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FEDERAL
SECTOR REPORT
February 1999
(c) P2C2 Group,
Inc.
What
Proposal Consultants Do
Selecting an appropriate
proposal consultant will affect outcomes--including the success of the
proposal. This month, the newsletter focuses on what proposal
consultants do. The purpose of this discussion is identify some of
the key differences between the roles and skill sets of proposal
consultants so that prospective clients--contractors and grantees--can
select the best match for their specific proposal requirements.
Hopefully a better match between
consultant and client will increase the chances for winning proposed
revenues.
The term "proposal consultant" will be used, regardless of whether one
or
more consultants are on the team.
"Proposal consultant" is
a very
broad occupational category, and it encompasses many roles, skill sets,
and areas of specialization. No proposal consultant is equally
effective in performing all proposal development tasks or in supporting
all types of proposals. "To thine own self be true" is a quotation that
can be applied aptly to proposal consultants: Matching personal
strengths with client requirements can increase the success rate both
for the consultant and client.
Roles
Proposal consultants may
fill a
variety of roles, and they need to make certain that they are filling a
role for which they are qualified. Most fill such roles as proposal
manager, writer, editor, proposal coordinator, red team reviewer, or
subject matter specialist. A few consultants are corporate advisors who
review the work of proposal development teams. Especially in smaller
organizations, contractors and grantees may not be clear about what
type of proposal consultant they need to hire. The consultant and the
client need to define roles before selecting proposal consultants.
While on the subject of
roles,
let us make a distinction between capture manager and proposal
manager. A capture manager is responsible for identifying the
contract or grant opportunity, gaining visibility and credibility with
the funding agency, gathering background information about the agency's
preferences for technical approaches and key personnel, and helping
to define a strategy to win. A proposal manager is responsible for
orchestrating
a proposal response (and perhaps an oral presentation) that powerfully
and
effectively executes the strategy for winning. The proposal manager may
collaborate
on a winning strategy with the capture manager, but the timing of
most
proposal development activities is too late to begin the capture process.
It is theoretically possible for the same person to fulfill the role of
both
the capture manager and proposal manager, but the capture process
usually
needs to begin months before the agency releases the official request
for
proposals.
Skill Sets
Many skill sets are
needed for
developing a winning proposal. A few proposal consultants, like myself,
are generalists who may single-handedly prepare an entire small- or
medium-sized proposal. But, for large proposals, we work in teams and
use our strongest skill sets:
- The proposal
manager
must have strong planning, managing, monitoring, scheduling, and
critiquing skills. The proposal manager is usually the person who
studies the agency's Request for Proposals and the intelligence
gathered by the capture manager to develop the proposal outline and
storyboard. The proposal manager maintains the schedule, oversees
proposal development and staff assignments, evaluates the quality of
work, oversees feedback from review
teams, insists on improving the proposal until the competition is
winnable,
and schedules proposal production activities.
- A proposal
coordinator
must juggle a broad range of proposal activities and assist the
proposal manager in keeping everything on track.
- A proposal
writer
should be able to define the key points that the text needs to make,
synthesize diverse source information, and write original
text clearly. A proposal writer can also develop materials based on
interviews,
Internet research, and background fact finding.
- A proposal
editor
should be able to make heavy revisions of
technical and scientific text without changing the meaning. Most
proposal
editors are also responsible for defining or enforcing a pre-determined
proposal
style and format, checking facts, conducting quick research to fill
"holes"
in the proposal, reformatting resumes and project summaries, and
assisting
with proofreading.
- Subject
matter specialists
are individuals knowledgeable about technical or scientific topics, or
they are individuals who have senior-level experience with the agency's
programs and operations.
- Proposal
reviewers
are individuals who critique drafts of a
proposal. A review team usually includes an experienced review team
manager,
senior executives of the client organization, technical/scientific
specialists, and several people who are knowledgeable about the agency
and/or its programs (including the capture manager).
- Graphics
editors, desktop
publishers, and proofreaders provide obvious types of
support.
Areas of Specialization
Some proposal
consultants are
very specialized. A few do automated project management planning for
large, complex aerospace or military engineering and
manufacturing contracts. Others focus on a single funding agency or
department. Some proposal consultants work with many different agencies
or programs.
Should a client use a
specialist or generalist? A large proposal team should
usually include both. A client with a very small requirement may need
to
opt for one or two generalists who collaborate with subject matter
specialists and the capture manager.
When to Say "Yes" and "No"
As a proposal
consultant, I
have found that it is very important to know when to accept a
consulting assignment for proposal development. Lately, I have been
turning down about three times as many offers as I accept. Some offers
are rejected because my time is already committed to other work. But
other offers are rejected because I don't feel that there is a
reasonable chance of winning the identified contract or grant. And
sometimes I feel there
is not a good match between my strengths and the prospective
organization's requirements, such as when a medical research center
inquired about my developing a very specialized proposal. My reputation
for successful proposals would suffer if I said "yes" to proposals that
are not a good match.
A Self-Assessment
OK, I said that no
proposal
consultant is equally effective in performing all proposal development
tasks. For clients, prospects, and the world, I will
present what I consider to be my own outstanding and not
outstanding skill sets:
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Outstanding
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Not Outstanding
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Proposal
strategies, plans, outlines, storyboards, proposal management, team
leadership, proposal reviews, and consultation with
senior executives
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Administrative
details
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Technical
and management proposal volumes; detailed spreadsheet models for the
cost proposal
Formats
for resumes, past performance history, schedules, technical
presentation, business information
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Any
repetitive task that becomes boring, such as formatting
and polishing 40 resumes.
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Proposal
writing, background research, interviews with technical people,
rewriting poorly written technical text, synthesis of information from
multiple sources; preparation of tables, schedules, flow charts,
diagrams, and ideas for illustrations
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Proofreading,
copy editing, production typing, final illustrations and graphics,
checking details
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Subject
matter involving information technology, capital planning, budgets,
acquisition, survey research, performance measurement, information
management, education, training, and community
programs.
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Any
subject matter that requires a specialized expert--such as an agency
"insider," a communications engineer, physicist, weapons specialist, or
medical researcher
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Prospective clients can
explore
my experience with agencies, programs, and technical areas by looking
at my web resume, available at http://www.p2c2group.com/results.htm.
There are some topics that I do decline because I don't have the
expertise: Energy research, cancer research, and weapons engineering
would be examples of proposals that I consider beyond my reach.
When carrying out a
proposal
assignment, I do seek to combine my strengths with those of client
personnel (or other consultants). Often this encompasses working with
the client's capture manager, technical experts, a copy
editor/proofreader, a graphics specialist, and the client's
administrative personnel.
By being honest with
prospective clients about my skills sets and experience, I am more
successful ... and so are they. We concentrate on work where there is a
likelihood of a win-win situation.
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CONSULTING SERVICES
We provide
enterprise-level management consulting services for federal agencies
and the contractors who support them. Our areas of specialization are
Capital Planning and Investment Control, Enterprise Architecture,
strategic planning, performance evaluation, and acquisition support
including work statements. Our consulting specialty includes experience
in many related areas such as CIO program support, earned value
management, risk management, the C&A process for security, and
customer satisfaction surveys.
Best wishes,
Jim Kendrick
4101 Denfeld
Avenue
Kensington, MD
20895
301-942-7985
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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The P2C2 Group, Inc.
4101 Denfeld Avenue | Kensington, MD 20895
Point of Contact: Jim Kendrick, President
e-mail: kendrick@p2c2group.com
phone: 301-942-7985 | fax: 301-942-7986 |
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