Project Management
Requests For a Proposal (RFP) or Invitations To Tender (ITT) always specify the date of delivery of the proposal, the location for the delivery, the number of copies and format required (electronic and printed). The timescale for proposal submission varies considerably and is usually related to the size and complexity of both the requirements and questions asked in the RFP/ITT document as well as the proposal response. For small proposals, a two week or four week delivery date is typically required. For larger or more complex proposals, a 60 day delivery date is typically required. However whatever is the timescale for the bid response, the delivery date and the proposal response requirements must be achieved. Many of our clients undertake the project management of co-ordinating the bid response to meet this required delivery date, whilst some ask us to undertake the project management task.The latter often occurs when sections of the proposal are being written by client employees in different countries.
Structure
In either case the first activity is to build the structure of the proposal. Sometimes the structure is specified in the RFP/ITT, but sections are often added to expand on parts of the proposal response. In some situations, no structure is specified in the RFP/ITT and therefore a structure needs to be established. The structure consists of the section and appendices and then the main headings within each section or appendix. These sub-sections can then be assigned to people who have the responsibility to complete the content by a certain date.
Design
The second activity is to design a proposal housestyle that conforms to the client's branding guidelines. If the client does not have any company branding guidelines, a proposal house style is created and developed. This proposal house style needs to be approved by the client.
Support
As the client's bid team complete text, graphics and tables for the various sections in the proposal, these are sent to us to desk top publish within the house style design. The client's bid team could be all in the same location, or different locations within the same country or even in different countries. Coordinating all of the content for large or complex proposals is a major logistics effort.
Review
Once sections are desk top published, they are sent back to the client for review. The client makes any corrections, which could be simply textual changes or as large as adding a new sub-section, and then returns it, with any comments or observations.
Track
The review and feedback activity can occur a number of times until the client is completely satisfied with the final version. All previous versions are stored and retained in case the client wishes to revert to an earlier version.
Print & Deliver
Once the client is completely satisfied with the final version of all the sections, the number of copies of the proposal and appendices required are printed.Any electronic copies of this final version are also created. The printed proposals and electronic copies are then shipped using a preferred carrier to our client for onward delivery. Other options are that our client might request that these are shipped using a preferred carrier directly to the delivery location as specified in the RFP/ITT or that we personally deliver them ourselves.
