At the heart of every winning proposal lies a deep understanding of the client's needs, concerns, and objectives. Before diving into the proposal writing process, take the time to thoroughly research and analyze the client's requirements outlined in the request for proposals (RFP). Understanding the Client's Needs: The Foundation of Winning Proposals [...]
In the government contracting arena, the competition can be fierce, and the ability to win new business depends on writing winning government proposals. Writing a government proposal is never an easy task – especially when determining how to best stand out from the competition. This is why using outsourced federal proposal [...]
We all urgently want the proposal win themes we select to help raise us above the competition. But no matter how hard we try, there is always the fear that our win themes will fall short. During the past 35 years, we have helped customers develop their proposal win themes hundreds of [...]
Brian McCollough -- With the PreSolicitation notice released and the final RFP coming in two weeks, there is no time to waste. This is written to help bidders win a STARS III contract. It is time for serious 8(a) bidders to start work in earnest. And for interested large businesses to find a [...]
Creating your own draft RFP allows you to address the following key questions: 1.How extensive will the scope of work be? 2. Will there be a past performance review? 3. Will it be a "best value" procurement or a price shoot-out? 4. What will be the most important evaluation considerations? When customers [...]
Guest Contributor: Ken Blair As we approach late spring, a young person’s thoughts should turn to the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE). OK, well, maybe not, but let’s talk about this latest opportunity from PEO-STRI. This program was moved under the Other Transaction Authority (OTA) on May 19th to make the procurement [...]
If the RFP is very detailed, then it may be easier to discriminate yourself in the transition plan than in your required responses to the statement of work etc. Neutralize the Incumbent One way to neutralize the incumbent’s advantage is to also not need a transition period. This requires doing a lot [...]
During 40 years in the industry, I have found that a Tree-type graphic helps proposal authors visualize the connection between strategy, win themes, and evaluation factors. In this article, I present an example of such a Tree. Take a look at the graphic with this article. Note how we constructed it.
Have you ever felt you could have written a much better proposal if the customer had only allowed more time? But what can you do if there is no draft RFP?
A good choice is to develop a Mock RFP. This gives you a specific target to crystalize your thinking. It helps you systematically think through each facet of your solution and identify your gaps while there is still time to fill them.
Start by finding related RFPs. The best is the old RFP. GovWin is a good source to find old RFPs. The Statement of Work in that old RFP can provide a useful starting point.
On large and small RFPs, the Government may respond to dozens or hundreds of questions. On the EAGLE II RFP, there were over 1,000 questions from industry that the Government answered. Too often the questions are not adequately evaluated or even reviewed by important members of the proposal team. How to efficiently [...]
