FEDERAL
SECTOR REPORT
December 1997
(c) P2C2 Group,
Inc.
The Proposal Developer as Management
Consultant
Proposal
developers sometimes take on the role of management consultant
for their client organizations. This may be particularly true of senior
consultants,
who are less likely to be boxed into a narrow position description.
However,
internal proposal managers who are viewed as part of the senior
management
team may find themselves in this role as well. This issue will discuss
some
of the dimensions of this consulting role, concluding with several
pointers
about ethical issues.
WRITING STATEMENTS OF WORK FOR TASKS.
Today, many federal procurements
are based on tasks or indefinite quantity delivery orders, and
generating
sales requires Government-issued orders. Often, the government expects
the
contractor to draft the paperwork, which is a Statement of Work
defining
the acquisition, deliverables, schedules, and resources. A capable
proposal
developer can write the specifications for tasks, as I have done for
years.
This requires a special mindset: Listening to what the government
customer
wants, translating these wants into requirements, collaborating with
the
contractor technical staff to formulate a responsive solution, and
writing
specifications that are acceptable to the government contracting office
and
the contractor. In this role, the developer-consultant is like a
mediator
who seeks to develop a win-win situation for both the government and
the
contractor. The document is written from the perspective of the
government,
which has the right to revise or modify the draft.
JUST SAYING NO (OR LATER). Proposal
developers who are truly professional
will occasionally find themselves in the position of arguing that a
client
should not invest in a specific proposal competition because
the chances
of winning appear remote. Reasons may range from insufficient time to
prepare
a winning proposal to evaluation criteria suggesting that certain
competitors
have an overwhelming advantage. For example, I recently advised a
college
to wait a year before competing for a grant to develop a Physician
Assistant
Program, an occupation that can eventually lead to a $60,000-a-year
salary
after a 4-year degree. The reason? The arrangements with clinical
training
settings, a medical school, adjunct faculty, state approval, and the
contents
of the courses are daunting and require extensive preparation. A hasty
proposal
now would rate poorly, compared to better-prepared institutions,
despite
the fact that there will be multiple awards. The college vice president
who
is my client agreed and is setting sights on a well-prepared proposal
competition
in early 1998.
ENGINEERING THE OPERATIONAL PROCESS. Most
government reviewers expect
a detailed description of the work plan--the operational process by
which
the project will be executed. This is a difficult section for some
organizations
to write, particularly for product-oriented engineers, resellers, and
integrators.
Their mindset tends to be oriented toward product features and
specifications,
rather than the work activities required for performing the contract.
It
may be necessary for the proposal developer to interview key technical
personnel
and managers ... and then write a description of the business process.
This
description then becomes the "operations manual" for the contract.
DESIGNING PROJECT INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
Computer-based project information
systems are becoming an asset for many proposal competitions--both for
information
technology (IT) and non-IT procurements. As a proposal developer, I
find
that I am often "inventing" information systems for the proposed
contracts,
or at least explaining how a company's existing information systems
will
improve contract performance, project management, customer interface,
and/or
cost efficiency. Even IT companies may overlook their project
information
systems, such as how they will share scheduling information, project
status
data, and QC information with government representatives. In some
cases,
designing the information systems has involved the creation of system
flow
charts, data entry screens, report formats, and prototype systems
(using
something quick like MS Access or Paradox, with links to spreadsheets
and
project management software). I have also found that well-presented
information
systems can increase competitive awards in non-IT fields as diverse as
facility
management, education, office moving services, and policy research.
SERVING AS FACILITATOR.
Decisionmaking for proposals can become complicated
when the proposal team involves multiple organizations--either
different
operating units within the company, or several teaming partners.
Participants
are reporting to a proposal team outside of their permanent
organizational
hierarchy. Decisions about the proposal (and post-award operation of
the
successful project) may require negotiations. A skilled proposal
developer
is often able to serve as facilitator--orchestrating schedules,
encouraging
a team spirit, and establishing an environment where negotiations are
constructive.
Like NATO combat troops who don't all speak the same language,
different
parties on the proposal team need to be organized to support unifying
objectives--winning
and continuing success after award.
ASSESSING THE SITUATION. Generally,
the proposal process has some aches
and pains. But there are also quite a few critical factors that can
risk
total loss--ranging from inept sections by authors to inappropriate
personnel
or technical solutions. The proposal manager must be able to step back
(regularly)
and assess the situation. Like a capable trial lawyer who wants to
w-i-n,
the proposal developer must be a cold-hearted realist, assessing the
situation,
applying damage control, and recommending alternative solutions. In
many
cases, this requires "making a case" to the top management of teaming
partners.
ADVISING ON COSTS. A proposal
developer may become immersed in the proposed
business process for executing the contract. Less expensive
solutions--that
may even result in a better rating in the proposal
competition--sometimes
become apparent. The developer-consultant, of course, must sell the
alternative
scenario to the technical team and management.
PEPARING QUALITY CONTROL PLANS.
Today, most government contractors and
grantees have policies and procedures for quality control. However,
many
government procurements are requiring that a specific QCP be included
with
the proposal--one that addresses exactly how each requirement
of the
Solicitation will be inspected and controlled for quality. Some expect
statistical
designs for sampling quality during systematic inspections. As a
proposal
developer, I am spending time actually developing project-specific
plans,
complete with forms, inspection procedures, tracking systems for
corrective
action, and QCP reporting formats. Usually this also requires
discussions
with top managers regarding how they will integrate a contract specific
QCP
into the overall corporate management strategy. A good QCP, of course,
becomes
an asset after contract implementation, because it can be a believable,
empirically-based
system for documenting the quality of "past performance," an evaluation
criterion
for most competitions.
IMPROVING THE PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM.
An obvious role for developer-consultants
is improving the proposal development and management process. Because
so
many of my past newsletters discuss how to improve proposals and the
business
of managing proposals, I will not discuss these matters now.
ADDRESSING ETHICS. The proposal
developer who plays a management consulting
role should remember one of the key tenents of the practice of
medicine: Do no harm. The wrong words or actions on the part of the
proposal developers can inflict permanent damage to teaming
relationships, internal cooperation, and careers. Improper use of
confidential or proprietary information can burn bridges. The proposal
development process may mirror tensions within or between
organizations, provide ample opportunities for gossip, and portray
people when they are most vulnerable because of "proposal stress."
Great care is needed, and proposal consultants may want to review the
code of ethics of the Institute of Management Consultants at http://www.imcusa.org/ethics.shtml.
