Is it always necessary to create graphics first? Ask the Proposal Doctor
Dear Proposal Doctor, My capture manager is insisting that we complete a big stack of graphics before we write any proposal text. We have a decent amount of time for this proposal, more than we usually...
View ArticleQuestioning the questions? Ask the Proposal Doctor
Dear Proposal Doctor, The battle over which questions to send to the government customer on a long and not-very-well-written RFP has begun. The desktop publishers want to ask about fonts. The graphics...
View ArticleKeeping an accurate compliance matrix while facing multiple amendments? Ask...
Dear Proposal Doctor, I use a homegrown tool to strip my RFP into a table with all the technical requirements. This is supposed to be my tool for checking compliance, and it works well if there are no...
View ArticleHelping proposal introverts open up and play nice? Ask the Proposal Doctor
Dear Proposal Doctor, Our solution architect is a brilliant person who is also a Serious Geek and unreconstructed introvert. This person does not want to interact with anyone and does not express...
View ArticleHow much planning is too much? Ask the Proposal Doctor
Dear Proposal Doctor, My team received a draft RFP about 6 months ago, and since then the government has continued to extend the procurement schedule. It now appears that we will not see a final RFP...
View ArticleHow to deal with sensitive proposal info? Ask the Proposal Doctor
Dear Proposal Doctor, As the proposal manager for a large and important bid, I have access to information that senior executives in my company consider sensitive. Sometimes this is information about...
View ArticleAsk the Proposal Doctor – Frustrated at Stupidity
Dear Proposal Doctor, The powers that be in my company took drastic measures after a number of proposals were submitted containing errors resulting from use of old proposal material. As of now, no one...
View ArticleAsk the Proposal Doctor – Sick of Debating
Dear Proposal Doctor, Our team is in a pitched battle over the proposal outline, and until we resolve it, this proposal is going nowhere. The government’s Section M evaluation criteria (different from...
View ArticleAsk the Proposal Doctor – Dying of Boredom
Dear Proposal Doctor, My team is dying of boredom, and I am afraid they will all quit. We haven’t seen an RFP in over 3 months, and this is a hard-working proposal team that thrives on adrenaline. How...
View ArticleAsk Proposal Doctor – Creating balance between “required” and “desired”?
Dear Proposal Doctor, Senior executives in my organization are constantly inserting material into the proposal that is not called for in the RFP and spending time on proposal components that don’t get...
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