The Art of Proposals
Posted by sreynolds on Jun. 7, 2023 / Subscribe 0
Written by Shirley Barker, CPSM
Whether you are new to marketing or a veteran, we all respond to public RFQ/RFPs at some point in time and the competition can be tough. The question you need to ask yourself is “How can I make my company stand out from the rest?” My goal today is to provide you with some suggestions that could differentiate your company, bring new life to your proposals, and make your job easier.
Whatever your role is within your company, you are also a researcher. Because before you can start on the proposal, you need to know about the project. Hopefully you or someone within your company has talked to the owner, looked at the site, and figured out what the key issues are. You will need this information for a good proposal and it’s your job to gather it. You may have Business Developers that provide this information to you. If not, you will need to do some research on your own (look at the Owner’s Capital Improvement Plan, Board/Council meeting minutes, look at the County GIS map, AZBEX database, phone another marketing friend, etc.). Chances are, someone within your firm is already good at research, so you could also seek their help.
Now it’s time to layout the proposal. In 2018, I listened to a SMPS webinar regarding Proposal Writing. The five key thoughts from that webinar are worth repeating to you now:
Writing a good proposal isn’t really the challenge, Getting them to read it is.
-Every word must earn its way onto the page!
-Write As if you were talking (plain language).
-No more than 20 words per sentence.
-No more than 3 sentences per paragraph.
We get so caught up in making sure we have included everything the Owner is asking for, that we forget to focus on what is really important. Cut out text that isn’t needed and focus on a key message throughout your package that you want the owner to know. Try to carry this message or theme into each section.
Here are some additional suggestions:
Evaluation Criteria - After reading the RFQ/RFP, look at the Evaluation Criteria. What sections are receiving the most points? If
the cover letter isn’t being evaluated, don’t spend much time on it, but do let it be a summary of your
entire proposal. Normally the Project Approach and the Experience or Project Team sections have the
highest points. Those are where you want to focus your attention.
Your project approach should be specifically tailored to the project you are going after. An owner doesn’t want to see a list of services repeated back to them. They want to know what issues you see on their project and what benefits they will receive from you? (This is where your research will go.) Have you completed a project that is similar? If so, what lessons did you learn that you can apply to their project. How do the projects you are including in your proposal relate to the one you are submitting for. Do they have similar scopes, same technology, similar designs, completed for the same owner? Make it clear as to why you have included them. Also, include a quote from the owner or a project team member and show good images or drawings.
Why are your team members being included on this project? Are they experts in their field, have they designed or constructed a vast amount of the same type projects, or can they relate to the users of the
facilities? In today’s market, it is important to convey to the owner that your team members are available and will remain for the duration of the project. Also, make sure to connect them to any projects you listed
in the Experience section and graphically illustrate their strengths.
Graphics - Reviewers will probably spend less than 5 minutes on your proposal, so make it count. Use graphics whenever possible to get your point across.
People Only remember ...
When faced with having to read paragraph after paragraph or looking at a well-done graphic that clearly portrays the same message, create the graphic.
Debriefs
After projects are awarded, ask for a debrief. Find out how you scored, look at comments, put a public records request in, and get copies of the top competitors’ packages. Look to see how they are responding to questions and where you are lacking. Improve your material for the next project you pursue.
Proposals…It’s all about the courtship and how you ask for the project. Present your firm in the best possible way and make sure to…
Shirley Barker, CPSM, is Marketing Manager for FCI Constructors. She has 38 years of experience in the AEC market and had
her own firm for 12 of those years. She has put together hundreds of proposals over the years.
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