Introduction• 20 years proposal industry

experience in Federal, State, Local and Commercial industries

• Worked in US, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East

• Career spans from proposal writing and managing to business development to actually managing projects

• B&P and P&L responsibility laid the foundation for our company process

Business Philosophy: Every proposal has a ‘business impact’ – it’s not just a documentation exercise

Reena BhatiaFounder & Advisor

ProposalHelper

INSIGHT INTOBUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT

BD and Proposals – the Relationship

What does Business Development have to do with winning Proposals?

EVERYTHINGWinning proposals stem from

winning BD and Capture effortsone cannot exist without the other

Winning business goes beyond writing just a strong proposal

To bid or not to bid?and why?

• Be informed • Be realistic• Be aggressive

Leadership drives attitude – make us believe in your decision

Business decisions to pursue an opportunity go

beyond ‘gut feeling’

Should we Bid?

Should we pass?

Most importantlyArticulate clearly WHY you want this

business – not why you want to write the proposal.

Can you afford not to bid?Being realistic does not mean be a

pessimist

Step outside your comfort zone

Augment your capabilities through teaming

If you want to sustain and growyou cannot afford not to bid anymore

Be able to deliver – there is a first time for everything

Evaluating the PipelineIf you do business with the Government

(Federal, State, or Local), you should have a pipeline of potential

opportunities.

Do you?Most Government agencies publish their strategic acquisition plans (5-

year plans) – its not a secret! Don’t JUST wait for an RFP – be proactive and target new and

recompetes early

Build a Solid but Realistic Pipeline

• You look at many but be realistic about your capabilities (whether priming or subbing)

• Go through the capture drill – meet the client, meet the incumbent, meet your competition, meet your partners.

• Make an early decision whether to go solo or team! (save yourself time and hassle of unnecessary teaming if you can pull it off alone)

• Be realistic about your capabilities (oh! Did I already say that – well, yes!)

• Be realistic about your resources (can you really have 4 major bids going on and still do real business?)

Window shopping – you are just looking

Aaaa! I like this and this and this

(I am downsizing, let me leave the rest – limited quals to justify pursuit)

Well, I really don’t need so many – do I? I can only fit

so many*Reality Time – limited

resources*

These are the only ones I can truly

afford!

Prioritizing does not mean giving up a bid

So you have your pipeline – now

what?

FOCUS ON WRITINGWINNING PROPOSALS

Scene 1: The Lampoon• The Business Developers/Sales people have

done their job– Found the leads– Qualified them– Prepared a healthy pipeline

Where are they now? Hopefully in front of a customer and not here!

Scene 2: The LampoonC-Level executives expect too much from

sales and BD – get the leads, qualify them, write the proposal and…

oh! Don’t forget lunch with CIO of Acme Agency and dinner with the large company

whose team we really need to get on!

Sales and BD are jet setting around the globe hunting for leads. They need to hand off the

deal to…to....to...whom?

…A WINNING PROPOSAL TEAM

Hand the lead off to a capable and fully-staffed - Proposal Team

(not person)

• Don’t expect one person to do it all• Do expect a single responsible person to

pull it all together• Maintain open, honest, and continuous

communication at all times

Risks of Using an Individual Proposal Consultant

Data Calls - send, receive, review

Proposal Schedule – prepare and track

Prepare Proposal Outlines

Writing Graphics

Organize and Conduct Reviews

Track Amendment Changes

Make writing assignments

Prepare for kickoff

EditingPrintingThe work is all the same – can one person keep up?

STOP, STOP, STOPWE SAID…

WINNING TEAMNot one person doing it

all

ProposalHelper – your Winning Team

Whether you use us or another company – research their process well• Do they hire consultants?• Do they have repeatable

processes?• Does a single person do

everything or do they have a support team?

• Can your bid survive without the single POC?

Minimize your business risk – build a long term relationship

Don’t Trivialize the Proposal

• It may seem simple but is it? Sometimes yes, but get a second opinion

• You invest months marketing, building relationships, finding the right partners, making a case to bid – put it to action

• Have professionals who know how to manage the process and take you to the finish line

• Proposal professionals are multi-taskers – we shred the RFP, guide the team to build a winning proposal, and are an integral part of your winning team!

Before and After You Super Size

• Whether its your own team or you outsource – know (truly know) WHY you are bidding

• Now convey that message and enthusiasm to your bid team – subcontractors, sales and BD, capture, proposal, office support staff

• Most importantly – maintain high enthusiasm throughout the process

• It gets tough, it gets in the way, it may feel like a mountain to climb – remind yourself why you started the process in the first place!

Its not about a proposal – its your business growth!

Proposal Process – Project Plan

• The proposal process is much like a real project

• Start with a Project Plan (Proposal Plan)• Decide who is doing what, when, to

whom• What resources are needed, where are

they?• What do we need to win this deal – bring

sales/BD and capture under one roof!Create a plan and stick to it! Don’t hesitate

now.

Know Your Customer (KYC) – Know yourself even better!

• Read the RFP• Understand the requirements• Reassess if this is still something

you want to pursue and have the capability to win

• Shred the RFP – look at the requirements, proposal instructions, evaluation criteria, terms/conditions

Revisit your list of reasons for bid – do they still stand?

ProposalHelper – why we are different?

• Dedicated resources to handle proposals – winning business is NOT a one-person show

• Dedicate a single point of contact to communicate with you but have a host of resources backing up our PrC

• From data collection, writing, graphics, to desktop publishing and printing – there is a LOT that goes into proposals – we handle every aspectThe first company to fix price proposal

support!

Sample Proposal Plan (prepared by PH for Client)

Sample Proposal Plan (prepared by PH for internal accountability)

Multiple tasks go on internally that clients don’t have to worry about

PRICINGLet’s talk numbers!

Price Proposals• The biggest challenge for companies is

pricing – what to charge?• Price to win is mostly non-existent• If you know the competition, good resources

to check are competitor’s GSA schedule and other published pricing information

• Ultimately, price the lowest you are willing to live with – there may not be a second chance

Put your best price forward the first time – you may not have a second chance!

RECAP

A WINNING TEAM can do it for you!

Recap• Bid realistically• Network and build a strong team of

companies for total solution• Surround yourselves with proposal experts

– you have too much invested to take a chance

• In house or outsource – set scope and expectations

• Participate actively – there’s no magic pill here!

Reach out to BidSync and ProposalHelper – we are on your side!

Even superheros need help!

QUESTIONS

CONTACT US TODAY!13800 Coppermine Road, Suite 114

Herndon, VA 20171WWW.PROPOSALHELPER.COM

CALL 571-535-4707EMAIL:

CUSTOMERSUPPORT@PROPOSALHELPER.COM