The difference between a winning proposal and a loser frequently comes down to what you know before you write a single word … not what you find out after you've written the document !
Before you put fingers to keyboard, scan your prospective client's environment. Here are some of the questions you should be able to answer:
- Can we characterise our client's/prospective client's organisation, their culture, range of business operations and functions, and the quality and level of our current and past relationships?
- What do we know about our client's operating environment? (Financial, relationships with government, industry and regional pressures, political and public drivers, management competence.)
- What has bee the stimulus behind requesting proposals? (Cyclic? Political? Cost reduction? New management?)
- Is this RFT/RFP just going to a restricted list?
- Who will be evaluating the responses?
- How are we viewed by the evaluators and our client generally? (What is our reputation and profile?)
- What would they see as our strengths and weaknesses versus our competitors?
- How well do we currently perform on this area of work?
These are just some of the questions that you need to ask … and answer … before you respond. Other critical areas to evaluate before writing the first word. These include:
- What work do we want to bid for? Are there geographical or practice limitations?
- How much work are we going to bid for? Is there a minimum threshold? A reasonable maximum?
- How should we price our bid? What are our pricing alternatives?
- Do we clearly understand what it will cost to produce the work?
- What do the client's expressed requirements really mean? What is it that they really want to buy?
- What do we know about our competitors? What do they do well? Where are we better?
- Are there other legal practices or expert service providers with whom we should be teaming or jointly bidding?
- What should we be sure to include in our documents?
- What will be persuasive and make a difference?
- Are there any hidden traps, pitfalls, or "skeletons" of which we should be mindful?
These are just some of the questions that you need to ask … and answer … before responding.
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