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What is a Capture Manager?
A capture manager is responsible for winning a business opportunity. The capture manager will probably not be the initial salesperson, but will get involved as a dedicated resource once a company decides to pursue a lead. The capture manager assigned will then oversee the opportunity pursuit through award, unless a decision is made to no-bid it somewhere along the line.
Typically, the capture manager works on selected opportunities and oversees bid strategies, pricing, teaming, and proposal strategies. A major focus for the capture manager is to manage the transition from opportunity discovery to the proposal process where the opportunity is closed. Often, the capture manager must sell the opportunity internally as well as to the client in order to get the resources necessary for pursuit and proposal development.
Usually, the capture manager gets involved after the lead is qualified and the company makes a formal decision to pursue it. The capture manager acts on the behalf of the executive sponsor for the opportunity. The capture manager identifies the resources required to pursue a bid, establishes any infrastructures required, processes, and plans necessary, and manages their execution.
Sometimes the capture manager acts as the proposal manager and sometimes the proposal manager is a specialist who works with the capture manager to create the proposal document. Sometimes the capture manager will be the project manager designate. However, this is usually not the case because capture managers are business development oriented, where project managers are usually technically oriented. Also, project managers are rarely available to dedicate their time starting in the pre RFP stages and continuing through award.
The capture manager should be an accomplished business developer who understands project management, contracts, and proposal development. The capture manager should have some familiarity with the client in order to be conversant in their terminology, policies, organizational structure, etc.
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