Proposal Writing

Proposal writing is a misunderstood specialty. It is a sub-speciality of writing that owes more to technical writing than to the commonly used marketing hyperbole. In 2014 I was engaged by the National Contract Management Association to review, edit, and rewrite their Developing Winning Proposals National Education Seminar (NES). Here are some of the lessons I shared in that effort:

Well-written proposals are compliant, complete, correct, concise, and compelling.

Compliant proposals meet all the requirements identified by the government in their Request for Proposals (RFP). These data are organized and presented in the format (including page limitations, font size, etc.) described in Section L of their RFP. We use a requirements cross reference matrix in our proposals to track RFP administrative requirements and ensure we 'color within the lines.'

Complete proposals include all the information the client requires in their Request for Proposals (RFP) supported as needed by appropriate tabular or graphical figures. Again, this is a function of the Requirements Matrix and mapping each requirement to specific proposal paragraphs to ensure complete coverage and to provide a convenient index for reviewers. When proposals are evaluated (scored) the government will look for specific information and, if that information is missing, they will downgrade your proposal.

Correct proposals are free from factual or editorial errors. The Contract Coach's approach includes several reviews of the proposal content (both narrative and cost/pricing) as an integral part of the proposal creation effort. We also employ technical editors to check spelling, punctuation, and formatting to ensure a quality product.

Concise proposals convey the maximum information in the minimum space. The Contract Coach is expert at developing various tables or figures to illustrate and present complex concepts or data. We also edit proposals to eliminate "fluff" and focus on a more 'meat and potatoes' approach that clearly and concisely present data that the government needs to make their evaluation.

Compelling proposals provide a convincing argument to the government that your solution is the best value approach to fulfilling their requirements. We incorporate win themes throughout the proposal that guide the government towards our solution and then support those assertions with information that naturally lead the evaluator to the conclusion(s) we want.

Infographics

The old saying a picture is worth a thousand words takes on new meaning in the digital age as combined text and image artwork is used to convey complex concepts or processes in a compact form. Here is an example of the change order process I recently created for a client for a software proposal. Compared to the "old-school" Visio style process flow chart this infographic is clearer, friendlier, and does a better job of communicating.