INNOVATION January-February 2012

f ea t u r e s

Proposal reviews: The Case for a revolution in Proposal Writing

The Request for Proposals (RFP) process is the primary method of soliciting bids and selecting consultants. It is used for reasons of standardization, accountability, transparency and cost effectiveness. Simply put, being competitive in an RFP process has become essential for engineering companies of every size. Most firms have recognized this; however, a look at the activities of the people within those firms clearly illustrates that most are: • Weakly applying the best practices for writing proposals (often unknowingly); and • Erroneously waiting for RFPs to drop before they begin the sales process.

Developing a great proposal is expensive. The labour alone, not to mention the opportunity cost of selecting one RFP to bid on over another, make any loss significant; yet it’s rare that an engineering firm formally reviews the quality of their responses. Some solicit feedback on why they lost, for example, during an RFP debrief session; some review the technical recommendations or pricing associated with their proposals internally. Very few take the hour required to hear from an independent reviewer who has assessed the proposal’s quality (especially before the submission!). Engineers learn many, many things in university, but how to write a proposal does not make the curriculum. If you change nothing else in your firm’s proposal process, add the step of an occasional review. It pays for itself many times over.

Tara Landes

Five Tips to Improve Your Odds of Winning an rFP response 1. Work Smart: Always complete a 3. Be Concise and Clear: Format your

5. Keep Score and Always Learn: Maintain a scorecard of your company’s RFP response successes rates. Take debriefs (even on the phone) whether you win or lose and share the learning with your team so your next response will be even stronger.

comprehensive “submit/don’t submit” check with everyone involved before proceeding.

response to mirror the RFP exactly. Answer all the sections completely but never “pad.” Have the final version edited, and be sure its appearance is professional. 4. Be Compelling: Identify all the competitive advantages that will make your response stand out and be the winner. Make a clear case. Be persuasive.

2. Follow a Strong Process: Ensure the RFP response is managed efficiently and effectively. Appoint an executive sponsor and a project lead for the response to create accountability and ensure deliverables are met. Rushed or last minute responses are never as strong.

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