Back to Basics: Proposal Development and What It Takes to Win By Al Pines Seneca Creek Consulting All too often we hear companies tell us that they wrote a great proposal and were scored second best. One manager was even proud of the fact that they came in second on their last three proposal submissions! In many cases, form and format can be equal to, or more important than, content. Understand what it takes to win. Developing a compliant technical proposal—i.e., one that meets all procurement requirements—is a minimal starting point for winning, but it just levels the playing field. Proposed innovative solutions, as part of meeting requirements, is also a prerequisite to being a contender, but not sufficient. To win, your proposal must also sell your message. For example, a winning proposal must answer the questions, “Of what benefit is your innovative solution to the procuring agency; how does it meet the requirements; and why is it better than a competitor’s solution?” Many winning proposals begin with the front cover and extend to the back cover. The front cover is the beginning of your executive summary. You must grab the evaluator’s attention as soon as the document is picked up and maintain that hold until the reading is completed. The back cover is there, so why not use it? We sometimes forget that evaluators are people just like you and me. They want to quickly get through the proposal and feel confident about their appraisal. Making a proposal an easy read goes a long way to winning. This includes a detailed table of contents and a complete compliance matrix. In addition, sentence and paragraphs should be concise, as short as possible, flow logically and be augmented by graphics (e.g., pictures, flow charts, diagrams). Besides an overall executive summary, each major section should also have its own executive summary, complete with a major theme, graphics and captions, integrated with content that together encapsulates and sells the more detailed content to follow. It should boldly draw in your evaluator, motivating him or her to continue reading. To win, your proposal should not only meet the technical requirements of the RFP but also be priced to win. It should be a “selling document” not just a compliant document. For more information visit www.SenecaCreekConsulting.com.