What makes a Great Proposal - The view from both sides

2. What makes a Great Proposal - The view from both sides Mindy S. Goeres, CFCM, CPCM NCMA World Congress 2004 “Maximizing Value to Stakeholders…Contract Management in the Business World”

3. Faces of a Proposal • Marketing tool • Sales presentation • An offer to contract • A part of your new contract • Take-away: Take the time to do it well NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

4. Types of Proposals • B2G • B2B proposals • Internal project proposals and reports • Employment applications and resumes • Academic projects and papers NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

5. General Business Environment • Intense competition • Most are squeezed in the muddle • Shorter turnarounds • Reduced marketing/business resources • Single data points that may be wrong • Awards made without discussions • What’s in the binder is what works -- or not NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

6. + Federal Business Environment • LOTS of wannabes • And maybe some preferences to help competitors • Lots of effort made to limit the subjective • Interdisciplinary, integrated evaluation teams • Consider internal vetting and documentation processes as a parallel NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

7. Show me the Services! • Service society in government too • Services contracting now 50% of spend • Up over 25% from 1990 • Service contracts differ from supply contracts • Performance-based • Varied contract type • Continuous surveillance vs. batch inspection • Best Value evaluation NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

8. Best Value Evaluation Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) Best Value • Govt. has wide latitude in Best Value evaluations • Tougher job to document Best Value trade-offs • Must still say what we’ll do and do what we say NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

9. Proposal Quality/Volume Proposals that earn awards Vo l ume Minimal compliance LOW HIGH QUALITY LEVEL NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

10. 3 C’s of Great Proposals • Customer-focused • Writes to the customer’s needs • Compelling • Translates features into benefits • Transition from engineering to customer’s perspective • Complete • Wears the reader’s shoes NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

11. Customer-focused Read & understood RFP from customer’s point of view Demonstrates value Inspires confidence in delivery > Connects the dots Compliant Read the RFP Point-by-point answers (mechanical) Lack demonstrations of performance Says what you have to offer > Answers the mail Customer-focus is Great! NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

12. Compelling Has a value proposition and demonstrates how it’s is accomplished Tells a story well – even if it’s not the right story Compliant Meets RFP requirements Builds the box, but not much attention to the value proposition of what’s inside the box. Compelling is Great! NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

13. Complete Sync of word and number picture Few if any typos or gaps that distract Compliant Answers the questions Doesn’t explain why that information is relevant Complete is Great! NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

14. Nits that Not! • Lots of typos • Unclear connections • Often with Resumes • Unanswered questions • Leave the point open to interpretation instead of drawing the conclusion • Too many exceptions to terms and conditions NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

15. Debriefing Lessons Learned • Overestimates of marketing intelligence • Low understanding of Best Value evaluations • Same for integrated evaluation teams • Assume no one reads the cost volume • Lots of effort spent knowing no chance of a win • The big question was never asked NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

16. Goal: Look like a good Partner • Follow the guidelines in the RFP • Submit a professional looking document • Establish credibility early, esp. if a new relationship • Devote time and space to where your value is supported • Demonstrate that you can do the job well NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

17. #1 Take-Away • Customer-focused content is needed to win • Won’t guarantee a win, but can’t get there without it • Ask: • How important is this to the reader? • What’s my value proposition? • Is my message compelling? • Does this make me look like a good addition to the team? NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

18. Developing a Great Proposal • Do your homework • Know your customer and what they need • Make the best first impression you can • Make it professional • Make it complete • Talk to what’s important to the audience • Be clear on what you can deliver • Back it up with examples or demonstrate from related experience NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”