Winning Proposals:
Best Practices and Helpful Tools
NCMA Boston Chapter
March 16, 2011
Presenter: Jack Fagan, Shipley Associates
1
Session Agenda
 Keys to effective proposal manager leadership- tools & best practices
 Tasks and tools for a proposal manager
• Hold kickoff meetings – checklists, agendas
• Develop proposal strategies – bidder comparison template
• Create proposal schedule – proposal management plan
• Develop compliance checklists
• Establish detailed outline
• Conduct effective reviews – review input forms
• Oversee final revisions and production
 Summary
2
3
Assembling Your Proposal Team
p. 266
4
Prepare Your Team for Success
Do:
The Ideal Team




Plan backups
Set expectations
Provide training
Furnish information
Don't:




5
Allow self-editing
Overschedule authors
Ask authors to be artists
Have authors desktop publish
Proposal Managers Are Involved In
Many Concurrent and Distracting Tasks
Task #
6
Task Title
Remarks
40
Draft WBS
Match customer’s, if any
41
Schedule program
Guidance for writers
42, 43
Establish subcontract/teaming
plans
Make/buy decisions, SOWs,
agreements
45
Prepare proposal management
plan (PMP)
Content matters more than format
47
Define baseline offering
Early design freeze helpful
48
Receive, review, and comment on
a draft RFP
Consider straw man; be strategic;
influence final RFP
57
Draft or update executive summary Excellent communication tool
66
Validate bid decision
Assess changes and risk
7
Critical Tools: Forms
Forms may include:

Proposal Management Plan (PMP)

Proposal Development Worksheet

Proposal Project Notification Form

Proposal Notification Distribution List

Proposal Kick-off Agenda

Meeting Minutes

Review Team Agenda

Review Team Evaluation Score Sheet

Printing and Delivery Checklist

Lessons Learned Form
Proposal Manager
Coordinates Three Main Task Lines
9
Facilitate Daily “Stand Up” Meetings:
A Critical Tool
Meeting Characteristics
p. 47
• Brief schedule
• Regular time
• Defined agenda
• Mandatory attendance
• Entire “core” team
• Identified problems
• ID “open” issues
10
Don’t Base Winning On Good Fortune!
Facilitating Kickoff Meetings
Good kickoff meetings are a valuable tool to
motivate, inform, and direct proposal teams.
12
Plan an Effective Kickoff Meeting:
Invite the Right People
13
Objectives of Kickoff Meetings
p. 97
14
Divide Kickoff Meeting, if Necessary
 Communicate well in advance
 Use well-thought-out agendas
 Create action lists
15
Kickoff Meetings Are Critical!
Some Things You Shouldn’t Let Drop!
Developing Proposal Strategies
A proposal strategy is a plan for writing a
persuasive, winning proposal. Proposal strategy is a
subset of capture strategy.
17
Proposal Strategy
Hope is not a strategy.
Norman R. Augustine
Former CEO Lockheed Martin
Good Proposal StrategiesEvolve From Capture Strategies
p. 251
19
Craft Strategies Using Bidder Comparison Tools
20
Why Plan?
“The wonderful thing about the absence
of planning is that failure comes as a
complete surprise and is not preceded
by long periods of worry and stress.”
Planning is Critical to Survival!
23
Proposal Schedules
Scheduling a proposal helps visualize necessary
tasks and monitor progress. Schedule complexity
depends on size of the proposal and number,
expertise, and location of contributors.
24
Follow Scheduling Guidelines
 Schedule backwards from submission
 Reserve contingency time
 Maximize parallel tasks
 Estimate tasks using realistic standards
 Assign personnel only when needed
 Use standard work periods
 Plan for production
 Allow time for reviews
 Manage to the schedule
25
Scale Efforts to Match Timelines
p. 236
26
Use Time Standards/Guidelines
Task
Time Standard
Write new material
4 pages per day
Revise text or edit for content
8-10 pages per day
Proofread
20-25 pages per day
Create simple graphic
1-2 hours
Create complex graphic
2-6 hours
Retouch photograph
1-2 hours
Red teaming
40 pages per day
Desktop publish
30-60 pages per day
27
28
Use Simple Schedules for Simple Proposals
29
Create Detailed Schedules
for More Complex Proposals
30
Compliance Checklists
Use compliance checklists to verify that every
request has been answered and every requirement
met. A good compliance checklist is the lynchpin of
a compliant, responsive proposal.
31
Use Checklists to
Develop Compliant Proposals
p. 38
32
33
Build Checklists in Three Steps
34
Find All Requirements
35
Step 1: Capture All Requirements
RFP
Paragraph
B
C.2.1
Compliance Requirement
Requirements for production delivery and schedule (see RFP Section B table)
DESIGN ACTIVITIES
The Contractor shall develop the design and accompanying documentation for the DUDS specified in this
SOW. The design and documentation shall meet the requirements of Section 3 of this SOW. Specific design
activities shall include:
The Contractor shall design a prototype dropsonde. This dropsonde shall meet the technical specifications
given in Section 3 and shall be the weight and have the size as given in the Contractor’s proposal. These units
shall be powered in normal use in a manner determined by the Contractor. The prototype dropsondes shall
also be capable of being powered externally for testing to allow full operation for extended test periods without
loss of capability.
The Contractor shall design a prototype on-board receiver and data processor (ORDP) capable of being
operated over a temperature range of 0 to 120 degrees F. The prototype ORDP shall meet the technical
specifications given in Section 3 and shall be the weight as given in the Contractor’s proposal. The prototype
ORDP shall be powered from a single DC voltage source with voltage as given in the Contractor’s proposal.
The prototype ORDP shall be capable of receiving signals from the dropsonde units and communicating with
the ground station and operating with them both as specified in Section 3.
The Contractor shall design a ground station capable of operation in a shelter located on the Earth’s surface.
The ground station shall meet the technical specifications given in Section 3. The ground station shall be
capable of receiving the data from the ORDP by line-of-sight radio or satellite/internet link and displaying the
profile data locally. The ground station will be powered by standard 60 Hz, 120 VAC, single-phase electrical
power provided by the Government.
36
Step 2: Separate Requirements
RFP
Paragraph
B
C.2.1
SubRequirement
1
2
3
4
4.1
4.1.1
4.1.2
4.1.3
4.1.4
4.1.5
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3
4.2.4
4.2.5
4.2.6
37
Compliance Requirement
Requirements for production delivery and schedule (see RFP Section B table)
DESIGN ACTIVITIES
The Contractor shall develop the design
and accompanying documentation for the DUDS specified in this SOW
The design and documentation shall meet the requirements of Section 3 of this SOW.
Specific design activities shall include:
The Contractor shall design a prototype dropsonde.
This dropsonde shall meet the technical specifications given in Section 3
and shall be the weight
and have the size as given in the Contractor’s proposal.
These units shall be powered in normal use in a manner determined by the Contractor.
The prototype dropsondes shall also be capable of being powered externally for testing to
allow full operation for extended test periods without loss of capability.
The Contractor shall design a prototype on-board receiver and data processor (ORDP)
capable of being operated over a temperature range of 0 to 120 degrees F.
The prototype ORDP shall meet the technical specifications given in Section 3
and shall be the weight as given in the Contractor’s proposal.
The prototype ORDP shall be powered from a single DC voltage source with voltage as
given in the Contractor’s proposal.
The prototype ORDP shall be capable of receiving signals from the dropsonde units
and communicating with the ground station
Step 3: Simplify and Organize
RFP
Paragraph
B
C.2.1
4.1, 4.1.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
4.1.2
4.1.3
4.1.4
4.1.5
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3
4.2.4
4.2.5
Requirements for production delivery and schedule (see RFP Section B table)
Contractor shall design a prototype dropsonde meeting technical specifications in Section 3 of
SOW
Dropsonde shall be weight given in Contractor's proposal
Dropsonde shall be size given in Contractor’s proposal
Dropsonde units shall be powered in normal use in a manner determined by Contractor
Prototype dropsondes shall be capable of being powered externally for testing to allow full
operation for extended test periods without loss of capability
Contractor shall design prototype on-board receiver and data processor (ORDP)
ORDP shall operate over a temperature range of 0-120 degrees F
Prototype ORDP shall meet technical specifications in Section 3
ORDP shall be weight given in Contractor’s proposal
ORDP shall be powered from single DC source with voltage given in Contractor’s proposal
Prototype ORDP shall receive signals from dropsonde units
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
C.2.1
4.2.6
4.2.7
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2
Prototype ORDP shall communicate with ground station
Prototype ORDP shall operate with dropsondes and ground station as specified in Section 3
Contractor shall design ground station
Ground station shall operate in shelter located on Earth’s surface
Ground station shall receive data from ORDP by line-of-sight radio
C.2.1
C.2.1
4.3.3
4.3.4
Ground station shall receive data from ORDP by satellite/internet link
Ground station shall display profile data locally
38
SubRequirement
Compliance Requirement
Anything’s Possible With The Right Tools!
Establish Proposal Outlines
Sound proposal outlines are essential for team
writing efforts. Base them on principles of customer
focus and good organization.
40
41
Follow a Structured Outlining Process
p. 124
42
Resolve Conflicts
Between Sections L and M
43
Use SMaRTform to Build Outlines
44
Allocate Pages by Topic Importance
Estimated Weights and Initial Page Allocation
Factor
Technical
Management
Cost
Weight
50
30
20
Proposal Section
1. System Hardware
2. System and Network Software
3. Training
4. Project Management
5. Cost
Initial Allocation
50
14
28
8
30
20
Total
100
Adjusted Allocations
45
#
Proposal Section
Pages
ES
1
2
3
4
5
Executive Summary
System Hardware
System and Network Software
Training
Project Management
Cost
Total
Contingency
Page Limit per RFP
6
12
27
10
32
8
95
5
100
Comments
Approximately 5 to 10 percent of total
Reduced; not a discriminator
Equal to weight less executive summary
Increased; hot button of key evaluator
Increased; discriminator for us
Decreased; use tables extensively
Ensure Elements of an Effective Proposal
Compliance
3
2.5
Page and
Document
Design
Responsiveness
2
1.5
1
1
Visualization
and Graphics
1.5
Strategic
Focus
2
2.5
Quality
Of Writing
3
Competitive
Focus
Make Clear Writing Assignments
Proposal managers must develop clear, effective
writers’ packages for volume and section
contributors.
47
Proposal Development Worksheet
 Disseminates information and instructions
 Aids section planning before execution
p. 243
 Builds coherent strategy into proposal
 Facilitates coordination between sections
 Supports logical section development
 Improves win probability
48
Facilitate Proposal Reviews
Reviews are critical milestones on the road to a
successful proposal. Understand their purpose and
how your team can benefit from them.
49
50
Use Pink Team to Confirm Planning
p. 222
51
Use Red Team for Final Review
p. 222
52
Plan and Support Review Teams
 Identify and invite members early
 Overlap personnel between Pink and Red Teams
 Train members in review protocol
 Furnish review materials in advance
 Provide logistical and administrative support
 Promote constructive, not destructive, reviews
 Adequately staff each team
 Review cost volume
 Prepare proposal team for review results
53
Other Reviews Serve Distinct Purposes
Review
54
Description
Blue Team #1
Approves capture plan
Black Hat Team
Predicts competitors’ solutions
Blue Team #2
Approves proposal plan
Green Team
Draft review
Gold Team
Approves final proposal and price
White Team
Lessons-learned review
Final Proposal Revisions
Final proposal revisions are your last chance to
correct weaknesses or deficiencies before source
selection. They are prepared when you know more
about the customer's desires than at any previous
time.
55
Approach Proposal Revisions Carefully
 Resolve open issues
 Remedy weaknesses and deficiencies
 Use all information learned
 Be cautious about change
 Follow the proposal development process
56
Oversee Proposal Production
and Delivery
Even the best proposal will not win unless the
proposal manager produces and delivers it on time.
57
Proposal Managers Are People of Vision!
Proposal Managers Are People of Vision!
Production Planning
 Appoint production manager
 Publicize production flow at
kickoff
p. 194
 Prepare production mock-up
 Determine review requirements
 Purchase supplies early
60
Guidelines for Electronic Submittal
 Follow instructions exactly
 Ask for detailed instructions
p. 53
 Consider viewing methods
 Use PDF format when possible
 Minimize graphic file size
 Check for viruses
 Test delivery method
 Furnish hard copy
61
Proposal Delivery Issues
Issue
Remarks
Packaging and labeling
Follow instructions of Sections A and L.
Backup copies
Produce and stage contingency copies?
Hand delivery gives confidence.
Shipping mode
Access and handling
Security
Express services may have superior
resources.
Will delivery person have physical
access to correct location?
Special considerations for transporting
classified material?
Is courier needed?
62
Support Proposal Archiving and Lessons Learned
63
Session Wrap-up
This session has covered information and tools to
help a proposal manager improve an organization’s
probability of winning.
64
Session Summary
As Managers, We Must:
 Translate capture strategies into proposal strategies
 Understand the proposal manager’s relationship to capture and program
managers
 Lead proposal teams effectively
 Prepare for kickoff meetings
 Develop proposal schedules
 Develop compliance checklists
 Outline proposals in accordance with RFPs
 Cross-map requirements to outline topics
 Convert compliance checklists into proposal response matrices
65
Session Summary
As Managers, We Must:
 Provide written instructions to proposal authors
 Oversee proposal operations
 Prepare for Pink Team reviews and incorporate feedback into proposals
 Prepare for Red Team reviews and use the results to improve the final
product
 Benefit from other reviews
 Coordinate activities necessary to produce finished proposals
 Respond to a request for proposal revision
66
Good Decisions Increase Win Rates!!
"Winning is not a sometime
thing: it's an all the time thing.
You don't win once in a while:
you don't do the right things
once in a while; you do them
right all the time. Winning is a
habit. Unfortunately, so is
losing."
"If winning isn't everything,
why do they keep score?"
--Vince Lombardi
Jack Fagan
Shipley Associates
860.844.8022
jafagan@shipleywins.com
68