The difference between a winning proposal or tender - 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 the 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 been 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 in this area of work ?
Other critical areas to evaluate before writing the first word 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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