TArticles tagged with: proposal management

APMP – Chesapeake Chapter Webinar – Don’t Get Your Bid Kicked Out! | December 2, 2020

DATE: December 2, 2020 TIME: 12:00 – 1:00 pm LOCATION: Online CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Solid advice for improving your bid’s compliance and responsiveness. Sponsored by APMP Chesapeake Chapter Large government-wide acquisition contracts like GSA’s MAS and NITAAC’s CIO-SP4 contain hundreds of requirements and missing one could get your bid kicked out or significantly lower your score. Contracting Officers and Specialists often look for reasons to reject bids rather than keep them in play to reduce their evaluation burden. Former GSA Contracting Officer Jacob Bertram provides solid advice for improving your bid’s compliance and responsiveness to lower your risk. There will be time for Q&A after Jacob’s presentation, and you may submit your questions in advance to apmpcc.chair@gmail.com. WEBINAR LINK AND DETAILS WILL BE EMAILED WITH YOUR REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 12 hours, check your spam folder. Jacob Bertram is a principal consultant … Continue reading APMP – Chesapeake Chapter Webinar – Don’t Get Your Bid Kicked Out! | December 2, 2020 →

Using mind maps for proposal management activities

Visually generate, organize, structure, analyze, and classify ideas or information

I teach a proposal management class and use mind map examples for some of the lesson topics. I’m often surprised to learn that many of my students are not familiar with the mind map concept. In this article, I briefly introduce mind mapping and provide a few examples of how your proposal team can use mind maps as you prepare your proposal. What is a mind map? A mind map is a diagram used to visually generate, organize, structure, analyze, and classify ideas or information. It is an effective tool to capture and analyze information generated in brainstorming sessions. It facilitates collaboration, communication, learning, visual thinking, and problem solving. Mind maps can be used for planning, making decisions, and to facilitate outlining and writing. To create a mind map, you begin with a central concept/topic and develop related subtopics or themes around the central topic, connecting each to the center … Continue reading Using mind maps for proposal management activities →

Leading Teams on the Fly

To be successful, team leaders must understand the difference between teamwork and teaming.

Republished with permission from the APMP NCA Fall eZine Capture and proposal team leaders face challenges inherent to our business: fluid team composition, multiple concurrent tasks and opportunities, competing demands, changing priorities, and short deadlines. Most companies have a permanent cadre of full -time capture and proposal professionals supplemented by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), consultants, and other specialists (contracts, pricing, Human Resources) for specific efforts. The fluid nature of capture and proposal teams creates challenges and opportunities for the team leader. To be successful, team leaders must understand the difference between teamwork and teaming. What’s the Difference? According to Harvard Business Review (HBR), teamwork is about stable teams of people who have learned to work together over time, for example, a Proposal Operations group. Teaming is “teamwork on the fly”: when we “gather experts in temporary groups to solve problems they’re encountering for the first and perhaps only time.” When … Continue reading Leading Teams on the Fly →

Set Your Sights on USDA Centers of Excellence Bids for Q4 and Beyond

A series of acquisitions covering multiple skill sets, technology stacks, and application portfolios

In December, the White House announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would serve as the first of GSA’s Center of Excellence (CoE) for IT Modernization. USDA is at the forefront for implementing the Trump administration’s IT Modernization Plan with a series of acquisitions covering multiple skill sets, technology stacks, and application portfolios. Multiple Award BPA Under Phase 1, in March 2018, USDA awarded five contracts to collaborate and partner with the agency on strategy and planning for upcoming bids. On July 30, 2018, USDA released its first Phase 2 CoE acquisition under GSA Schedule 70 via e-Buy, due August 10: a multiple award Blanket Purchasing Agreement (BPA) for Infrastructure Optimization Cloud Adoption. With a two-year period of performance, the program will require the selected vendors to work with USDA’s Cloud Platform Services (CPS) organization responsible for enterprise-wide cloud adoption and infrastructure optimization. USDA plans to make an award … Continue reading Set Your Sights on USDA Centers of Excellence Bids for Q4 and Beyond →