a. zaman khan © copyright 2016, all rights...

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A. Zaman Khan © Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

Proposal Basics and Advanced Techniques

Revision 1, April 2015.

Intelligent Decisions, Inc.

21445 Beaumeade Circle

Ashburn, Virginia 20147

Phone 703.554.1600 • Fax 703.554.1896

P R O P O S A L B A S I C S A N D A D V A N C E D T E C H N I Q U E S

A. Zaman Khan – Proposal Guide i

Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction to Bids and Proposals ....................................................................................1

1.1 Government Solicitations ......................................................................................................2 1.1.1 Contract Vehicles ....................................................................................................2 1.1.2 Deconstruction of a Request for Proposal ................................................................2 1.1.3 Contract Cost Types ................................................................................................4

1.2 Business Development and Proposal Basics...........................................................................4

1.3 Cradle to Grave Process ........................................................................................................5

1.4 Overview of the ID Business Acquisition Lifecycle ...............................................................6

1.5 Delegation of Authority ........................................................................................................8

1.6 The BD Culture at ID ............................................................................................................8

1.7 Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................................... 10 1.7.1 The BD/AE’s Responsibilities ................................................................................ 12 1.7.2 The Capture Manager’s Responsibilities ................................................................ 12 1.7.3 The Proposal Development Manager’s Responsibilities ......................................... 13 1.7.4 The Technical Solution Architect’s Responsibilities................................................ 15 1.7.5 The Proposal Writer’s Responsibilities .................................................................. 16 1.7.6 The Proposal Specialists Responsibilities............................................................... 17

1.8 Tools of the Trade ............................................................................................................... 18 1.8.1 The Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Tool ............................................ 18 1.8.2 The Capture and Proposals SharePoint Site........................................................... 21

Chapter 2 Capture Procedures and Tools ......................................................................................... 24

2.1 Capture Process Overview .................................................................................................. 24 2.1.1 Exploratory Phase ................................................................................................. 24 2.1.2 Steps 1 and 2, Win Strategy and Pre-Proposal Phases ........................................... 25 2.1.3 Steps 3 and 4, Proposal Development and Submission ........................................... 26

2.2 Capture Management Checklist ........................................................................................... 26

2.3 Business Opportunity Review ............................................................................................. 26

2.4 Bid/No-Bid Assessment Checklist ....................................................................................... 26

2.5 Capture Plan ....................................................................................................................... 27

2.6 Customer Visits .................................................................................................................. 27

2.7 The Win Strategy ................................................................................................................ 27 2.7.1 Business Intelligence ............................................................................................. 27 2.7.2 Information Analysis ............................................................................................. 27 2.7.3 Win Strategy Development..................................................................................... 28

2.8 ID Non-Disclosure Agreement Template ............................................................................. 29

2.9 Teaming Agreements .......................................................................................................... 29

2.10 Solution Development ......................................................................................................... 30

2.11 ID Pricing Basis of Estimate Spreadsheet ............................................................................ 31

2.12 Black Hat Reviews.............................................................................................................. 32

2.13 Whitepapers, RFIs, and Sources Sought .............................................................................. 33

Chapter 3 Proposal Development Procedures ................................................................................... 34

3.1 Definition of Terms............................................................................................................. 34

3.2 Pre-RFP Support ................................................................................................................. 35

3.3 Proposal Planning ............................................................................................................... 35 3.3.1 SharePoint Proposal Sites ..................................................................................... 35


A. Zaman Khan – Proposal Guide ii

3.3.2 Proposal Plan ....................................................................................................... 38 3.3.3 Charge Code ......................................................................................................... 38 3.3.4 Annotated Outline ................................................................................................. 39 3.3.5 The Compliance Matrix and RFP Shred ................................................................. 40 3.3.6 Proposal Schedule ................................................................................................. 41 3.3.7 Writer’s Package................................................................................................... 42 3.3.8 Pre-Kickoff Coordination ...................................................................................... 42

3.4 Proposal Kickoff ................................................................................................................. 42

3.5 Data Calls ........................................................................................................................... 43

3.6 The Proposal Fact Sheet ...................................................................................................... 43

3.7 Daily Status Calls/Standups................................................................................................. 44

3.8 Creating and Managing Action Items .................................................................................. 45

3.9 Questions on a Solicitation .................................................................................................. 45

3.10 Storyboarding ..................................................................................................................... 46

3.11 Baseline Management ......................................................................................................... 46

3.12 Proposal Reviews................................................................................................................ 47 3.12.1 Color Reviews ....................................................................................................... 47 3.12.2 Peer Reviews and White Glove Reviews ................................................................. 49

3.13 The Past Performance Process ............................................................................................. 49 3.13.1 The Importance of Past Performance Citations ...................................................... 50 3.13.2 Process for Developing Past Performance ............................................................. 50 3.13.3 Past Performance Narratives................................................................................. 51 3.13.4 Past Performance versus Experience ..................................................................... 51 3.13.5 Best Practices for Selecting References .................................................................. 51 3.13.6 Important Tips When Working On Past Performance ............................................. 51 3.13.7 References............................................................................................................. 52

3.14 The Pricing Process............................................................................................................. 52

3.15 Consultant Management ...................................................................................................... 52

3.16 Tailoring the Process ........................................................................................................... 53 3.16.1 Strategic Proposals ............................................................................................... 53 3.16.2 Task Order Proposals............................................................................................ 53

Chapter 4 Proposal Writing ............................................................................................................... 55

4.1 Virtual Proposal Development............................................................................................. 55

4.2 Writing Resources............................................................................................................... 56

4.3 Planning a Response ........................................................................................................... 58 4.3.1 Do Your Homework ............................................................................................... 58 4.3.2 Interview Subject Matter Experts ........................................................................... 59 4.3.3 Organize the Section ............................................................................................. 61

4.4 Developing a Proposal Section ............................................................................................ 62 4.4.1 Graphical Elements ............................................................................................... 63 4.4.2 Text ....................................................................................................................... 65 4.4.3 Formatting ............................................................................................................ 66

4.5 Proposal Edits ..................................................................................................................... 67

4.6 The Danger of Boilerplate ................................................................................................... 68

4.7 Task Order Responses ......................................................................................................... 69

Chapter 5 Production, Delivery, and Post-Submission Activities ..................................................... 70

5.1 Transmittal/Cover Letter ..................................................................................................... 70

5.2 Final Production Delivery ................................................................................................... 70

5.3 Lessons Learned Meetings .................................................................................................. 70

5.4 The Post-Proposal Submittal Phase ..................................................................................... 70


A. Zaman Khan – Proposal Guide iii

5.5 Archiving the Proposal ........................................................................................................ 70

5.6 Closing the SharePoint Site ................................................................................................. 71

Chapter 6 Other Helpful Hints .......................................................................................................... 72

6.1 Concatenating Multiple Word Files ..................................................................................... 72

6.2 Determining Readability Statistics for a Document .............................................................. 73

Attachment A – New Business Acquisition Process ............................................................................A-1

Attachment B – Delegation of Authority............................................................................................. B-1

Attachment C – Responsible, Accountable, Coordinate, and Informed (RACI) Matrix ...................C-1

Attachment D – Proposal Development Manager Self-Assessment ....................................................D-1

Attachment E – Checklists .................................................................................................................. E-1

E.1 Capture Management Checklist ......................................................................................... E-1

E.2 Bid/No-Bid Assessment Checklist ..................................................................................... E-4

E.3 Solution Development Checklist ....................................................................................... E-5

E.4 Pre-RFP Data Call Checklist ............................................................................................. E-6

E.5 Proposal Planning and Execution Checklist ....................................................................... E-7

E.6 Proposal Kickoff Checklist.............................................................................................. E-10

E.7 Post-RFP Data Call Checklist .......................................................................................... E-12

E.8 Price Volume Checklist ................................................................................................... E-13

E.9 Color Review Checklist .................................................................................................. E-14

E.10 Production and Shipping Checklist .................................................................................. E-15

Attachment F – Templates and Forms ................................................................................................ F-1

F.1 BD Review ....................................................................................................................... F-2

F.2 Capture Plan ................................................................................................................... F-12

F.3 Trip Report ..................................................................................................................... F-19

F.4 ID Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) ............................................................................ F-20

F.5 Team Percentage Analysis .............................................................................................. F-23

F.6 ID Pricing Basis of Estimate Spreadsheet ........................................................................ F-24

F.7 Black Hat Briefing .......................................................................................................... F-28

F.8 RFI Template .................................................................................................................. F-35

F.9 Whitepaper Template ...................................................................................................... F-38

F.10 Proposal Plan (Prime Contractor) .................................................................................... F-42

F11 Proposal Plan (Subcontractor) ......................................................................................... F-52

F.12 Proposal Volume ............................................................................................................ F-53

F.13 Proposal Resume ............................................................................................................ F-57

F.14 Compliance Matrix ......................................................................................................... F-58

F.15 Proposal Kickoff Briefing ............................................................................................... F-59

F.16 Data Call Summary ......................................................................................................... F-70

F.17 Questions on a Solicitation .............................................................................................. F-71

F.18 Storyboard ...................................................................................................................... F-72

F.19 Color Review Kickoff ..................................................................................................... F-74

F.20 Blue and Pink Team Review Form .................................................................................. F-82

F.21 Red Team Review Form ................................................................................................. F-82

F.22 Color Team Scoring Slides .............................................................................................. F-83

F.23 Gold Team Sign-off ........................................................................................................ F-84


A. Zaman Khan – Proposal Guide iv

F.24 Cover Letter.................................................................................................................... F-85

F.25 Production Forms............................................................................................................ F-86

F.25.1 DVD Envelope Label ...................................................................................................... F-86

F.25.2 DVD Master Packing List ............................................................................................... F-87

F.25.3 Master Packing List ........................................................................................................ F-87

F.25.4 Outside Box Label .......................................................................................................... F-88

F.25.5 Sealed Package Pricing Label .......................................................................................... F-89

F.25.6 Delivery Receipt ............................................................................................................. F-90

F.26 Lessons Learned Briefing ................................................................................................ F-91

Attachment G ID Proposal Style Guide ......................................................................................... F-94


A. Zaman Khan – Proposal Guide 1

Chapter 1 Introduction to Bids and Proposals

Intelligent Decisions, Inc. (ID) has been building a corporate brand over the last 25 years. This brand represents how internal and external sources view our organization. Representation of ID’s brand can come in many forms, starting with a simple logo all the way to whitepapers. Our visual and contextual presentation and approach define the overall brand that represents ID.

This guide is intended for everyone at ID to receive basic and advanced guidance on the bids and proposal process that has been developed over many years. Most of the techniques used are accepted industry standards that are also unique enough to be considered part of the ID brand. This guide describes ID’s standard processes that are specifically designed to support the corporate culture and needs, make everyone’s job easier. and ensure that each team member delivers the best outcome in each phase of the BD cycle.

Every RFP is different and every proposal team has its unique dynamics. This document is not and cannot a comprehensive list of things to do in every situation. The PM is expected to draw on their experience, knowledge, and skills to develop the best proposal plan for each RFP. This document does, however, describe the framework for proposals at ID and provide specific guidance for common proposal activities. Each PM should tailor their activities to fit within this framework.

A successful capture of a program is important to the growth of ID. Usually the most basic elements of activities are Opportunity Identification, Pursuit, and Program Capture. Most organizations fail due to a lack of process and not following an established process. By using the guidelines presented in the following chapters ID stands a much better probability of winning in an effective and efficient manner. Everyone at ID is a stakeholder in the pursuit and capture of new business opportunities. This is why the environment is highly collaborative with tools and guidelines to foster working in a team-oriented environment.

After reading this guide, send any comments and feedbacks to [email protected]. The goal is the make ID a premiere organization when it comes to Bids and Proposals. The following sections provide guidance on the proposal process at ID.



Figure 7. ID’s Business Acquisition Process follows best practices for winning new business.



Chapter 3 Proposal Development Procedures

While companies cannot win an opportunity on the proposal alone (Capture is required to develop and execute the win strategy), companies can lose an opportunity on the proposal alone. The PM is the leader accountable for ensuring that ID’s proposals meet all our customer’s expectations. The PM ensures that ID’s responses are compliant and compelling. They also ensure that all ID’s proposals represent the quality of deliverable our customers can expect from ID.

3.1 Definition of Terms The Proposal Team must use standard terms during the proposal development process to ensure writers provide the products needed without rework. Common proposal terms include:

Annotated Outline. The outline fully annotated with guidance to the writers from the RFP, the capture plan, and the proposal plan. Provide it in the proposal template (not as an unformatted document).

Benefit. The positive aspects of a feature for the customer. These benefits usually focus on active verbs such as enhance, facilitate, reduce, etc. For instance, ISO certification is a feature, reduced risk is the benefit. Specialized training for our personnel is a feature, enhanced productivity and reduced lead times is a benefit. Benefits should be focused on customer hot buttons.

Compliant. The proposal outline complies with all of the RFP directions in the order specified by the RFP. A compliant proposal has headings that reflect the instructions to offerors, in the same order and with the same key words expressed in Section L (then Section M followed by Section C) the RFP.

Cross Reference Matrix. A table that aligns RFP sections with the relevant proposal sections. Cross Reference Matrices have the following headings: Proposal Section, Title, Section L, Section M, Section C, Other.

Discriminator. One feature of your company or solution that is unique among your competitors and of positive value to the customer. Most companies are fortunate if they have one true discriminator.

Feature. An aspect of the solution. For instance, ID’s technical solution for DSTS includes features such as our 44,000 square foot warehouse, personnel who specialize in 3D wargaming development, etc.

Responsive. The text in each section responds to the RFP instructions to offerors; i.e., the text addresses the issues required by the RFP and avoids tangents.

Win Strategy. The set of actions executed to position ID to win a proposal.

Win Theme. Win themes are higher-level (Meta theme) features and benefits that transcend the entire proposal or a section of the proposal.

Proposal Shred. The RFP parsed out into a spreadsheet or table, by section, with RFP text included in the table.

Proposal Outline. The headings that will appear in the proposal. At ID, we include cross references to the RFP after the heading whenever possible.

Proposal Template. A document pre-set with styles that will be used in the proposal. The styles include headings, text, table text, bullets, etc. The template also generally includes a sample table and text box and may include the color palette for proposal graphics.



3.12 Proposal Reviews Virtual reviews are a convenient, and often necessary, way to ensure a geographically dispersed review team has access to the proposal and the opportunity to provide comprehensive comments. Instructions for setting up a virtual color review are provided at: https://web.intelligent.net/sites/candp/Processes/Forms/AllItems.aspx.

Proposal Reviews include informal peer reviews designed to ensure the solution is complete and accurately described; formal Pink and Red Team color reviews that ensure the proposal satisfies benchmarks throughout the development process, a Gold Team review for executive sign-off, and a white glove review for printed proposals.

Virtual Color Reviews are held in SharePoint. See Chapter 6 for a copy of the Color Review Kickoff Deck and additional slides that provide instructions for virtual reviews. The PM can brief the additional slides as part of the kickoff when most of the Team has never used ID’s virtual review process. The PM can also hold a separate training session for new reviewers.

Price Proposals are reviewed in a separate track at ID. The CM is responsible for reviewing the Price Proposal to ensure that it complies with ID’s price strategy and meets the Price to Win. In addition, the CM should ensure that the price volume complies with RFP Requirements, incorporates the assumptions required to scope ID’s price proposal. ID has developed a Price Volume Checklist (Attachment E.8) to support this review.

3.12.1 Color Reviews Color reviews are an important part of the development and validation process of a finished proposal. Prior to the completion of a proposal, there are several reviews that are color coded to and each color review has a specific purpose and expected artifacts (Figure 26).

Figure 26. Color Reviews provide essential status checks on the quality and direction of the proposal effort.

Review Purpose Artifacts Attendees

Pink Team Ensure compliance with RFP Initial evaluation of solution Evaluates Win Strategy, themes, discriminators, etc.

Pink Team Review Document or Storyboards: Clear description of the solution Overview graphics Allocation of win themes, discriminators against sections and a plan of how to express them Complete, updated Proposal Plan

BD/AE/CM The EVP, Business Development The SVP, Professional Services The Senior Director of Bids and Proposals The BD Proposal Specialist Recruiting Representatives [if resumes are required] ID’s Graphic Artist The VP or Director who will own the contract after award The Senior Director of Contracts The Director of IT Solutions Assigned TSA Assigned writers Teammates and Independent reviewers as needed

Red Team Evaluate solution to ensure it is executable and compelling Evaluate proposal against evaluation criteria Ensure proposal writing, layout, etc. is professional

Red Team Review Document: Complete draft of each section, including at least a draft of all graphics Win themes, action captions, text boxes, features/benefits Complete Proposal Plan

BD/AE/CM The EVP, Business Development The SVP, Professional Services The Senior Director of Bids and Proposals The BD Proposal Specialist Recruiting Representatives (if resumes are required) ID’s Graphic Artist The VP or Director who will own the contract after award The Director of IT Solutions Assigned TSA Assigned Writers Independent Reviewers (subset of the reviewers for Pink Team) Teammate Representatives

Gold Team Final sign-off on finished, delivery copy.

Delivery-quality document

BD/AE/CM The Senior Director of Bids and Proposals ID’s Graphic Artist The SVP, Professional Services The VP or Director who will own the contract after award.



Blue, Pink, and Red Team Reviews. The CM and PM use the Color Review Checklist (Attachment E.9) to plan Blue, Pink, and Red Team color reviews.

Blue Team Reviews. Generally, during the pursuit process enough information is collected to define a solution to the RFP, including a win strategy, win themes. We can often create a well-defined proposal outline as well that is annotated to show the themes, discriminators, technical and management solution, etc. The review team will review the proposal outline to validate and contribute to strategies, benefits, strengths, themes, and ideas to ghost, proposal visualization through graphics and story boarding and evidence to support the overall strategies of the proposal. Once the Blue Team has completed their analysis the proposal strategy is locked and writing assignments can be distributed.

Pink Team Reviews. At this time, drafts for all sections should be completed. The reviewers are looking for adherences to the strategies such as the themes, ghosting, and visual elements in conjunction with the outline and/or storyboard. Additionally, the reviewers are looking for consistency in style and themes from one section to another, since multiple writers were involved. Finally, reviewers are carefully identifying all major and minor mistakes and inconsistencies.

Red Team Reviews. This review ensures that the proposal is compliant, reads well, and is compelling. Reviewers look for themes, discriminators, validation of claims, consistency in readability from one section to another and any identification of any contextual or visual changes that may be required to present an effective and compelling story.

The Blue, Pink and Red Team color reviews evaluate the work of the CM and PM, therefor the CM should assign a Color Review Chair for Blue, Pink and Red Team color reviews. For large proposals, a representative from Professional Services (the Technical Lead or Program Manager) should lead the review process after the kickoff to ensure the review team meets its schedule and provides substantive reviews. The Team Lead will respond to reviewer questions, ensure participation, etc. He will lead the debrief of the CM, PM, and writers. Most importantly, he will hold a post-review meeting before the debrief to:

Review, consolidate, and de-conflict comments.

Document global comments.

Score each section of the proposal in accordance with the criteria provided in the RFP (Red Team).

The PM should work with the CM to ensure the appropriate reviewers are assigned to each review. The attendee list for the Pink Team review will be much larger than the attendee list for peer reviews or Red Team and there must be continuity in the attendees—no NEW invitees. This policy ensures the reviewers understand the vision for the proposal and carry that understanding consistently through the reviews.

The Color Reviews begin with an introductory briefing that overviews the opportunity , describes the review process, and provides any special guidance for the attendees. Each review also ends with a debriefing. ID has developed a standard color review slide deck that (Attachment F.19) can be modified to support any color review.

When the Review Team has finished evaluating the proposal, each reviewer must complete a Review Form (Attachments F.20 and F.21) that provides answers to the critical questions for each review. The Review Team chair will use the forms to complete the slides for the Color Review debrief. After reviewing the section, each reviewer (or team of reviewers) will complete the Color Team Scoring Form (Attachment F.22) and debrief the writers on their evaluation.

At the end of the debrief, the PM and CM must decide whether or not the opportunity should be brought to BD review. Opportunities go to a Step 3 Update when:

ID’s team cannot submit a proposal at the “green” level in all areas (cannot be fully compliant or responsive)

ID’s solution requires an investment of additional funds to support development of the final solution

The RFP or solution had significantly changed from the first Step 3 review.

You need senior management buy-in for our proposed solution.

All proposals will have a Red and Gold Team review. Blue and Pink Team reviews are held when the proposal schedule allows; however, if these reviews are not scheduled the Red Team must incorporate the goals of the canceled reviews into the scheduled reviews. There are several factors that ensure a successful review:



All review attendees must read the RFP before the review begins. This ensures the reviewers have a clear idea of the customer’s requirements and mitigates confusion, unproductive comments, and incorrect guidance to the writing team.

The reviewers must remain constant during the review cycles—the same people at the Pink Team should review at the Red Team. This ensures a consistent and coherent vision for the final proposal and mitigates the possibility of last minute shifts in proposal strategy.

Reviewers need to provide substantive comments, not editorial fixes. Keep the purpose of the review in mind and address each purpose. At Blue Team and Pink Team, comments may be general in nature. At Red Team, reviewers must provide specific fixes to identified issues rather than general comments. (For instance, state a source document for missing text rather than point out that text is missing; provide corrected statements for inaccurate statements rather than questioning the accuracy of a statement; and volunteer the help of SMEs to complete a section rather than suggesting that we add some text on a subject.) This ensures the proposal team has the information needed to develop the final proposal.

The CM and PM will hold a post-debrief meeting with the writers to develop and initiate a recovery plan for the next phase of proposal development.

Gold Team Reviews. The Gold Team Review is actually the Senior Management approval for submission. Senior Managers review the proposal to ensure the proposal is complete, is executable, and complies with ID’s standards of quality. If the PM cannot meet with Senior Management to obtain signatures, written approval by email is an acceptable substitute. By the Gold Team review, the proposal should be better than 97% complete and in presentable condition. The Gold Team will review for overall compliance and scoring. Typically, a scorecard should be provided that mimics the evaluation model the Government will use. This team will identify the final 3% of high-level changes to make the proposal final.

Since the Gold Team Review should be a delivery-quality document that complies with the comments from the previous reviews, the PM can manage the Gold Team review. Attendees for the Gold Team Review will sign off on approval for submitting the proposal (Attachment F.23).

3.12.2 Peer Reviews and White Glove Reviews Peer Reviews and White Glove Reviews serve two special purposes (Figure 27). The Peer Review provides writers and TSAs an opportunity to ensure that the product is something they are proud to show to their senior management. The White Glove is the final check of a printed proposal to ensure that the final product printed correctly and is ready to submit.

Figure 27. Use Peer Reviews and White Glove Reviews to ensure that your product is ready for evaluation by Management or the Government.

Peer Reviews White Glove

Purpose Ensure technical or management solution it is complete, accurate, executable, and responsive to the customer’s needs.

Validate a clean and complete print of the delivery copy Catch any remaining errors

Artifacts Updated graphics Updated proposal text

Printed Delivery proposal, bound

Attendees CM The Senior Director of Bids and Proposals ID’s Graphic Artist The VP or Director who will own the contract after award The Senior Director of Contracts The Director of IT Solutions Assigned TSA Assigned writers Teammate SMEs

PM CM BD/AE ID’s Graphic Artist

3.13 The Past Performance Process Past performance (PP) is an indicator of an offeror’s ability to perform on a contract successfully. While PP has always been strongly considered in awarding contracts, and companies with a strong performance history tend to have a higher



4.3 Planning a Response A winning proposal complies with the architectural requirements of the RFP and is responsive to the customer’s evaluation criteria, work requirements, and business needs. To ensure that the proposal text supports these goals, the proposal writer should dedicate approximately 50% of their time to plan their assigned proposal section before they begin writing. Properly planning a response will make the section easier to write, reduce re-writing, and improve the overall quality of the submission.

4.3.1 Do Your Homework Every proposal writer is required to understand the RFP, the win strategy, the proposed solution, and the expectations for their assigned sections of the proposal. To prepare for a writing assignment:

Read the RFP. At a minimum, writers should read Sections L, M, C, and referenced attachments in that order.

Review the Proposal Plan. Look for relevant win themes, discriminators, and ghosting that must be incorporated into the section.

Review the annotated outline. Ensure that you understand how the outline conforms to the Sections L, M, and C of the RFP. Talk to the PM if there are any questions.

Note the proposal schedule, available on the SharePoint Site for the specific opportunity, including due dates for all writing assignments. Speak to the PM if there are any questions.

Take note of the other members of the proposal team who will serve as SMEs.

Understand the proposed solution. The writer will attend solution development sessions or review the solution development artifacts. Speak to the CM or TSA if there are any questions.

Read the RFP. The proposal writing process begins with receipt of a Request for Proposal (RFP). An RFP is defined as a solicitation made by a Company or an Agency interested in the procurement of a commodity, service, or valuable asset through a bidding process to potential suppliers to submit business proposals. In other words, an Agency is soliciting IT services from government contractors and ID must compete with highly qualified contractor teams to win the contract.

Most RFPs follow a format mandated by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). Writers must read Sections L (Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors), M (Evaluation Factors), and C (the Statement of Work (SOW), Statement of Objectives (SOO), and Performance Work Statement (PWS)) as well as any referenced sections and attachments. It is best to read the RFP in this order because Sections L and M will determine how much of Section C is included in the proposal response. Sections L and M also provide a framework for analyzing Section C.

Section L describes how the proposal should be organized architecturally (how many volumes, what sections should be included in each volume, what each section should address, etc.) as well as formatting contraints, page limitations, and packaging and delivery instructions. Writers reference Section L to double-check compliance with the RFP.

Section M contains the evaluation criteria used to rate your proposal. This section notes how the proposal will be evaluated (evaluation methodology). It is a complete description of how the Source Selection Board (the evaluators) will grade the proposal. Writers reference Section M to ensure that they draft text that responds directly to the evaluation criteria for the highest grade possible. Writers reference Section M to verify that the proposal is responsive to the RFP.

Section C describes the services that the customer needs to support his program or project. The section generally includes a description of the customer’s mission, the scope of the program or project, the customer’s goals for the program or project. Section C also describes specific tasks that the winning contractor is expected to perform. The writer uses this section to ensure that his text uses the customer’s keywords and is consistent with the customer’s expectations for the services provided. In other words, this section is used to verify that we are responsive to the customer’s expectations.

RFP Sections referenced in L, M, or C. These can include Section H, which lists key personnel requirements and labor category descriptions for proposed staff, and Section F which often includes performance standards.

Referenced attachments can include the SOW, SOO, PWS, table templates, lists of relevant technologies or work locations, reference architectures, etc.



List the benefits of our solution wherever you can to show that the investment will pay off.

Use language designed to create a positive impression of ID’s capability – use active voice, avoid ambiguity, and provide details rather than vague statements.

4.4.1 Graphical Elements Graphical elements are the first part of a proposal section that writers should develop. A good graphic clarifies the solution, provides a framework for the section text, and reduces the required text. In addition, studies have shown that graphics improve the reader’s understanding of your solution and increase your win probability. The 9 Secrets of Winning Proposal Graphics by Mike Parkinson cites a variety of studies that support this assertion:

University of Minnesota School of Management: Presenters who use visual aids are 43 percent more effective in persuading audience members to take the desired course of action than presenters who don’t use visuals. Further research demonstrated that we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text

University of Wisconsin: Using professional graphics improves learning by 200 percent

Wharton School: Using professional graphics takes 40 percent less time to explain complex ideas

Harvard University: Graphics improve retention by 38 percent

Privia: Graphics increase the odds of winning by more than 40 percent

As a general rule of thumb: A proposal should have a graphical element on every page and be 40-60 percent graphics. Graphical elements include anything that breaks up text, creates whitespace, and highlights specific content. They include graphics, tables, text boxes, and bullets.

Graphics. Graphics are used to depict complex processes or concepts. ID has gathered graphics that are used frequently and/or provide inspiration for new graphics. These are located in the Proposal Graphics Library under the Proposal Resources tab on SharePoint. The graphics are broken into two categories – management and technical.

The writer designs graphics to emphasize consistency across the proposal, which enforces the impression that ID’s solution is coherent and well-designed. To do this, use consistent elements such as colors and shapes. You can also use icons, which begin with an overarching graphic of the entire solution and blow-ups of relevant sections of the large for subsections (Figure 35).

The Graphic to the left depicted ID’s overall, ITIL-based solution. Each plate was pulled off and examined in detail for each task in the Statement of Work.

Figure 35. Graphics can be turned into icons to demonstrate a comlex system.

There are basic rules for incorporating graphics into proposals:

Ensure graphics highlight your features, benefits, and discriminators that may otherwise be lost in a sea of words

Make all graphics customer-focused

Don’t put too many ideas into a graphic. Even large overview graphics should not be too complex.

Design the graphic to support your message. When describing a cyclic process, make it a circle, not a line.

Label elements directly to eliminate/minimize confusion

Ensure visual elements have a specific role in the explanation and a reason for being chosen and incorporated

Never use clip art



Chapter 5 Production, Delivery, and Post-Submission Activities

5.1 Transmittal/Cover Letter The PM will draft a standard transmittal/cover letter for submission with the proposal (Attachment F.24).

5.2 Final Production Delivery The proposal will freeze for all major changes just after the Gold Team fixes are implemented to allow production of any hardcopy delivery packages. When a proposal is ready for production, place it in the Production folder in SharePoint and notify the Proposal Specialist.

The Proposal Specialist will produce all hardcopy proposals (Attachment E.10) at ID with the assistance of the BD staff. The PM for each proposal should coordinate production requirements with the Proposal Specialist, beginning early in the proposal process. The Proposal Specialist will order supplies, schedule production resources, and manage the production and mailing of the hardcopies. In addition, the Proposal Specialist will package and label the proposal for the appropriate carrier (Attachment F.25).

The CM/PM is expected to support the White Glove review during the production process. In addition, the CM is responsible for hand delivering any proposals in the local area. The Proposal Specialist will provide a delivery receipt for hand-carried deliveries.

5.3 Lessons Learned Meetings Lessons Learned meetings are critical to the process improvement process for business development, helping ID to:

Identify ID’s processes that work well and should be institutionalized.

Identify problems that occurred while pursuing an opportunity, the perceived root cause of the problems, and the initial mitigation strategy.

Assign Action Items, with points of contact, to execute the tasks needed to institutionalize best practices and correct less effective practices.

Lessons Learned meetings are conducted on a non-attribution basis. The PM will collect comments on what went right, what went wrong, and recommended actions from each participant in the proposal process. The PM will collate the comments into the Lessons Learned briefing (Attachment F.26), and brief the Lessons Learned participants. The PM and CM should encourage free discussions about process issues without allowing the discussions to focus on specific individuals. All discussions must stay at the process level.

5.4 The Post-Proposal Submittal Phase After the proposal is delivered, the PM and CM will hold lessons learned meeting to identify areas of improvement in the pursuit process, and to strengthen things we are doing well. Post-submittal activities may also include response to Government Clarification Requests (CRs), Deficiency Requests (DRs), and Requests for FPRs, or Best and Final Offers (BAFOs). The Proposal Team will respond as requested by the customer. In addition, ID will hold a Step 5 (Final Pricing) meeting to respond to any BAFOs or FPRs. The Step 5 is the final review and approval of the pricing before the BAFO/FRP is submitted.

5.5 Archiving the Proposal Within 12 hours of submission, PMs archive proposal artifacts as follows.

O Drive: Production Files, solicitation and amendments and Proposal Plan are archived in the Contracts folder on O drive. Create a folder for the opportunity in the appropriate customer folder.

P R O P O S A L B A S I C S A N D A D V A N C E T E C H N I Q U E S

A. Zaman Khan – Proposal Guide E-1

Attachment E – Checklists

E.1 Capture Management Checklist


A. Zaman Khan – Proposal Guide F-3

Note that the PWIN is a

number, not a category. Do a

PWIN calculation; use

the quadrants as a reality check.

Note that incumbents win

recompetes 60% of the time, so if

you are going after incumbent

work, your maximum PWIN

is 40%.



F.2 Capture Plan



F.6 ID Pricing Basis of Estimate Spreadsheet

The first page of the form provides

administrative information about

the proposal and points of contact

within ID. This information is

essential for the Pricing

Administrator to consult with the

correct personnel and provide pricing that

supports ID’s pricing strategy

for the opportunity.



F.16 Data Call Summary



Attachment G ID Proposal Style Guide

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