main points and key findings of articles, reports, or research papers. This saves time and ensures you don’t miss critical information during your research.
• Extract Data: AI can help extract specific pieces of information from documents, such as dates, figures, or technical specifications. This capability is handy when dealing with large datasets or contracts with multiple pages.
• Format Information: AI can assist in formatting information according to your preferences. Whether you need data in a spreadsheet, a PowerPoint presentation, or a written report, AI can help organize it efficiently.

Support Collaborative Thinking Partners

AI can serve as an independent collaborative thinking partner throughout the bid and proposal lifecycle. For example, AI can support:

• Idea Generation: AI can generate ideas and suggestions based on your input. It can help brainstorm your proposal’s discriminators, innovative solutions, or compelling narratives.
• Content Enhancement: AI can analyze your proposal drafts and suggest improvements, such as enhancing clarity, grammar, or persuasiveness. This ensures that your proposal is not only well-researched but also well-written.
• Quality Control: AI can check for compliance with bid requirements and verify that your proposal adheres to all instructions and requirements.

Conclusion

AI, specifically LLMs, can significantly expedite information collection for bid and proposal professionals. They can streamline data extraction, provide quick summaries, and serve as valuable thinking partners, ultimately enhancing the quality and efficiency of your proposal management efforts.

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 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.