Writing a proposal is a partnership between the proposal department and the business unit. Even if the proposal department supplies tech writers, the business unit is where all of the customer awareness and subject matter expertise resides. The proposal department may supply the process and document production expertise, but if the business unit wants to win, it better step up to the plate and do its part. I know it’s difficult because it’s important for staff to be fully billable, and they have limited availability and are not professional writers. But this is a problem that all service businesses struggle with. It is a conflict that is inherent to this type of business, not to your company alone. Don’t be surprised if you find it to be a struggle—just work through it if you want to win.

The truth is that both the business unit and the proposal department have to write the proposal. The business unit has to write the proposal, at least the first draft, to capture the information that must originate from them. The proposal department usually has to do so much editing that the final copy hardly resembles the original.

In this case, the company was trimming overhead and the proposal department no longer could offer tech writing. The business units were being told to write their own proposals. When this is taken to the extreme it is a recipe for losing. Not only do the business units often lack the writing skills to most effectively present the information in written form, but it would not be efficient to train every single project staff member to be a proposal writer. A few specialists can enhance the work of many contributors—and help keep billable staff billable. I like the idea of putting pressure on the business units to make their staff available if they want to bid a proposal. If you want to win, the proposal department needs help to get the writing right.