TArticles tagged with: proposal delivery

Confessions of a proposal production expert – delivery (Part 5 of 5)

All great proposal teams know the few golden rules of proposal development: Writers are more productive when they are fed. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. And… You can’t win if you don’t deliver on time! This week Briana Coleman, PPM.APMP shares her top 3 proposal delivery tips. Tip 1: Plan on delivering EARLY Founder and CEO of our company, Bob Lohfeld, once told me this story of his early days in the proposal business. The goal was to deliver a proposal from San Diego to Pasadena. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong—including not budgeting enough time to print. There was not enough time to drive the proposal to the destination, so the company chartered a private helicopter on the day it was due to take the 2-hour flight. As the helicopter approached the Pasadena area, the pilot turned around and asked, “So, where do you … Continue reading Confessions of a proposal production expert – delivery (Part 5 of 5) →

Proposal production across the business development life cycle – phases 1 and 2 (Part 3 of 6)

In her previous post (Part 2 of 6), Briana Coleman, PPM.APMP outlined a typical business development (BD) life cycle with five phases: Phase 1 Opportunity identification and assessment Phase 2 Pursuit Phase 3 Pre-proposal preparation Phase 4 Proposal development Phase 5 Post-submittal In this post, she discusses the key production activities you should perform in Phases 1 and 2. Remember, these are the activities you should be performing before you ever have a real proposal on your plate. There are two main activities that you should accomplish in this phase. 1. Document your production plan Your production war plan is not something to be written in an afternoon and put on a shelf. It requires numerous trade-off assessments, decisions, and training of staff when it is complete. The goal of the production plan is to ensure that you have thought through all elements of production—desktop publishing, editing, graphics, printing, and … Continue reading Proposal production across the business development life cycle – phases 1 and 2 (Part 3 of 6) →

8 Required elements of a solid proposal production plan

Successful proposal production encompasses myriad elements. Develop a standard proposal production plan, including multiple checklists, and tailor your plan for each proposal according to the RFP requirements. Do this as soon after RFP release as feasible and then update with final details as you get closer to beginning production activities. Your proposal production plan should include, at minimum: Document production instructions Version control instructions Systems testing instructions Supplies planned and ordered for use for the proposal Software packages and versions planned for use for the proposal (may be specified by the RFP) Resources and supplies – in-house and outside vendors for printing and office/production supplies ordered for use for the proposal, e.g., binders, tab sets, paper, toner cartridges, and other printer supplies White Glove Review quality control instructions Delivery instructions By Beth Wingate