Marketing Articles About Proposals Search Results

1. House, Senate Leaders Agree on Health. U.S. House and Senate leaders have agreed on legislative language to push forward President Barack Obama’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s health-care system, a top House Democrat said. (03/11/10 09:00 PM)

2. It's Banks vs. Families, Who Will Come Out on Top? Q&A With Elizabeth Warren.

   

   Elizabeth Warren is Main Street's woman in Washington. A professor at Harvard Law School, she's researched the travails of the consumer credit market and the hidden bankruptcy epidemic for over 25 years. Not satisfied with merely publishing academic research, she leaped at an invitation from Senator Harry Reid to take a more public role in reforming the financial system after the credit crisis: She's now the chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, the group charged with overseeing the bank bailouts.

   I caught up with Elizabeth Warren at a table outside the Senate Office Building cafeteria, a few hours after she finished grilling Citibank CEO Vikram Pandit at a typically contentious hearing. With new financial reform legislation imminent--"You're talking to me in the 4th quarter of the basketball game," she said--Warren spoke frankly to Fast Company about her hopes, fears, and frustrations.

   FC: You said it's the 4th quarter of the basketball game--what's the score?

   EW: The economy has been pulled back from the abyss, and Secretary Paulson, Secretary Geithner, both presidential administrations and Congress deserve credit for that. They saved the life of the patient.

   That said, the Treasury demonstrated that it was much better at shoveling hundreds of billions of direct grants and guarantees at the largest financial institutions than it was at protecting the real economy. The largest institutions were "too big to fail," but the foreclosure crisis and small business credit slowdown have been "too hard to solve."

   FC: I was really struck by your interview last fall with Adam Davidson on NPR's Planet Money. (The shouting match drew hundreds of blog comments.) He seemed to suggest that protecting the real economy, as opposed to bailing out Wall Street, was some kind of marginal issue or a personal issue of yours. What do you think about that?

   EW: I think the worldview that America begins and ends with its largest financial institutions is not only wrong-- it is dangerously wrong. Businesses are not America, and America does not exist to serve big institutions. America is about families. People who get up every day and earn their salary to pay their bills and try to make it one day to the next.

   I am a bit stunned that, in the depth of the financial crisis, anyone is saying that the focus should be on the Wall Street banks.

   FC: And yet it does seem sometimes that the business and economics news focuses on the fact that big banks are turning a profit again, or the stock market is back above 10,000, to the exclusion of foreclosures and unemployment and bankruptcies affecting Main Street.

   EW: There's a larger point here about diversity of views. Are you familiar with The Wisdom of Crowds? The underlying insight is that a crowd must be drawn from different points of view to make good decisions. That's how it is that 1,000 people can guess with such accuracy the number of jellybeans in the glass jar. We were actually talking about this at lunch today: If all the people who are providing the input have the same worldview, then errors are built into the system. And those errors are not small. They are seismic errors.

   You want the person who has a unique interest in defending the collapsing system as the person to oversee the bailout? That's astonishing!

   FC: So let's leap into your role as an advocate for financial reform. The Senate's version of the financial reform bill already passed in the House and is due in the Senate any day now. Senator Dodd has been signaling potential compromises, like housing the Consumer Financial Protection Agency within the Federal Reserve instead of as an independent agency. Paul Krugman said in his column recently that unlike with health care reform, where progressives ought to grit their teeth and pass it, the time has come to actually stand up and say, this so-called financial reform isn't worth supporting. Understanding that final details aren't out yet, can you imagine a situation in which you'd say the same?

   EW: Of course. There are already seven agencies in Washington that own a piece of the consumer financial protection apparatus. This is the worst of all possible worlds: a bloated, ineffective, unaccountable bureaucracy.

   We need to merge those bureaucracies into a single, streamlined, accountable regulator with autonomy and teeth. If we fall short of that, we will just be recreating one more bureaucracy so that we can all congratulate ourselves that we did something for the American people when the reality is otherwise. That would be a terrible thing.

   FC: What kind of assurances have you gotten from the Obama administration about their commitment to real reform?

   EW: President Obama has been clear from the beginning that he supports a strong, independent consumer agency. He has put a lot of energy behind it. He has had events at the White House, has spoken about it in public town meetings, and even made the ultimate commitment--talked about it on Leno.

   FC: I understand that at one point you pursued an entrepreneurial path to reform the consumer financial products market.

   EW: The short version is that I studied the economics of the middle class and I began to see that credit products were becoming increasingly dangerous. Families didn't know how much they were spending on credit and comparison among the products was practically impossible because of all the incomprehensible fine print. It wasn't the products that were priced the best that survived. Instead, the ones that were most loaded with tricks and traps provided the most revenue.

   So I thought at first that my academic research will be enough. I will publish a law review article and surely the world will change--that didn't happen. So I wrote a couple of popular books about it--The Two Income Trap and All Your Worth. But it still didn't change the world.

   The PEW Charitable Trust then got in touch with me and asked what ideas I was working on. And I told them: I'd like to build a private, market-based solution. I want to build an Underwriter's Laboratory to certify credit cards.

   The whole idea behind the current model is, "I will hold something shiny in front of your eye, 3.9% financing, and the way I'm going to make money is on tricks and traps that I've buried in the fine print: $29 there, $49 there, triple interest rate, double cycle billing, over and over and over ... ."

   So the idea was to take an independent group that will say here's a clean, clear industry credit card. It was called the Clean Card. So Pew said, we love this. They took me out to San Francisco to meet with the head of a very fancy bank consulting group. We put together a proposal and many of the executives we met with just loved it.

   They loved it at the first meeting and at the second meeting. It was almost as if you could see the CEOs thinking, "I'll have my picture on the cover of Business Week for transforming this market." They were saying, "We want to be part of this! We want to be the first movers, we want to be America's Credit Card." Then we come back for the 3rd meeting after the numbers guys have taken a closer look, and they say, "We can't do this." As one VP put it, if people really understood how much a credit card cost, they wouldn't use it and the bank would lose too much market share.

   And one of the issuers took me aside and said, "We get that our business model is unsustainable over the long haul, but no one of us can jump first. We all have to move together. If we all move together, we'll be fine competitively, but if one of us moves and we lose market share, then the ones who issue the dirty cards will control this market." So it was literally on the plane on the way home from the meeting with the issuer that I realized how broken the market is and started thinking about a new agency in Washington.

   FC: Ok, so you've concluded that the market is broken. Now you've come to DC and are working in the midst of biggest credit crisis the country's ever seen. What are you going to do if we finish out this crisis and still the market's not fixed?

   EW: If America can't come out of the crisis and repair the broken consumer credit market, then this government really is broken. The lobbying over this bill is enormous, and it's all on one side. It's one thing when insurance companies are on one side and doctors on the other. This one is exclusively big Wall Street banks who have a tremendous amount of money to spend on this to protect their revenue stream.

   FC: So even though you can call Vikram Pandit on the carpet and get him to answer a few questions, his lobbying staff is hard at work behind the scenes to make sure nothing changes.

   EW: The money is all on one side and the votes are all on the other. So, that's what we'll find out. It's banks vs. families. And we'll see who comes out on top.

   The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cElizabeth Warrenwww.thedailyshow.com

   
   

   
   (03/11/10 09:00 AM)

3. Govt Considers Free(ish) Broadband for All. Err....

   Next week sees the release of the Government's National Broadband Plan, in which it briefly outlines a "broadband for all" idea (something that our U.K. readers might remember from the British Government's Digital Britain report of 2009.) The FCC is proposing that free or low-cost wireless spectrum be set aside in an attempt to get the 93 million or so Americans who are currently without broadband in their homes. In an effort to keep the costs low, they're looking to the private, not-for-profit, and philanthropic sectors.

   While admirable--and typically forward-thinking from the Obama administration--there's a small flaw to the plan. No ISP in its right mind would be happy about this, and their lobbyists will kick up a right old stink in D.C.--or squash the functionality of the free service until it's barely useable.

   Given the huge amount of entertainment the Internet now provides, it's becoming increasingly hard to view broadband as a utility. However, you can't argue with FCC Chair Julius Genachowski's warning that, without computer literacy and Internet access, there is a danger of "a new category of second-class citizens."

   Alongside this hot potato, the National Broadband Plan is also proposing measures to combat digital illiteracy, with an Online Skills Portal and a Digital Literacy Corps. Congress gets to hear the plan next Wednesday, March 17.

   [Via Electronista and ZDNet.com]

   
   

   
   (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

4. WellPoint CFO Says California Rates a ‘Preview’ of Obama Plan. WellPoint Inc.’s plan to raise rates for some California customers by 39 percent, a rallying point for Democrats seeking a health overhaul, is a preview of the higher prices Americans will face if the proposal succeeds, the insurer’s chief financial officer said. (03/10/10 09:00 AM)

5. Get a Speaking Gig: How Event Producers Decide Who Gets Onstage. Getting speaking gigs can be a mysterious and frustrating process, particularly if you don't have much experience. You know the drill: Send pithy email offering yourself up (or copiously fill out online proposal form). Hit Send. Wait. Sound familiar? Here's how to get the green light. (03/09/10 09:00 PM)

6. Google Gussies up With Dish for TV Search Service.

   

   Thanks to a hook-up with satellite TV provider Dish Network, Google is getting into the TV search business. The project, which neither Google or Dish are commenting on, will use new set-top boxes that run on Android, and is aiming to bring broadcast TV and online video together, as well as creating a personalized TV schedule.

   Thanks to its ownership of YouTube, Google already has several content deals with broadcasters. The idea ties in neatly with its latest ruse, Google TV Ads, which sells advertising spots for television, in which, Dish Network is one of its primary partners.

   Android-powered set-top boxes are not currently on the market, but Eric Schmidt thinks that the Google OS is the perfect platform for the medium. "It makes sense that people would use Android as an operating system for set-top boxes, buddy boxes and TVs," he said last month. "All of those ideas have been proposed by our partners."

   A small number of Google employees are currently trialling the system, but it's not expected to be available commercially for some time.

   [Via Telegraph and Media Guardian]

   
   

   
   (03/09/10 09:01 AM)

7. Futuristic New York and Sustainable Sao Paulo Projects Win Zumtobel Prize.

   

   How can we examine ways that the built environment impacts both sustainability and humanity? The Austrian-based Zumtobel Group created an award that focuses on those contributions in architecture and engineering that can improve quality of life. The Zumtobel Group Awards were announced today with a dozen bright ideas including the two winners: A creative work environment that's completed in Sao Paulo, and a visionary research proposal for a "self-sufficient" New York City.

   

   In the built category, a Sao Paulo workspace named Harmonia//57 designed by French-Brazilian architects Triptyque was named as the winner. The firm was charged with creating a flexible environment on a unique site deluged with heavy rain and very high temperatures. Taking advantage of the abundance of natural resources, the designers added not only a green roof, but vertical gardens as well.

   

   They also created a rainwater catchment system which could store water for toilets and landscaping on bright green cisterns on the roof. To engage the local community in a highly-creative neighborhood, the architects stopped construction for 10 days to allow a series of programs to be held in the half-realized space, transforming the site into an open studio.

   

   The research winner, New York City Resource & Mobility is an intensely exciting proposal for the future of New York, where hovering pod-like robots (like War of the Worlds, but friendly, we assume) will assist us with everything from transportation to farming. Architects Terrefuge/Terreform ONE created a master plan for New York that assumes the city will need to be completely self-sufficient due to rapid growth and radical climate change.

   

   Streamlined mass transit and an efficient food supply are among the issues tackled by the master plan, which even closes the loop between a growing population and the increased trash it generates: The proposal hopes to reuse the solid waste in landfllls to build seven more Manhattan islands.

   [Zumtobel Group Award]

   
   

   
   (03/08/10 09:00 PM)

8. Spring Is Here, and the Potholes Are in Bloom.

   New York City fills its two-millionth pothole, while U.K. design student Pete Dungey proposes a different solution.

   

   Last week here in New York, drivers feigned celebration over the most depressingly noteworthy of city stats: the transportation department filled its two-millionth pothole. It's a springtime ritual on city streets worldwide. Wintertime road salt eats away the tar, rain and snow fill the cracks, the water freezes, thaws, freezes again, and, pop! Pothole.

   

   Fortunately, they can all be healed, at least temporarily, with a few basic tools: a shovel and a rake, a broom, hot black cement and a trailer hauling three steaming tons of ground stone and asphalt. [...] Sweep out the hole. Pour in a thin layer of asphalt cement. Shovel in the hot mix. Rake smooth. Tamp into place. A few passes with the 100-pound roller, a seal of asphalt cement around the edges, gather your cones and roll down the block. You will not have to go far.

   In New York, they're graded, A, B, and C. C is the worst. Last week's #2,000,000 was a C: 2 feet wide, 2 inches deep. Of course, besides the two million the city has filled since it began counting in 2002, millions more potholes yawn unchecked, blemishes on the already worse-for-wear face of urban infrastructure. (The Times is tracking them all--submit your local axle-buster here.) Which is why University of Brighton graphic design student Pete Dungey's Pothole Garden project is so brilliant. He proposes filling Britain's holes with plants, like oases in asphalt deserts. It's a nice piece of urban intervention, but too bad what softens the blow to your shock absorbers is a miniature garden getting squashed.

   [Via PSFK]

   
   

   
   (03/08/10 09:00 PM)

9. Eat-onomics: The Ten Most Inspiring People in Sustainable Food.

   

   Additional reporting/writing by Emilia Benton

   The way America eats has to change, that's no secret. Thanks to the efforts of these ten trailblazers, that change might be closer than we think.

   Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill Farm

   Barber is the brains behind the "Know thy Farmer" philosophy embraced at Blue Hill Farms. He was recently honored at the USA Network's Character Approved Awards for his achievements in "green" food cultivation and preparation. A passionate advocate for regional farm networks, Barber continues to practice what he preaches at his family owned farms, as well as with the nonprofit Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

   Deborah Kane, Vice President of Food and Farms at Ecotrust

   Last month, Ecotrust began allowing Northwest food producers and buyers to utilize FoodHub, an online resource aimed to simplify their connections with each other and increase food trade in the Pacific Northwest. Kane continues to expound Ecotrust's mission to inspire fresh thinking that promotes social equity, economic opportunity and environmental well-being.

   Mike Yohay, CEO of Cityscape Farms

   Yohay's Cityscape Farms continues to work to produce great-tasting fresh food for local buyers with its hydroponic greenhouses. "Hydroponic farming is incredibly innovative and resource economical compared to conventional farming. It's well-suited for cities because you can do it anywhere," says Yohay.

   Gary Hirshberg, CEO, Stonyfield Farm

   In the past 26 years, Hirshberg has taken his organic yogurt company and turned it into an organic yogurt empire worth $340 million. Stonyfield Farm doesn't just deliver high-quality food to consumers, but pays farmers 60-100% more than conventional farmers, to ensure the use of sustainable farming practices. What does he ask of his customers? "When you shop, you're really voting for the kind of world you want. It is power," he says. "We should use that power for good."

   Roger Doiron, founder, Kitchen Gardeners International

   Doiron can proudly take credit for bringing a garden to the lawn of the White House with Eat the View, a campaign that rallied Americans' desire to see a healthier First Family. "I knew this garden had been proposed in the past, and it had its champions--Alice Waters, Michael Pollan," he says. "I wasn't a rock star like them, but thought I could play the role of a roadie, making sure the mics are on and the amps are cranked up to make sure other people's voices were heard."

   Jamie Oliver, chef

   The Naked Chef is on a mission to bring healthy food to every child in America. His campaign, Jamie's Food Revolution, aims to replace junk food and processed snacks with fresh and nutritious meals, in school and at home. ABC will air a six-part series tracking the campaign as Oliver heads to Huntington, West Virginia, which has been called the unhealthiest city in America. If Oliver can make Huntington healthy, he might be able to make America healthy.

   Melanie Cheng, founder, FarmsReach

   San Francisco-based FarmsReach pairs farmers up with buyers for sustainable local food systems, with plans to be nationwide by 2011. "If you look at statistics, farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture are awesome, growing distribution methods, but they still make up less than 1% of food volume sold in the country," she says. "That's why we're working with the wholesale channel, for distributors and bigger institutions."

   Michael Pollan, author, Food Rules

   Pollan's latest book, Food Rules, offers memorable tips on making wise eating choices. Pollan, who has been described as the nation's most trusted resource for food-related issues, his new book is showing Americans that "eating doesn't have to be so complicated."

   Dickson Despommier, Vertical Farms Project

   The Vertical Farms Project is the brainchild of Despommier, a professor at Columbia, and his students. Envisioning a world of sustainable farms housed in urban skyscrapers, the project proposes paying traditional farmers to simply plant trees on their land, in an attempt to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Crazy? Maybe. But it's inspiring more thought, more solutions.

   Robert Kenner, director, Food Inc.

   Kenner's documentary Food Inc. did its fair share of grossing viewers out by exposing the heinous slaughter practices (and eating habits) found across our country. More importantly, the film, which showcased leaders like Hirshberg, showed that it is possible to eat healthy and enjoy it.

   
   

   
   (03/08/10 09:00 PM)

10. Save Detroit! One Inch, One Dollar at a Time.

    Loveland is a real estate program to sell off some of Detroit's 40 square miles of vacant land for $1 per inch.

    

    Detroit is shrinking. Coming in just under a million in the 2000 census (the first time its population had dropped that low since the '20s), Detroit is now down another 150,000 or more. Foreclosed or otherwise abandoned homes are everywhere, some more prominently than others--consider the Ice House, or Detroit Demolition Disneyland. Mayor Dave Bing is shuttering city departments and bulldozing vacant buildings (hopefully not Michigan Central Station, which bravely faces its own uncertain future, an empty shell of its former self). Detroit has 40 square miles of empty land.

    What to do? Well, you could farm it, like John Hantz is proposing. But as Greg Lindsay pointed out here, that might not be the best idea: "With 95% of its remaining buildings still inhabitable, inner-city Detroit should at least be an urban Petri dish."

    It should be, it can be, and it is. Design99 and Motor City boosters like Toby Barlow are advocating saving those houses--and the city--by buying them up cheap (super cheap) and fixing them into homes for artists, locals, or transplants.

    Then there's Loveland, Jerry Paffendorf's "wild social network of people, literally built out of the dirt." Paffendorf bought a vacant lot for $500 and sold it, an inch at a time for $1 per inch, to almost 600 "inchvestors" around the world. It's called Plymouth (pictured above).

    Now, Loveland is in phase 2. Paffendorf doesn't have a new lot to sell, so he's selling so-called "ghost inches" in order to raise money to fund any number of as-yet unspecified, but sure to be... uh... interesting projects on-line and throughout the city. You can inchvest through kickstarter here.

    [Via NPR]

    
    

    
    (03/08/10 09:00 PM)

11. Wisconsin's Paul Ryan: Congressman and Calculator. His combination of math and politics, including a proposal to privatize Medicare and Social Security, has made him a go-to Republican (03/07/10 09:00 PM)

12. Polysecurite Tanger societe de securite nettoyage et jardinage . Polysecurite societe de securite netoyageet jardinage leader dans son domaine sur la ville de Tanger maroc vous propose des services adapt? a votre besoin, quelle que soit la nature des probl?mes de s... (03/02/10 09:00 AM)

13. Annual Escalating Patent Fee Proposal. ... (02/22/10 09:00 PM)

14. Six Keys to Writing a Great Proposal. :ooking for ways to create a proposal that sets you and your company favorably apart? Ways that capture the great things you have to offer? Here are six suggested best-practices intended to not only maximize your chances to stand out and land the job but also manage the risks. (02/09/10 09:01 PM)

15. Proposal: An Independent Inventor Defense Against Software Patents. ... (01/12/10 09:01 AM)

16. Publishing a Proposal Without Losing Your Mind. Publishing a large proposal can seem an absurdly Herculean endeavor. Conceptualizing, writing, editing, f... (12/23/09 09:01 AM)

17. Outlines - Hooray!.

    One of my jobs today is to prepare an outline for recompete #3. I've written about the importance of outlines in the past, and to my way of thinking, an outline is the very best tool you can have have for preparing a proposal. Beginners often skip the outlining stage, thinking that they can just dig in and start writing. Or that their proposal is too small to merit an outline. Big mistake. Because what happens when you work without an outline is that you end up with a mish-mosh of written material that is disorganized, doesn't flow, and may not be responsive to the requirements of your RFP/RFA.

    An outline is your friend. And the time you take to properly prepare it will pay off down the road. Here are some things to consider when preparing your outline:

    • Your RFP/RFA is your guide. Sometimes it will tell you exactly how your proposal should be organized, at least with respect to major headings. You may also be able to ferret out your first level of sub-headings from Section L (instructions), Section M (evaluation criteria) and/or Section C (statement of work).
    
    
    
    • Don't use too many levels. The more levels you have, the more difficult it will be for you/your team and for reviewers to follow your proposal. Personally, I like three levels:

    I. Major Heading

    A. First Sub-Heading

    (1) Sub-sub Heading

    Of course, some RFPs/RFAs will dictate the specific structure of your proposal. In such cases, you need to follow those instructions. 

    • Don't think of your outline as being carved in stone. Outlining is really an evolving process. I often change my outlines several times over the course of a proposal because I find -- after things have been written -- that they just don't fit where I thought they would.

    I've heard people say that they don't really know how to prepare an outline. That's not surprising because it's often not as easy as it sounds. It can be a frustrating exercise and can take time to get it right. But in the end, you'll be glad you spent the time.

    The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) has a useful section on developing outlines. Check it out  here.

    (04/24/08 09:01 AM)

18. Proposal Planning Issues.

    I met with my recompete #3 client yesterday to discuss how we are going to proceed with this bid. Recompete #3 is a fairly large and specialized government contract (in the hundreds of millions) that my client has held for many years. I've worked on every one of the proposals for this particular contract so I'm pretty familiar with it. In our first planning meeting yesterday we discussed a few issues that we are going to have to deal with fairly quickly.

    1. How much material can we recycle? The RFP for this bid is very similar to the RFP that we responded to five years ago. There are some differences, but on the whole they are very much alike. This was not the case with past RFPs for this same project, which differed extensively each time. So some of the questions we are asking ourselves are: How much of the previous proposal can we recycle? Can we re-use entire sections or just paragraphs here and there?  Should we focus on paraphrasing as opposed to just lifting pieces verbatim? 
    
    
    
    2. My client will be required to subcontract a substantial amount of work to small businesses. The small businesses that have been working on the current contract have become large and are no longer eligible to participate. So the following questions now arise: How can the project be divided up into discrete chunks that could be handled by various small business subcontractors? How many small businesses should be part of the bid? What will these small businesses be responsible for? 
    
    
    
    3. Finally, of course, there are the issues relating to proposal preparation. Who will be responsible for preparing each section of the technical proposal? How best to communicate and coordinate with those who will be working on the business proposal?  Who will coordinate with the selected small business subcontractors and what specific role will they play in preparing the proposal?

    Just a few of the typical questions that need to be addressed during the proposal planning stage. 

    (04/22/08 09:01 AM)

19. Which Proposal Would You Rather Evaluate?.

    What do you see when you review your own proposals with an eye toward how they actually look (as opposed to how they read)?  Do you have page after page of text without anything to break up lengthy series of paragraphs? How enticing can that be to the real reviewers who are going to decide whether or not your proposal will make the cut? Reading a proposal is not like reading a fascinating book. Because the language and content of a proposal is often dry and boring, you need to do whatever you can to get reviewers' attention and to make them want to keep reading. One of the best ways to do this is through the use of relevant and attractive graphics.

    Some time ago, my friend Heidi wrote this post on "Getting Started With Proposal Graphics." She gives some good pointers about how to think about and use graphics in proposals even if you are not sure exactly what graphics you are going to use.

    Now The Proposal Guys blog has an interview with the principal of a graphics design firm that specializes in proposal graphics. Years ago, such firms probably didn't even exist. But these days, we often have a limited number of pages in which to tell our proposal story and increased competition for funding. Thus, we need every edge we can get. And good proposal graphics in combination with a well-written proposal can give us that edge.

    One of the things that I like best about this article is the graphic at the very top -- "which proposal would you rather evaluate?"  If this doesn't make a compelling case for the use of graphics in proposals, I'm not sure what does.

    So get out your crayons..

    (04/18/08 09:01 AM)

20. Workweek.

    Is "workweek" one word or two?  I think it used to be two, but has now morphed into one. Or maybe not. Anyway, there's a lot going on out here in proposal land. Over the weekend I finished up revising the Corporate Experience section of my law firm client's resubmission and e-mailed it to her. Due to the nature of that resubmission, my client ended up with over 400 pages that had to be scanned and put on a CD to send off to the government. She also needed to reproduce the entire proposal and submit a hard copy to accompany the CDs. It took her all weekend to get everything together and then, of course, the scanner broke down. I could have told her this would happen. 

    I'm now preparing the technical section of a DOD proposal for a long-time client. Much of it is similar to a proposal I helped prepare for her late last year, so I can recyle parts of it. But I still need to do some background research and gather information on the local market for a couple of categories of healthcare specialists. My client doesn't like to do this research, and neither do I. But I'm doing it anyway.

    Then on Monday, re-compete #3 arrived. Oh joy. It is due at the end of May, so we have six weeks to work on it. My client sent me the RFP, which I haven't read yet. I did open the file, but when I saw that the RFP was over 125 pages, I closed it up without actually looking at it. Maybe I'll read it today. My client and I have been playing telephone tag, so we haven't talked about the proposal yet. But this assignment will keep me pretty busy for the next month and a half. 

    Then maybe I can take a little vacation.

    (04/16/08 09:00 AM)

21. Government Grants and Free Money.
    With the economy in bad shape like it is these days, many people are experiencing financial hardships. As a result, the scammers are out in force, advertising their books and CDs that promise free money from the government for everything from paying your bills to getting out of debt, and more.
    
    I'm getting a boatload of emails from people who want me to help them write a letter to apply for a government free money grant. Many others write to say that they need the right form to apply for a grant or that they have written a proposal but don't know which government agency to send it to.
    
    If you need help, you may be eligible for various types of government benefit programs, which are often called grants. Most of these programs are administered at the state and local levels. You don't need a special book to find them, and you don't need to write a letter or a proposal to apply. But you will probably have to meet certain income or other types of requirements, and you'll need to be realistic -- despite what the scammers and books tell you, the government is not going to give you a handful of free money to pay off your credit card bills.
    
    Below is a list of categories of benefits and assistance offered by the government. You'll find this listing along with links to specific programs in your state as well as federal agency programs and other resources. Just click on the link to go to the website.
    
    

    clipped from www.govbenefits.gov Select categories of interest. Select categories of interest. (Check all that apply) Career Development Assistance Child care/Child support Counsel/Counseling Disability assistance Disaster relief Education/Training Energy Assistance Food/Nutrition Grants/Scholarships/Fellowships Healthcare Housing Insurance Living Assistance Loan/Loan repayment Medicaid/Medicare Social Security Tax Assistance Veterans-Active Duty Volunteer opportunities

    (04/14/08 09:00 AM)

22. What Evaluation Criteria Can Tell You.

    Many government RFPs and RFAs tell you how your proposal will be evaluated. These evaluation criteria are often found in Section M, and may specify how you will be "graded" on each particular proposal section or subsection. Sometimes the criteria have points attached to them (e.g., Technical Approach-50 points, Key Personnel-30 points, Corporate Capabilities-20 points); other times the RFP/RFA will tell you that the criteria are listed in decending order of importantce.

    While we all try to do as good a job as possible on all sections of our proposals, the evaluation criteria and their associated scoring systems can tell you some very important things:

    • Where to put your emphasis: if your technical approach will be worth 50 points and your corporate capabilities will be worth 20 points, you should plan on spending much more of your time preparing the technical approach than on preparing your coporate capabilities. You can have great capabilities, but if you do poorly on sections that are valued higher, the capabilities may not help you overcome the lower scores you receive on other, more important sections. 
    
    
    
    • How to assign your proposal staff: Similarly, you may need to assign more personnel to work on the higher-scoring sections than on those that will be scored lower. 
    
    
    
    • How to alllocate your pages. If the RFP/RFA does not specify the exact number of pages for each individual section, you can use the evaluation criteria as a guide. If your proposal will be a total of 50 pages, for example, then at least 25 of those pages should be devoted to your technical approach (50 pages x 50 points).  This is a very broad measure, however, and you will need to strike the right balance between the number of pages and number of points depending on how much material will need to go in each section. But it is a starting place. 
    (04/10/08 09:00 AM)

23. Contending With Government Proposals.

    There are some days when I wonder why I ever got into this business. Yesterday was one of those days. I spoke with my law firm client whom I hadn't heard from since the middle of last week. She has spent the past several days trying to figure out which of the personnel that her firm proposed a year ago for a government project actually have the qualifications that the government wants.

    After hanging on to bidders' proposals FOR A FULL YEAR, the government finally contacted all of the bidders and asked them to submit revised proposals. Instead of telling each bidder exactly how their original proposal was deficient, the government apparently issued many of the same vague deficiency statements to all of them. So instead of saying something like this:

    "John Smith does not appear to have 10 years of relevant work experience."

    They have said something to the effect that:

    "The team of people that your firm proposed for Task 1 do not have the required minimum qualifications. The team of people that your firm proposed for Task 2 do not have the required minimum qualifications. The team of people that your firm proposed for Task 3 do not have the required minimum qualifications..."  And so on.

    Moreover, in an amendment issued a year after proposals were submitted, the government set forth additional or revised qualifications that each category of personnel must have. They also changed the criteria for other (non-personnel) sections of the technical proposal. Then yesterday, the government issued another amendment that contained answers to bidders' questions and additional instructions on how to submit complete revised proposals.   

    It's all quite complicated and confusing and makes me wonder why any firm would want do business with the government when they have to put up with this nonsense.

    Do you pay taxes? If you do, this is some of what you're paying for.

    (04/08/08 09:01 AM)

24. Proposal Checklists.

    Who likes checklists?  Me -- I love them. I use checklists all the time for my proposal work. They are really the only way you can stay organized and remember all the different things that need to be done. I use checklists for pretty much everything, and I make checklists for others to use as well. Here are some of the the checklists I find most useful.

    • Overall Proposal Checklist. I created this checklist years ago and adapt it to many of the proposals I work on. It's a great starting place.
    
    
    
    • Personnel Checklist. If you're including more than just a few personnel in your proposal, you can use a checklist to keep track of all the personnel-related items that need to be gathered or completed for each individual -- resume, letter of commitment, blurb, salary and other cost-related information, etc.
    
    
    
    • Subcontractor Checklist. I often work on proposals involving several subcontractors and need to keep track of all the information that they are supposed to submit to the prime contractor -- resumes and other personnel information, capability statements, cost proposals, institutional letters of commitment, required forms, and other proposal-specific info.
    
    
    
    • Assignment Checklist. I use this to keep apprised of who is responsible for what section(s) of a proposal, how far along it is, and when it is due. 

    Right now, I'm working with a client to make revisions to a previously-submitted proposal and respond to questions posed by the government. To do this, we need to go through and make necessary changes to the qualifications and resumes that were previouly submitted for perhaps 50 or so people. It's a very tedious task. So I created a checklist/matrix for my client that contains all the categories of personnel and the specific qualifications that each individual is required to possess. It won't make the task any less tedious, but it will make it a lot easier. 

    I can't imagine doing a proposal without checklists. 

    (04/03/08 09:01 AM)

25. FedBizOpps Notification Service.

    If you do business with the federal government or if you want to get into government contracting, you probably know about FedBizOpps or the Federal Business Opportunities website. FedBizOpps is where most, but not all, government agencies post procurement notices for goods and services valued at over $25,000.

    At the website, you can look up procurement notices by specific agencies or you can search for them by key words or other criteria. If you find a procurement notice that interests you, you can sign up to receive e-mail notification when, for instance, a full solicitation is released or when an amendment is issued for that particular product or service. When I'm working on a proposal for a client, I always look it up on FedBizOpps and sign up for it so that I'm notified when an amendment comes out.

    You can also sign up to be notified of all solicitations or synopses issued by a particular agency. For example, since I am interested in USAID contracts, I get an e-mail nearly every day that lists all new USAID synopses and solicitations that have been posted by that agency.

    To sign up for the FedBizOppos notification service, go to the website and click on Vendor Notification Services on the right-hand side, under "Related Links."  You'll then be taken to a page where you can select from the following options:

    1. Register to receive all notices by solicitation number.
    2. Register to receive all notices from selected agencies and product service classifications.
    3. Register to receive all procurement notifices.
    4. Register to receive a report of all vendor notification registrations.

    One of the problems with this notification service is that there is no option to receive notifications by key words. So, if I am interested only in USAID contracts that relate to HIV/AIDS, I can't tell FedBizOpps to just send me notices that have something to do with that topic. Instead, I receive all notices about USAID contracts, whether or not they pertain to HIV/AIDS.

    One way to get around this problem is to sign up with a private bid notification service. That will be the topic of my next post.

    (03/27/08 09:00 AM)

26. Final Checks.

    Your proposal is done and it's ready for production, assembly and delivery to the client. But wait. If you're the proposal manager, there's still work to be done. You need to do two final checks.

    1. Before the proposal is printed and assembled, you need to check it against the RFP/RFA. If you've done a compliance matrix, you need to make sure that everything on the matrix is filled in. If you're not using a compliance matrix, then you need to go through your RFP/RFA once again to make sure you have addressed everything that's asked for, particularly (but not limited to ) Sections L and M -- the instructions and the evaluation criteria. You may think that by now, you know your RFP/RFA by heart and don't need to do this final check, but you would be wrong. In many cases, you'll find things in it that you don't remember ever seeing before. By leaving some time for this final check, you'll hopefully have time to correct any deficiencies in your proposal before it's submitted.
    
    
    
    2. The second final check comes after the proposal has been printed but before it's bound. Printers are notorious for misbehaving when you are stretched for time and have an important document to get out. So you need to go through the printed copies. Are all of the pages there and numbered correctly? Are there any pages that are upside down?  Are there pages that are badly smudged from the printer? Are there pages that are too faint because the printer is running out of ink or low on toner?  Did you forget to insert a page that was printed separately?  And so on. If you neglect this check, you'll probably find these errors later -- after you've submitted your proposal. Not a good thing.  

     Final checks -- they're a pain but they're important. Add them to your proposal checklist.

    (03/25/08 09:01 AM)

27. Site Update and New Feature.
    This weekend I spent some time adding some great new resources to my site. Check out my What's New Page to see what I've added.
    
    I've also instituted a new feature for these and subsequent new resources. Recently, I discovered Clipmarks, a tool you can use to clip and stash snippets from Web pages. I've been trying to come up with a way to incorporate Clipmarks on my site and decided to begin using it to highlight the new additions. A possible other use might be to incoporate it in this blog, maybe for a "Site of the Week" or "Site of the Day" feature. I'm still thinking about this, so stay tuned.
    
    Now what you will see when you go to a page on my site where I've added a new resource is something like what is shown at the bottom of this post -- a clip from the Foundation Center website.
    
    To see the clips for the new resources, go to any of these pages:
    
    Business Plans
    Grant Writing
    Small Business
    Grant Subjects
    Grant Samples
    Legal, Financial & Contracts
    
    What do you think?
    
    
    
    

    clipped from foundationcenter.org "The subject of this short course is proposal writing. But the proposal does not stand alone. It must be part of a process of planning and of research on, outreach to, and cultivation of potential foundation and corporate donors."

    (03/24/08 09:01 AM)

28. How Long Does it Take....

    for a relatively small government contract to be awarded?  The answer is:  it can take a verrry long time.

    One of my clients sent me an e-mail yesterday. The client is a law firm that does some very specialized work for the government. I've assisted them with their proposals on a number of occasions. The last time I worked with them was last March and April, on a proposal that was due in April 2007. Hadn't heard a word from them since, which is not unusual. Clients don't always inform me about the outcomes of their bids.

    Anyway, out of the blue comes the e-mail. It says that my client has finally been contacted by the government agency and that they were notified that all of the proposals submitted by bidders contained some kind of fatal error. So the government will now be giving all all bidders an opportunity to submit corrected or revised proposals.

    I don't know what this fatal error is, but if all of the bidders made this same error, it would seem to me that the government screwed something up. And to allow a year to go by before leting everyone know -- well, that is pretty outrageous.

    I've just finished with recompete #2. So I agreed to help my law firm client with their revised proposal. Somehow I'll have to fit it in between working on recompete #3. And oh joy, the  manual has now landed back on my desk again for more changes, additions, etc. This will supposedly be the final, final version. We'll see. 

    Just when I thought I could take a little break.

    (03/21/08 09:00 AM)

29. Let It Be .

    If you're managing a large proposal or a proposal to which many people are contributing, there is a point at which substantive changes and minor edits to the text must stop so that your document can go to production. It is the Proposal Manager's responsibility to manage this process and to call a halt at the appropriate time; otherwise it will go on as long as possible with little time left for the other things that must be done to get the proposal out on time.

    If the Proposal Manager keeps sending drafts out for review, comment and changes to all of the people who participated in writing the proposal, he/she can expect a never-ending stream of comments and changes. Everyone will want to do something to the document --

    Oh wait, I forgot to mention this and that.

    I need to edit this section so that it reads better.

    I want to convert this text into a table, but it will take me a few hours.

    I think that Mary should have addressed such and such in the section she wrote, so I will add it in.

    And so on... 

    In the final stages of putting the proposal together, the Proposal Manager should limit the number of reviewers. That way, she or he will be able to control and manage comments and changes.

    And then, when time is most limited, the Proposal Manager will just have to leave things alone and let it be. In most cases, it will be just fine. 

    (03/18/08 09:01 AM)

30. Advice and Feedback.

    I don't have to do much writing on my current assignment -- the Staffing Plan that I've talked about the past couple of days is my major contribution to the proposal in terms of new writing.  Since this is a re-compete, my client has first-hand knowledge of the project and the ability and resources to write most of the sections.

    So my role is primarily to provide advice and suggestions to the client, as well as feedback on their written sections. I will likely also be involved in some re-writing and editing as the proposal moves toward its final stages.

    So what does this advice and feedback involve?  Well, much of it has focused on interpreting the RFP, which contains a good deal of unclear information about what should be addressed in the proposal and where it should go. So I offer suggestions to my client about what the content of the various sections and ways that the information might be presented. "What should we say here?" or "What do they mean by this?" are questions that my client has been asking.

    As drafts of proposal sections are completed, my client sends them to me. I review them and check them against the RFP requirements to see if they have addressed what the RFP has asked for. I also provide comments on the drafts using 'track changes' in Word. Some of my comments relate to RFP requirements; others relate to the content -- whether more detail or more specific information is needed, whether there are gaps or internal inconsistencies, etc.

    I like this role a lot because I can advise people what to do without actually having to do the work myself. It's a welcome break from the intensity of writing. 

    (03/12/08 07:31 AM)

31. Key Personnel Blurbs.

    That's what I'm working on now as part of the Staffing Plan that I'm writing for my client's recompete proposal. I always find it kind of amusing when I have to do this, because writing blurbs is the first thing that I was assigned to do when I was learning to write proposals about a billion years ago. Although they are boring to prepare, good key personnel blurbs are critical if you want to have a winning proposal. 

    I've talked about blurbs in an earlier post and also provided an example of one. For this particular proposal, I have to prepare blurbs for several key people. Each blurb is about one page long but may eventually need to be shortened to 3/4 of a page due to space constraints. When writing each blurb, I keep a hard copy of the person's resume on my desk and go through it several times. My objective is to identify the types of work and activities that the candidate has performed that are similar to the work that will need to be done for the proposed project and that meet the evaluation criteria set forth in the RFP/RFA. I then try to summarize, paraphrase and emphasize each key person's qualifications, skills and experience with the aim of pursuading the proposal reviewers that this individual is indeed the best-qualified person to perform the work. 

    Some people's resumes don't contain enough information for a good blurb. In those cases, you or someone else on the proposal team may need to interview the candidate to gather more specific information. Most likely, the resume may need to be re-written as well.  

    Writing blurbs may seem like an easy task, but it's not. It's time-consuming and it's often difficult to make someone sound like they are the most wonderful person in the world. But that's what a blurb is all about.

    (03/11/08 09:01 AM)

32. Staffing Plans.

    For the proposal I'm working on now, one of my assignments is to prepare the staffing plan. For this particular proposal, it will be about 10 pages.

    Staffing plans are nearly always required for a proposal but can be called different things by different agencies. Sometimes they are called Staffing and Management Plans or Management and Staffing Plans, and sometimes they are just referred to as Key Personnel Plans. Many times, they are combined with Management Plans.

    Staffing plans are developed to convey information on at least two things:

    1. How you are going to staff your proposed project, i.e., what are the positions/titles that will be needed to perform the project; and
    2. Who are the personnel who will fill these positions -- their names, qualifications, backgounds, etc. In most cases, this is where you write up glowing blurbs about your key personnel and other proposed staff if required. Resumes of these personnel may also be included in the staffing plan itself or in an appendix to the proposal.

    Some staffing plans also require that you provide other information. My RFA wants to know:

    • The rationale for the proposed staffing -- why are we proposing to staff the project in this particular way.
    • What will be the role and responsibilities of each key person -- position descriptions
    • If we are proposing to use outside consultants and if so, how and why.
    • The specific skills that each proposed staff member will bring to the project -- a skills matrix.

    Ten pages doesn't seem like much, but it's amazing how long it takes to write those pages.

    (03/07/08 09:01 AM)

33. Referrals From Great Sites.

    Every once in a while I take a look at the Google Analytics reports for my website. These reports provide detailed statistics about the number and type of visitors to a site, where they came from, what pages they visited, etc. The reports contain a lot of data and take a while to review, which is why I only look at them occasionally.

    But one of the reports I do like to look at is the Referring Sites Report, which indicates which sites referred people to my site via a link. And if you are interested in grants (both government and non-government grants), grantwriting, or grant research, you'll want to take a look at some of the websites that send the most visitors to Proposalwriter.com . Among my top 10 referring sites are:

    • The Grants Information Collection at the University of Wisconsin. This fabulous site has a wealth of information on grants, funding, and other related topics. I'm delighted to say that they link to my site on four different pages. They have consistently been my #1 referral site.
    • My #2 referral site is The Foundation Center, which sends visitors to my site via links on 3 of their many pages. If you want grant-related information from the nation's leading authority on non-profits, The Foundation Center's site is one of the first places you should investigate.
    • The third site that sends the most visitors to my site is the US House of Representatives. Somewhere among the its many pages there has been a link to my site for several years. Except I don't know where it is, and oddly enough the link is to my Guestbook. I've never taken the time to try to figure out how people get to my site from this site.
    • #9 on the list is the University of Michigan's Proposal Writing Help Page, which of course contains info and links on proposal writing.

    In addition to Google Analytics, I use Google Webmaster Tools to find out how many other sites have links to mine. At present, Webmaster Tools shows that there are over 4,100 external links from other sites to the various pages on my site. But this number seems to include quite a few dupicates, so it's hard to tell what the real number is.   

    Nevertheless, I'm pretty satisfied.

    (03/06/08 09:01 AM)

34. Submitting Questions (Cont'd).

    Yesterday I wrote about the importance of submitting questions as part of the proposal development process. One of the things that I mentioned was the need for the Proposal Manager to review the list of compiled questions before they are submitted to the government. This review is critical because you want to make sure that the questions you submit don't hint at or give away any information about the approach you are planning to take in your technical or cost proposal. So, for example, you would not want to say something like: "in our technical approach, we would like to propose an additional task that focuses on blah blah blah. Will this be acceptable to the government?" A question like this will only serve to give other bidders some good ideas that they may not have thought of before they saw your question.

    Here are some additional points to be aware of when you submit questions on a government RFP or RFA:

    • When responding to the questions, the government does not identify the person or organization that submitted each question.
    • All questions and answers will be seen by all bidders, which is why the point I made in the first paragraph is important. The government usually issues an amendment to the RFP/RFA which contains all of the questions and answers. Anyone can read it.
    • Some prospective bidders may submit a long list of questions -- many of them unnecessary -- in the hopes that it will take the government a long time to answer them and then extend the due date for the proposal. This strategy can sometimes work, but it can also backfire, meaning that no extension will be granted. Don't count on it.
    • Don't put off working on your proposal while you are waiting for your questions to be answered. You can always make changes to your proposal based on the questions and answers, but you can't always catch up because you sat around and waited. Just keep going.
    (03/05/08 09:01 AM)

35. Submitting Questions.

    For the proposal I'm working on now, we are in the process of compiling a list of questions that will be submitted to the government.

    Most government RFPs and RFAs will allow bidders to submit questions related to the content of the specific RFP and RFA. But there is usually a cut-off date for submitting questions and after that date, any questions you submit may not be answered.

    The compilation and submission of questions is an important step in the proposal process. You can submit questions on just about anything in the RFP or RFA -- the content of the technical proposal, the content of the cost proposal, the instructions, contract clauses, etc. The way it usually works is that the Proposal Manager asks everyone involved in preparing the proposal to carefully review the RFP/RFA and identify statements or requirements that they don't understand, or that are contradictory, or that may require additional explanation from the government. When all the questions are compiled, the Proposal Manager reviews them and decides which questions should be submitted.

    To make it easier for the government to answer your questions, it's a good idea to cite the page number and/or item number in the RFP or RFA that your question relates to. Therefore, the format of each of your questions might be as follows:

    1. In the instructions on page 45, item L.8, the RFP states that bidders should submit 3 copies of their proposal. However, page 1 of the cover letter indicates that 4 copies of the proposal should be submitted. Please advise how many copies we should submit.

    More on this topic tomorrow.

    (03/04/08 09:01 AM)

36. It's Not About Proposal Writing, But....

    a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by CNN Money/Fortune about an article they were preparing for Fortune Small Business on "Funding Sources for Women and Minorities."  I gave them some info and resources on government grants and other sources of money and then promptly forgot about it. The author didn't contact me to let me know that the article had been published -- I only found out about it through some referral links from the article to my website.

    If you'd like to read it, the article is here.

    Oh, and they spelled my name wrong. You'd think that the author or editors would check this sort of thing. But I guess not.

     

    (03/03/08 09:01 AM)

37. Lovely E-Mail.

    I get quite a few e-mails each day. Some are from people asking about my services, others want me to answer their questions, and still others write rather lengthy stories about various hardships that they want to overcome by getting grants that don't exist. Then there is the e-mail I received yesterday asking for a donation so that the sender could attend a conference in Las Vegas, which she can't pay for because she doesn't have any consulting work. Hmmm, I would like donations so that I too could go to Las Vegas.

    But every so often I receive an e-mail that just plain makes me happy. I got one of those yesterday too. Here it is:

    I am 30 yrs old with little to no experience in writing up
    proposals. I am currently working in a middle management position in a
    small company. I feel I have an idea that would greatly benefit the
    company I am currently working for. After approaching one of the senior
    management with it, he told me he liked it and to write up a proposal.

    I have been searching the internet for the past week and a half
    attempting to gain insight and advice into how to create a quality
    proposal. I am not the type of person how expects, or even wants, to
    have someone else do my work for me. Most of the sites I found offered
    to create a proposal for a fee. It is my belief that unless
    circumstances require otherwise that a person should learn to do things
    for themselves. It was a nice surprise to find on your site a starter
    list of sorts that I could use to begin to make a proposal on my own.
    Your "Proposal Preparation Checklist" and Proposal Pointers and
    Pitfalls" are wonderful tools and I wanted to take a moment to thank you
    for freely distributing them. It is a welcome relief when someone sets
    forward information to allow people to empower themselves. The links
    you have provided to other websites are also wonderful. Just skimming
    over the Checklist and Pointers, I have already noticed some points I
    would never have considered.

    So again, thank you so very much. I really appreciate the effort you
    have put into your site and also the information you have offered freely.
    

    What a beautifully-written thank-you note. And to boot, it expresses my own mantra -- "do your homework" -- just perfectly.

    It's just so nice when something like this pops up in your mailbox!

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

38. Weather Watching and More.

    I'm supposed to go to Virginia early this afternoon to meet with one of my re-compete clients who is in town for some other business. But here in the Washington, DC area, they are calling for bad weather -- some snow and possibly an ice storm. Right now, at 5 AM, it seems to be sleeting. No way am I going to travel with ice on the roads. So I'll be watching the weather closely to see how things go. I suspect that I'll be staying in today and talking with my client by phone.

    I also have to start work on one of the other re-compete proposals that is due on the 28th. I've put it off because it is very similar to the prior proposal that I worked on three years ago. But still, there will be some changes. This particular proposal is for food services for a local government agency -- operating a cafeteria and coffee bar, and providing as-needed catering services for special functions. It is kind of interesting because, as part of the proposal, my client has to submit a detailed menu and prices for each of these services. 

    I've been doing work for this client for a number of years. She's a wonderful client except for one thing -- she doesn't use a computer or e-mail. Instead, she comes to my office to bring me RFPs, review and pick-up the proposals I've prepared for her, and drop off or discuss anything else needed for the proposals. It would just be so much easier if we could e-mail things back and forth. But she has no time or interest in learning how to use a computer, so this is the way things have worked for the past five years or so. On the other hand, when she comes to my office, she often brings yummy food that she's made.

    I'm hoping for some bulgogi when I see her next week.

     

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

39. Round and Round.

    My computer-adverse client called yesterday to say she would be coming by my office to work with me on the proposal and that she would be bringing "a big round diskette" that had some material on it that we could use. I got a little panicky because I had no idea what a big round diskette was. Could she have been referring to the old 5" floppy disks that don't exist any more? Finally I realized that she was probably bringing a CD with files on it. And that's what it was.

    When she got here, we worked on the proposal for a bit, and then she dropped a bombshell, telling me that she did not need to submit a cost proposal. She said that she had gotten this information at the bidder's conference. I told her that this did not make sense, and she pointed to a section in the RFP that said that bidders would not need to submit a financial statements or details on their burdened rate until just prior to contract execution. Plus, she thought that the evaluation criteria related to cost was confusing. I tried to explain, but she was convinced that the Contracting Officer had said no cost proposal.

    So she decided to call the Contracting Officer. Except she dialed the wrong number and got hold of the Technical Officer (COTR) instead. The COTR could not find the page in the RFP that my client was referring to and insisted that there was no such page. They went round and round on this:

    COTR - what page is that? 

    Client - it is page 54. 

    COTR - there is no page 54.

    Client - yes, on page 54 it gives the evaluation criteria for cost

    COTR - the evaluation criteria ends on page 53

    Client - no, there is another page

    COTR - I have the RFP right in front of me and the page after page 53 is this one (reads the first sentence).

    Client - no, that it not it.

    COTR - I will have to check with the procurement office because it is not in my copy. Oh, wait a minute, here it is. The pages in my copy are out of order. At any rate, you need to talk to the Contracting Officer about this because I don't know the answer to your question. 

    So my client gets hold of the Contracting Officer and asks the question about submitting the cost proposal. He said yes, we have to submit a cost proposal, but not price. As for an explanation of the evaluation criteria related to cost, he cannot tell my client what it means. She has to interpret it for herself the best she can. They go round and round on this for a while, but my client finally hangs up and says to me: 

    "I better get started on my cost proposal."

     

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

40. First Reading of RFP.

    Last night I got around to looking at the RFP for one of the re-competed contracts. Many people, when they first get their hands on an RFP or RFA, begin reading from the first page. They start with the cover sheet/cover letter, go on to the pricing forms in Section B, the scope-of-work in Section C, the Representations and Certifications, the incomprehensible list of government contract clauses, and so forth. By the time they get to the end, they often have no idea of what they have just read.

    This isn't the way that I do it. Whenever I get an RFP or RFP, I immediately go to the back of the document. I don't even care what the subject matter of the RFP is. The first thing that I read is the Instructions to Offerors (bidders), which is often in Section L. This tells me a lot about the work that will need to be done -- how many pages the proposal will be, the type and extent of information that will be required in the technical and cost volumes, how that information should be organized, the deadline for submitting questions, whether the proposal will need to be submitted electronically or via mail or courier service, etc.  Even after reading this stuff, I still don't know what the RFP/RFA is about. But at this point, I don't care.

    After reading the Instructions, I immediately go to the Evaluation Criteria which often follows the Instructions. This tells me how the proposal will be evaluated by the government -- the number of points will be given to each section of the proposal, what  the most important elements of the proposal will be, and any further elaborations on the Instructions that I just read.

    Next, I go to Section H, which is sometimes called "Special Requirements" or something similar. Section H is often overlooked. But it shouldn't be, because this is where the government often hides important stuff. Things like insurance requirements, special security requirements, and the like.

    Finally, finally, finally, I am ready to read the Scope-of-Work in Section C and to look at the pricing forms in Section B. All the stuff in the other sections can wait until later...

    Try this technique in the next RFP or RFA that you receive and see if it doesn't give you a better sense of what's going on and what you'll have to do to prepare. 

     

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

41. Keeping Up (Not).

    I'm behind with everything, and this blog seems to get pushed down on my priority list. I don't want it to, but even so, I just can't seem to find the time to get the blogging done. Still, people keep reading it and signing up for my subscription notification form. So now I feel guilty for not writing anything here for a while.

    I have been bogged down with work and more work. First, I finished the little sole source proposal that I wrote about earlier. My client submitted it to the federal agency, which liked the proposal but didn't like the cost. So my client is having to revise his numbers and re-submit. One of my colleagues, a CPA who specializes in government costing, is working with him on this. My client is certain to get the contract, but not before the feds make him jump through a few more hoops.

    Second, I've been working on a USAID proposal. Somehow, I got assigned to prepare the largest section of that proposal and it took longer than I anticipated (no surprise there). As soon as I finished it, USAID issued a one-week extension. My client is happy to have this extension, but I'm not because it means that I might have to do more work. I'm waiting to hear from them maybe today. In the meantime...

    I've moved on to starting yet another assignment that I put off because I had to finished the USAID stuff. This is what I am behind on now. It is a very large proposal for NIH -- a services project, not a research project. The technical section consists of 5 separate volumes: Personnel, Technical Approach, Management Plan, Past Performance and Work Samples. I'm almost done with the Management Plan and it is about 50 pages in length. My client is working on the Personnel Section, and I am going to have to move on to the Technical Approach section probably beginning tomorrow. NIH wants lots and lots of details about everything, and there are no page limits to any of the volumes.

    So, I just continue to plod along here in my little world of proposals. Sometimes I wonder how I ever thought that this would be a good career. A lot of people think it is, but frankly I'm not sure. It's a good career if you want to be under a lot of stress all the time and if you like having one deadline after another -- deadlines that rarely slip. Ugh, I can't really even think about it right now because I have to get back to my writing. I have a conference call with my NIH client later this morning.

    Later...

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

42. Deborah's Proposal Writing Blog is Back!.

    I'm not going to go into all the reasons that I stopped blogging. But now I've decided to resume. If you were a former subscriber or if you are new to my blog, you now have the option of receiving new postings by email. You'll find the subscription box at the top of the page. So please sign up!

    What have I been up to since I last blogged? Proposal writing, of course -- sprinkled in between with a few other things like proposal reviews and criitiques, editing and the like. For the past few weeks, I've been revamping a major manual for one of my clients. This has been a rather interesting but frustrating experience. I've written a lot of manuals from scratch, but this client wanted an updated version of an existing manual that is about 250 pages long.

    The first step in the process involved gathering the info that they wanted updated. Sounds easy, no? Well, it started off being easy. I was given some written materials to start with. What the client wanted me to do was to take this 250 page document and lay it out so that when you opened it, the proposed changes were on the left page and the original version was on the right-hand facing page, so that it looked like this:

    
    
    

    Hahaha. Just try doing something like this in Word with a 250-page document. Some of the comments and proposed changes were so long that they went on for 2-3 pages. When this happened, everything shifted so that the orginal pages or parts of them sometimes ended up on the left side instead of the right side and vice versa. Never, never, never try to do anything like this.

    More to come on this exciting task.

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

43. Done and Gone.

    The food services proposal is finished and gone from my office. I'm not exactly sure why, but we decided to put it together here so that my client could deliver it to the government in the morning. She got here around 4 PM yesterday and we spent a couple of hours making changes to the text. Then for the next two hours we printed out a total of 16 copies of two separate proposals each of which was over 100 pages (she had brought copies of the cost proposal separately).

    We stuck them in binders, inserted a few dividers, and they were done and ready to go. Amazingly, there were no serious glitches. She loaded them up in her car and took them home. But not before she paid me on the spot, as she always does.

    What's not to like about a client who gives you immediate gratification via an immediate payment?

     

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

44. A Slew of Re-competes.

    Does three equal a slew? I don't know, but very soon I will be working on three proposals, all of which are re-competes for my clients. For those of you who don't know, this means that each client currently holds the grant or contract that is being put out for bid -- they are re-competing for it. For two of these re-competes, the clients have been performing the work for the past five years. On the other re-compete, the client has worked on the contract for three years.

    Re-competes are usually very important to bidders because they don't want to lose the work. In some cases, they can't financially afford to lose the grant or contract because it is the only one they have, or because it brings in the bulk of their money. So keeping the grant or contract often requires a good amount of work on the proposal -- sometimes more work than if they were bidding on it from scratch.

    Fortunately for me, I have worked with each of these three clients before. In fact, I worked on each of the previous proposals for all three of these bids. So I am familiar with both the clients and the type of work that they will be bidding on for the re-competes. This definitely helps with respect to the learning curve.

    But for today, I am going to try to finalize the index for the manual (sigh).

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

45. Hour by Hour?.

    I'm plugging along on the NIH proposal. I would say that I have about 75% of the Management Plan done so far and will hopefully complete the first draft by the end of the week.

    In a conference call with my client yesterday we discussed the other sections. My client is basically handling the entire Personnel section. In addition to having to recruit Key Personnel, my client will have to fill out a lot of different personnel and staffing-related forms that are contained in the RFP. One look at these forms and you would almost want to run away from this bid. The forms require lots and lots of detailed info.

    My client is going to start sending me some material and information that I can use in preparing the Technical Approach section. If the Management Plan alone is going to be 50+ pages, then the Technical section is likely to be 100+ pages. Details, details, details.

    Here's an example of the extent of the detail required. I have never seen this before in an RFP. One of the subsections of the Technical Approach is a phase-in plan, where we have to discuss how my client will take over parts of project from an incumbent contractor. That's OK -- I have written quite a few phase-in plans. But in addition to the normal stuff we have to address in that subsection, the RFP says that we have to "detail every hour of proposed Government assistance as completely as possible."

    Wha? Are they kidding? I can't even detail what I do every hour of my own day much less what the Government would do. What would they do? Stand around? Have meetings? Talk on the phone? Take coffee breaks? Nap? Have lunch? This is nuts.

    I've just got to wonder who in NIH thought this one up. See what I mean by wanting to run away? Looks like there will be more than the usual amount of fictional writing here.

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

46. Shill Sites.

    I'm not sure if there is another name for the type of websites that I describe here, but my name for them is shill sites.

    If you are looking for a grantwriter, then you may have come across these sites. There are at least two of them that I know of, and they purport to rate and rank "the top 10 grant writers." Lucky me -- I'm "fortunate" to have my name listed on both of these sites. Most likely, there are similar sites for other professions.

    These sites are fakes. They exist only to promote and get business for the top-ranked site, which is of course their own site and which is given 5 stars. The other 9 sites that are listed have lower rankings and are often described in negative terms, many of which are half-truths or outright lies.

    The shill sites claim to back up their listings by describing their methodology for rating and ranking the 10 sites on their lists. They claim to collect and verify information on the success rate of the proposals written by each grant writer or grant writing firm, as well as on customer service/satisfaction, and the value of the grant writer's services in terms of fees. This, too, is hogwash, at least with respect to me and with respect to some of the other grantwriters on the "top 10 list." I know this is the case because I've talked with some of them.

    One of the ways that you can identify shill sites like these is to go to the website of the top-ranked #1 grant writer. If you do, you will see that they are selling packages of grantwriting services that are "guaranteed to win."  That's a tipoff right there. No legitimate grant writer or grantwriting firm can guarantee that the proposal they prepare for you will result in a win.

    So take these sites with a grain of salt. Anyone can set up a website and make outrageous claims. Just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean that it's true. As always, do your homework. 

      

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

47. More on Re-Competed Contracts.

    You might think that incumbents who will be bidding on a re-competed contract have advance knowledge of the ways in which the new RFP will be different from the old RFP.  After all, they are currently performing the contract and hopefully have good relationships with government technical and contracting officers who might just give them a little advance information about the new RFP. But this is not always the case.

    It's definitely not the case in the three re-competed bids that I am working on. For the food services contract I mentioned the other day, the government has split the current contract into two separate contracts to be bid: one contract for each of the two government facilities where the food services will be provided. Currently, my client is providing these services to the two facilities under one contract. The government has also substantially changed their menu requirements. So what does that mean for my client and me? More work on the proposal than we anticipated. In addition to addressing the changes in technical requirements, we have to prepare and submit two separate proposals. 

    The RFP for the second re-compete that I'm working on also has some substantial changes from the previous RFP, none of which were known in advance by my client. Fortunately, they have already begun preparations to deal with these new requirements. My third client is also anticipating major changes in the RFP when it is released (we not sure when this will be). But they don't know what those changes will be or how much more work it will take to address them.

    Changes from one RFP to the next can occur because the government believes that improvements can be made in the way that work is currently being performed, or because they are not getting the outcomes and results they had anticipated. Other times, they make changes to an RFP because they have less (or more) money to spend. And sometimes, my clients and I think that they make the changes just to make life more difficult for us.

    So non-incombents take heart. You're not always the only ones who aren't in the know about what's coming down the pike.

       

     

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

48. Sole Source Contracts.

    Everyone likes a sole-source contract when their company gets one, but we don't like them too much when they are given to other companies. When other companies get them, it's unfair; when our company gets one, it's a good thing.

    So what's a sole source contract, you ask? Well, according to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, sole-source contracting can occur "when the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source." That means, basically, that an agency can contract with a company without any competition. There are a few in's and out's to this -- you can read about them here.

    I bring this up because I just got finished doing a quick sole source proposal for one of my clients. In this case, the federal agency decided that it needed to have a particular task done, and that the task could only be performed by two people that used to work there. My client had marketed to this agency, and it was "decided" that their company could hire these two people as consultants to perform the work. So the agency issued an RFP to my client, which no other company received. My client then had to respond to this RFP so that the agency would have the proper paperwork to award them the contract.

    Fair? Not really. But of course it happens all the time. Most of the time we only hear about it when there is some type of investigation into possible improper practices and the media gets hold of it. But in reality, lots of companies receive sole source contracts. In many cases, it's just a matter of marketing and knowing the right people in an agency. In other cases, there is really only one responsible source out there, or there is a particularly urgent need for a product or service (another way that agencies can justify a sole source contract).

    That's the lesson (or rant) for today.

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

49. Oh Yeah, We Need a Better Index Too.

    More on this manual...

    The original manual had an index, but my client wanted a more comprehensive one. So now I've become an indexer. I've done some basic indexes for a few proposals in the past, but not anything that was really complex. Indexing is a real profession and it's hard work. It requires logical thinking, a good eye for detail, and lots of concentration. I could probably be pretty good at indexing if I took some courses and learned how to do it properly, but I don't want to be an indexer. There are also programs that are made specifically for indexing which of course I don't have.

    So I'm having to use Word to re-create this index. Indexing in Word is a real pain. It's not hard to do, but it is time-consuming. I decided to try to reduce the time by using what is called a "concordance file." Creating a concordance file is pretty easy to do but the end result leaves a lot to be desired. When you create and apply the file to your document, it marks every single entry of the word or phrase you are indexing. So many of the index entries end up with way too many page references that you don't want or need. That's what I have right now, so I have to either go back into the concordance file and edit it, or go back into the manual to take out the marked index entries that I don't want.

    Either way, this is not good.

    (03/01/08 09:01 AM)

50. Shill Sites.

    I'm not sure if there is another name for the type of websites that I describe here, but my name for them is shill sites.

    If you are looking for a grantwriter, then you may have come across these sites. There are at least two of them that I know of, and they purport to rate and rank "the top 10 grant writers." Lucky me -- I'm "fortunate" to have my name listed on both of these sites. Most likely, there are similar sites for other professions.

    These sites are fakes. They exist only to promote and get business for the top-ranked site, which is of course their own site and which is given 5 stars. The other 9 sites that are listed have lower rankings and are often described in negative terms, many of which are half-truths or outright lies.

    The shill sites claim to back up their listings by describing their methodology for rating and ranking the 10 sites on their lists. They claim to collect and verify information on the success rate of the proposals written by each grant writer or grant writing firm, as well as on customer service/satisfaction, and the value of the grant writer's services in terms of fees. This, too, is hogwash, at least with respect to me and with respect to some of the other grantwriters on the "top 10 list." I know this is the case because I've talked with some of them.

    One of the ways that you can identify shill sites like these is to go to the website of the top-ranked #1 grant writer. If you do, you will see that they are selling packages of grantwriting services that are "guaranteed to win."  That's a tipoff right there. No legitimate grant writer or grantwriting firm can guarantee that the proposal they prepare for you will result in a win.

    So take these sites with a grain of salt. Anyone can set up a website and make outrageous claims. Just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean that it's true. As always, do your homework. 

      

    (02/29/08 09:01 AM)

51. Done and Gone.

    The food services proposal is finished and gone from my office. I'm not exactly sure why, but we decided to put it together here so that my client could deliver it to the government in the morning. She got here around 4 PM yesterday and we spent a couple of hours making changes to the text. Then for the next two hours we printed out a total of 16 copies of two separate proposals each of which was over 100 pages (she had brought copies of the cost proposal separately).

    We stuck them in binders, inserted a few dividers, and they were done and ready to go. Amazingly, there were no serious glitches. She loaded them up in her car and took them home. But not before she paid me on the spot, as she always does.

    What's not to like about a client who gives you immediate gratification via an immediate payment?

     

    (02/28/08 09:01 AM)

52. Round and Round.

    My computer-adverse client called yesterday to say she would be coming by my office to work with me on the proposal and that she would be bringing "a big round diskette" that had some material on it that we could use. I got a little panicky because I had no idea what a big round diskette was. Could she have been referring to the old 5" floppy disks that don't exist any more? Finally I realized that she was probably bringing a CD with files on it. And that's what it was.

    When she got here, we worked on the proposal for a bit, and then she dropped a bombshell, telling me that she did not need to submit a cost proposal. She said that she had gotten this information at the bidder's conference. I told her that this did not make sense, and she pointed to a section in the RFP that said that bidders would not need to submit a financial statements or details on their burdened rate until just prior to contract execution. Plus, she thought that the evaluation criteria related to cost was confusing. I tried to explain, but she was convinced that the Contracting Officer had said no cost proposal.

    So she decided to call the Contracting Officer. Except she dialed the wrong number and got hold of the Technical Officer (COTR) instead. The COTR could not find the page in the RFP that my client was referring to and insisted that there was no such page. They went round and round on this:

    COTR - what page is that? 

    Client - it is page 54. 

    COTR - there is no page 54.

    Client - yes, on page 54 it gives the evaluation criteria for cost

    COTR - the evaluation criteria ends on page 53

    Client - no, there is another page

    COTR - I have the RFP right in front of me and the page after page 53 is this one (reads the first sentence).

    Client - no, that it not it.

    COTR - I will have to check with the procurement office because it is not in my copy. Oh, wait a minute, here it is. The pages in my copy are out of order. At any rate, you need to talk to the Contracting Officer about this because I don't know the answer to your question. 

    So my client gets hold of the Contracting Officer and asks the question about submitting the cost proposal. He said yes, we have to submit a cost proposal, but not price. As for an explanation of the evaluation criteria related to cost, he cannot tell my client what it means. She has to interpret it for herself the best she can. They go round and round on this for a while, but my client finally hangs up and says to me: 

    "I better get started on my cost proposal."

     

    (02/27/08 09:01 AM)

53. More on Re-Competed Contracts.

    You might think that incumbents who will be bidding on a re-competed contract have advance knowledge of the ways in which the new RFP will be different from the old RFP.  After all, they are currently performing the contract and hopefully have good relationships with government technical and contracting officers who might just give them a little advance information about the new RFP. But this is not always the case.

    It's definitely not the case in the three re-competed bids that I am working on. For the food services contract I mentioned the other day, the government has split the current contract into two separate contracts to be bid: one contract for each of the two government facilities where the food services will be provided. Currently, my client is providing these services to the two facilities under one contract. The government has also substantially changed their menu requirements. So what does that mean for my client and me? More work on the proposal than we anticipated. In addition to addressing the changes in technical requirements, we have to prepare and submit two separate proposals. 

    The RFP for the second re-compete that I'm working on also has some substantial changes from the previous RFP, none of which were known in advance by my client. Fortunately, they have already begun preparations to deal with these new requirements. My third client is also anticipating major changes in the RFP when it is released (we not sure when this will be). But they don't know what those changes will be or how much more work it will take to address them.

    Changes from one RFP to the next can occur because the government believes that improvements can be made in the way that work is currently being performed, or because they are not getting the outcomes and results they had anticipated. Other times, they make changes to an RFP because they have less (or more) money to spend. And sometimes, my clients and I think that they make the changes just to make life more difficult for us.

    So non-incombents take heart. You're not always the only ones who aren't in the know about what's coming down the pike.

       

     

    (02/25/08 09:01 AM)

54. Weather Watching and More.

    I'm supposed to go to Virginia early this afternoon to meet with one of my re-compete clients who is in town for some other business. But here in the Washington, DC area, they are calling for bad weather -- some snow and possibly an ice storm. Right now, at 5 AM, it seems to be sleeting. No way am I going to travel with ice on the roads. So I'll be watching the weather closely to see how things go. I suspect that I'll be staying in today and talking with my client by phone.

    I also have to start work on one of the other re-compete proposals that is due on the 28th. I've put it off because it is very similar to the prior proposal that I worked on three years ago. But still, there will be some changes. This particular proposal is for food services for a local government agency -- operating a cafeteria and coffee bar, and providing as-needed catering services for special functions. It is kind of interesting because, as part of the proposal, my client has to submit a detailed menu and prices for each of these services. 

    I've been doing work for this client for a number of years. She's a wonderful client except for one thing -- she doesn't use a computer or e-mail. Instead, she comes to my office to bring me RFPs, review and pick-up the proposals I've prepared for her, and drop off or discuss anything else needed for the proposals. It would just be so much easier if we could e-mail things back and forth. But she has no time or interest in learning how to use a computer, so this is the way things have worked for the past five years or so. On the other hand, when she comes to my office, she often brings yummy food that she's made.

    I'm hoping for some bulgogi when I see her next week.

     

    (02/22/08 09:01 AM)

55. Red Teams.

    I never heard the term "red team" until several years after I began my proposal writing career. My employers never used them and it wasn't until I started working on my own that I encountered organizations that used red teams on certain proposal efforts.

    Basically, a red team is a team of outside reviewers that a company brings in to review a proposal once the final draft is completed. Many organizations don't incorporate a red team review process because: (a) it can be expensive; (b) they can't spare the time; and (c) the idea has not occured to them. But if you are preparing a proposal that is very important to your firm, using a red team can be a valuable and worthwhile activity.

    In a nutshell, the process works like this:

    • Your company identifies people (perhaps 4 or more) to serve as red team reviewers. These people should not have been involved in the proposal in any way, and in fact it's best if they are outside your organization. You will probably need to pay these reviewers a consulting fee for their time. Depending upon the size and complexity of the proposal, the red team review can take from one to several days.
    • Before the red team begins their work, you'll need to prepare for them. They will need a packet of materials, including the RFP, your final proposal draft, the proposal outline, checklists, instructions, and other relevant materials. These can be put in binders that are distributed to each reviewer. The red team will also need a conference room or other space where they can read and meet.
    • Once the red team assembles, the Proposal Manager or another member of your proposal team may give a verbal presentation on the proposal: what it is about, some background on the issues, what problems have been encountered in developing the proposal, etc. The Proposal Manager also goes over the instructions with the review team. These instructions should be as specific as possible -- they should tell the red team reviewers what you want them to look for. For example: Is the proposal theme clear and consistent? Are the benefits of your approach desirable and clearly stated? Does the proposal address all of the RFP requirements? Is it convicing? How can specific problem areas be fixed? How could the overall proposal be improved? Etc., etc.
    • The red team begins its review, first working individually to read the materials and document their comments and impressions. Once this is done, they meet as a group to discuss their findings and to prepare a set of recommendations. When the review is completed, the red team presents its comments and recommendations to the proposal team, which then incorporates the reviewers' suggested improvements.

    Besides red team reviews, there are also pink team reviews. But that's a topic for another day.

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

56. Lovely E-Mail.

    I get quite a few e-mails each day. Some are from people asking about my services, others want me to answer their questions, and still others write rather lengthy stories about various hardships that they want to overcome by getting grants that don't exist. Then there is the e-mail I received yesterday asking for a donation so that the sender could attend a conference in Las Vegas, which she can't pay for because she doesn't have any consulting work. Hmmm, I would like donations so that I too could go to Las Vegas.

    But every so often I receive an e-mail that just plain makes me happy. I got one of those yesterday too. Here it is:

    I am 30 yrs old with little to no experience in writing up
    proposals. I am currently working in a middle management position in a
    small company. I feel I have an idea that would greatly benefit the
    company I am currently working for. After approaching one of the senior
    management with it, he told me he liked it and to write up a proposal.

    I have been searching the internet for the past week and a half
    attempting to gain insight and advice into how to create a quality
    proposal. I am not the type of person how expects, or even wants, to
    have someone else do my work for me. Most of the sites I found offered
    to create a proposal for a fee. It is my belief that unless
    circumstances require otherwise that a person should learn to do things
    for themselves. It was a nice surprise to find on your site a starter
    list of sorts that I could use to begin to make a proposal on my own.
    Your "Proposal Preparation Checklist" and Proposal Pointers and
    Pitfalls" are wonderful tools and I wanted to take a moment to thank you
    for freely distributing them. It is a welcome relief when someone sets
    forward information to allow people to empower themselves. The links
    you have provided to other websites are also wonderful. Just skimming
    over the Checklist and Pointers, I have already noticed some points I
    would never have considered.

    So again, thank you so very much. I really appreciate the effort you
    have put into your site and also the information you have offered freely.
    

    What a beautifully-written thank-you note. And to boot, it expresses my own mantra -- "do your homework" -- just perfectly.

    It's just so nice when something like this pops up in your mailbox!

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

57. It's Done.

    I finished my book proposal. Actually, it's not totally "my" proposal, since the book (if it ever comes about) will be written by me and a long-time colleague and friend. So we worked on it together and sent it off yesterday. We thought it looked pretty good, but what do we know? Neither of us has ever written a book proposal. It will be interesting to see what happens. I suspect it will be a while before we hear anything

    This is a really busy time of year for us proposal people. The government's fiscal year ends on September 30, so agencies are often in a rush to spend their money. Thus, the release of many RFPs. I am getting numerous e-mails every day from people who need proposal help and, as usual, they are waiting until the last minute to get that help. I am already swamped with work, so I'm taking on very few new projects. In addition, I'm still waiting for three RFPs from two clients that I've committed time to. Plus, in a couple of weeks I'll be starting on the next phase of my workplan project. In the middle of all this, I'll be taking a few days off to go to Maine with my husband who will be attending a conference there. Lobster!!

    Yesterday, a client who I haven't heard from for about 5 years called. In fact, she called four times. I wasn't answering the phone because I was working on the book proposal and didn't want to be interrupted. But she left messages. Apparently she needs a proposal done for a local government agency here in Maryland -- pretty much the same kind of thing that I've helped her with before. But she is somewhat difficult to work with, and with my current workload I don't know if I will really have the time. Still, I hate saying "no" to existing clients, although I'm not sure I would consider her an existing client after a gap of 5 years.

    I just need to have more hours in a day.

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

58. First Reading of RFP.

    Last night I got around to looking at the RFP for one of the re-competed contracts. Many people, when they first get their hands on an RFP or RFA, begin reading from the first page. They start with the cover sheet/cover letter, go on to the pricing forms in Section B, the scope-of-work in Section C, the Representations and Certifications, the incomprehensible list of government contract clauses, and so forth. By the time they get to the end, they often have no idea of what they have just read.

    This isn't the way that I do it. Whenever I get an RFP or RFP, I immediately go to the back of the document. I don't even care what the subject matter of the RFP is. The first thing that I read is the Instructions to Offerors (bidders), which is often in Section L. This tells me a lot about the work that will need to be done -- how many pages the proposal will be, the type and extent of information that will be required in the technical and cost volumes, how that information should be organized, the deadline for submitting questions, whether the proposal will need to be submitted electronically or via mail or courier service, etc.  Even after reading this stuff, I still don't know what the RFP/RFA is about. But at this point, I don't care.

    After reading the Instructions, I immediately go to the Evaluation Criteria which often follows the Instructions. This tells me how the proposal will be evaluated by the government -- the number of points will be given to each section of the proposal, what  the most important elements of the proposal will be, and any further elaborations on the Instructions that I just read.

    Next, I go to Section H, which is sometimes called "Special Requirements" or something similar. Section H is often overlooked. But it shouldn't be, because this is where the government often hides important stuff. Things like insurance requirements, special security requirements, and the like.

    Finally, finally, finally, I am ready to read the Scope-of-Work in Section C and to look at the pricing forms in Section B. All the stuff in the other sections can wait until later...

    Try this technique in the next RFP or RFA that you receive and see if it doesn't give you a better sense of what's going on and what you'll have to do to prepare. 

     

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

59. Keeping Up (Not).

    I'm behind with everything, and this blog seems to get pushed down on my priority list. I don't want it to, but even so, I just can't seem to find the time to get the blogging done. Still, people keep reading it and signing up for my subscription notification form. So now I feel guilty for not writing anything here for a while.

    I have been bogged down with work and more work. First, I finished the little sole source proposal that I wrote about earlier. My client submitted it to the federal agency, which liked the proposal but didn't like the cost. So my client is having to revise his numbers and re-submit. One of my colleagues, a CPA who specializes in government costing, is working with him on this. My client is certain to get the contract, but not before the feds make him jump through a few more hoops.

    Second, I've been working on a USAID proposal. Somehow, I got assigned to prepare the largest section of that proposal and it took longer than I anticipated (no surprise there). As soon as I finished it, USAID issued a one-week extension. My client is happy to have this extension, but I'm not because it means that I might have to do more work. I'm waiting to hear from them maybe today. In the meantime...

    I've moved on to starting yet another assignment that I put off because I had to finished the USAID stuff. This is what I am behind on now. It is a very large proposal for NIH -- a services project, not a research project. The technical section consists of 5 separate volumes: Personnel, Technical Approach, Management Plan, Past Performance and Work Samples. I'm almost done with the Management Plan and it is about 50 pages in length. My client is working on the Personnel Section, and I am going to have to move on to the Technical Approach section probably beginning tomorrow. NIH wants lots and lots of details about everything, and there are no page limits to any of the volumes.

    So, I just continue to plod along here in my little world of proposals. Sometimes I wonder how I ever thought that this would be a good career. A lot of people think it is, but frankly I'm not sure. It's a good career if you want to be under a lot of stress all the time and if you like having one deadline after another -- deadlines that rarely slip. Ugh, I can't really even think about it right now because I have to get back to my writing. I have a conference call with my NIH client later this morning.

    Later...

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

60. Deborah's Proposal Writing Blog is Back!.

    I'm not going to go into all the reasons that I stopped blogging. But now I've decided to resume. If you were a former subscriber or if you are new to my blog, you now have the option of receiving new postings by email. You'll find the subscription box at the top of the page. So please sign up!

    What have I been up to since I last blogged? Proposal writing, of course -- sprinkled in between with a few other things like proposal reviews and criitiques, editing and the like. For the past few weeks, I've been revamping a major manual for one of my clients. This has been a rather interesting but frustrating experience. I've written a lot of manuals from scratch, but this client wanted an updated version of an existing manual that is about 250 pages long.

    The first step in the process involved gathering the info that they wanted updated. Sounds easy, no? Well, it started off being easy. I was given some written materials to start with. What the client wanted me to do was to take this 250 page document and lay it out so that when you opened it, the proposed changes were on the left page and the original version was on the right-hand facing page, so that it looked like this:

    
    
    

    Hahaha. Just try doing something like this in Word with a 250-page document. Some of the comments and proposed changes were so long that they went on for 2-3 pages. When this happened, everything shifted so that the orginal pages or parts of them sometimes ended up on the left side instead of the right side and vice versa. Never, never, never try to do anything like this.

    More to come on this exciting task.

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

61. A New Assignment, But What Is It?.

    Today I'm scheduled to attend a meeting at a client's office re a new RFP that they are planning to bid. I know this client well; I've worked with one particular department many times over the years. But a different department within this company is going to have primary responsibility for the proposal, and the department I've worked with previously will be helping them. When my contact at this company called me, he didn't say why they needed my assistance -- he just asked me to come to the meeting.

    Then yesterday someone from the "other" department contacted me to introduce himself and to tell me that he is going to be the Proposal Manager. We had this conversation:

    Him --- Did John tell you what he was thinking about having you do on this proposal?

    Me --- Well, no. I was just going to ask you that same question.

    Him --- Hmmm, I don't know.

    Tune in for the next exciting episode of "why am I here?"

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

62. A Slew of Re-competes.

    Does three equal a slew? I don't know, but very soon I will be working on three proposals, all of which are re-competes for my clients. For those of you who don't know, this means that each client currently holds the grant or contract that is being put out for bid -- they are re-competing for it. For two of these re-competes, the clients have been performing the work for the past five years. On the other re-compete, the client has worked on the contract for three years.

    Re-competes are usually very important to bidders because they don't want to lose the work. In some cases, they can't financially afford to lose the grant or contract because it is the only one they have, or because it brings in the bulk of their money. So keeping the grant or contract often requires a good amount of work on the proposal -- sometimes more work than if they were bidding on it from scratch.

    Fortunately for me, I have worked with each of these three clients before. In fact, I worked on each of the previous proposals for all three of these bids. So I am familiar with both the clients and the type of work that they will be bidding on for the re-competes. This definitely helps with respect to the learning curve.

    But for today, I am going to try to finalize the index for the manual (sigh).

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

63. Hour by Hour?.

    I'm plugging along on the NIH proposal. I would say that I have about 75% of the Management Plan done so far and will hopefully complete the first draft by the end of the week.

    In a conference call with my client yesterday we discussed the other sections. My client is basically handling the entire Personnel section. In addition to having to recruit Key Personnel, my client will have to fill out a lot of different personnel and staffing-related forms that are contained in the RFP. One look at these forms and you would almost want to run away from this bid. The forms require lots and lots of detailed info.

    My client is going to start sending me some material and information that I can use in preparing the Technical Approach section. If the Management Plan alone is going to be 50+ pages, then the Technical section is likely to be 100+ pages. Details, details, details.

    Here's an example of the extent of the detail required. I have never seen this before in an RFP. One of the subsections of the Technical Approach is a phase-in plan, where we have to discuss how my client will take over parts of project from an incumbent contractor. That's OK -- I have written quite a few phase-in plans. But in addition to the normal stuff we have to address in that subsection, the RFP says that we have to "detail every hour of proposed Government assistance as completely as possible."

    Wha? Are they kidding? I can't even detail what I do every hour of my own day much less what the Government would do. What would they do? Stand around? Have meetings? Talk on the phone? Take coffee breaks? Nap? Have lunch? This is nuts.

    I've just got to wonder who in NIH thought this one up. See what I mean by wanting to run away? Looks like there will be more than the usual amount of fictional writing here.

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

64. Sole Source Contracts.

    Everyone likes a sole-source contract when their company gets one, but we don't like them too much when they are given to other companies. When other companies get them, it's unfair; when our company gets one, it's a good thing.

    So what's a sole source contract, you ask? Well, according to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, sole-source contracting can occur "when the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source." That means, basically, that an agency can contract with a company without any competition. There are a few in's and out's to this -- you can read about them here.

    I bring this up because I just got finished doing a quick sole source proposal for one of my clients. In this case, the federal agency decided that it needed to have a particular task done, and that the task could only be performed by two people that used to work there. My client had marketed to this agency, and it was "decided" that their company could hire these two people as consultants to perform the work. So the agency issued an RFP to my client, which no other company received. My client then had to respond to this RFP so that the agency would have the proper paperwork to award them the contract.

    Fair? Not really. But of course it happens all the time. Most of the time we only hear about it when there is some type of investigation into possible improper practices and the media gets hold of it. But in reality, lots of companies receive sole source contracts. In many cases, it's just a matter of marketing and knowing the right people in an agency. In other cases, there is really only one responsible source out there, or there is a particularly urgent need for a product or service (another way that agencies can justify a sole source contract).

    That's the lesson (or rant) for today.

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

65. Oh Yeah, We Need a Better Index Too.

    More on this manual...

    The original manual had an index, but my client wanted a more comprehensive one. So now I've become an indexer. I've done some basic indexes for a few proposals in the past, but not anything that was really complex. Indexing is a real profession and it's hard work. It requires logical thinking, a good eye for detail, and lots of concentration. I could probably be pretty good at indexing if I took some courses and learned how to do it properly, but I don't want to be an indexer. There are also programs that are made specifically for indexing which of course I don't have.

    So I'm having to use Word to re-create this index. Indexing in Word is a real pain. It's not hard to do, but it is time-consuming. I decided to try to reduce the time by using what is called a "concordance file." Creating a concordance file is pretty easy to do but the end result leaves a lot to be desired. When you create and apply the file to your document, it marks every single entry of the word or phrase you are indexing. So many of the index entries end up with way too many page references that you don't want or need. That's what I have right now, so I have to either go back into the concordance file and edit it, or go back into the manual to take out the marked index entries that I don't want.

    Either way, this is not good.

    (02/21/08 09:01 PM)

66. Lovely E-Mail.

    I get quite a few e-mails each day. Some are from people asking about my services, others want me to answer their questions, and still others write rather lengthy stories about various hardships that they want to overcome by getting grants that don't exist. Then there is the e-mail I received yesterday asking for a donation so that the sender could attend a conference in Las Vegas, which she can't pay for because she doesn't have any consulting work. Hmmm, I would like donations so that I too could go to Las Vegas.

    But every so often I receive an e-mail that just plain makes me happy. I got one of those yesterday too. Here it is:

    I am 30 yrs old with little to no experience in writing up
    proposals. I am currently working in a middle management position in a
    small company. I feel I have an idea that would greatly benefit the
    company I am currently working for. After approaching one of the senior
    management with it, he told me he liked it and to write up a proposal.

    I have been searching the internet for the past week and a half
    attempting to gain insight and advice into how to create a quality
    proposal. I am not the type of person how expects, or even wants, to
    have someone else do my work for me. Most of the sites I found offered
    to create a proposal for a fee. It is my belief that unless
    circumstances require otherwise that a person should learn to do things
    for themselves. It was a nice surprise to find on your site a starter
    list of sorts that I could use to begin to make a proposal on my own.
    Your "Proposal Preparation Checklist" and Proposal Pointers and
    Pitfalls" are wonderful tools and I wanted to take a moment to thank you
    for freely distributing them. It is a welcome relief when someone sets
    forward information to allow people to empower themselves. The links
    you have provided to other websites are also wonderful. Just skimming
    over the Checklist and Pointers, I have already noticed some points I
    would never have considered.

    So again, thank you so very much. I really appreciate the effort you
    have put into your site and also the information you have offered freely.
    

    What a beautifully-written thank-you note. And to boot, it expresses my own mantra -- "do your homework" -- just perfectly.

    It's just so nice when something like this pops up in your mailbox!

    (02/20/08 09:01 AM)

67. A Slew of Re-competes.

    Does three equal a slew? I don't know, but very soon I will be working on three proposals, all of which are re-competes for my clients. For those of you who don't know, this means that each client currently holds the grant or contract that is being put out for bid -- they are re-competing for it. For two of these re-competes, the clients have been performing the work for the past five years. On the other re-compete, the client has worked on the contract for three years.

    Re-competes are usually very important to bidders because they don't want to lose the work. In some cases, they can't financially afford to lose the grant or contract because it is the only one they have, or because it brings in the bulk of their money. So keeping the grant or contract often requires a good amount of work on the proposal -- sometimes more work than if they were bidding on it from scratch.

    Fortunately for me, I have worked with each of these three clients before. In fact, I worked on each of the previous proposals for all three of these bids. So I am familiar with both the clients and the type of work that they will be bidding on for the re-competes. This definitely helps with respect to the learning curve.

    But for today, I am going to try to finalize the index for the manual (sigh).

    (02/19/08 09:01 AM)

68. Oh Yeah, We Need a Better Index Too.

    More on this manual...

    The original manual had an index, but my client wanted a more comprehensive one. So now I've become an indexer. I've done some basic indexes for a few proposals in the past, but not anything that was really complex. Indexing is a real profession and it's hard work. It requires logical thinking, a good eye for detail, and lots of concentration. I could probably be pretty good at indexing if I took some courses and learned how to do it properly, but I don't want to be an indexer. There are also programs that are made specifically for indexing which of course I don't have.

    So I'm having to use Word to re-create this index. Indexing in Word is a real pain. It's not hard to do, but it is time-consuming. I decided to try to reduce the time by using what is called a "concordance file." Creating a concordance file is pretty easy to do but the end result leaves a lot to be desired. When you create and apply the file to your document, it marks every single entry of the word or phrase you are indexing. So many of the index entries end up with way too many page references that you don't want or need. That's what I have right now, so I have to either go back into the concordance file and edit it, or go back into the manual to take out the marked index entries that I don't want.

    Either way, this is not good.

    (02/18/08 09:00 AM)

69. Deborah's Proposal Writing Blog is Back!.

    I'm not going to go into all the reasons that I stopped blogging. But now I've decided to resume. If you were a former subscriber or if you are new to my blog, you now have the option of receiving new postings by email. You'll find the subscription box at the top of the page. So please sign up!

    What have I been up to since I last blogged? Proposal writing, of course -- sprinkled in between with a few other things like proposal reviews and criitiques, editing and the like. For the past few weeks, I've been revamping a major manual for one of my clients. This has been a rather interesting but frustrating experience. I've written a lot of manuals from scratch, but this client wanted an updated version of an existing manual that is about 250 pages long.

    The first step in the process involved gathering the info that they wanted updated. Sounds easy, no? Well, it started off being easy. I was given some written materials to start with. What the client wanted me to do was to take this 250 page document and lay it out so that when you opened it, the proposed changes were on the left page and the original version was on the right-hand facing page, so that it looked like this:

    
    
    

    Hahaha. Just try doing something like this in Word with a 250-page document. Some of the comments and proposed changes were so long that they went on for 2-3 pages. When this happened, everything shifted so that the orginal pages or parts of them sometimes ended up on the left side instead of the right side and vice versa. Never, never, never try to do anything like this.

    More to come on this exciting task.

    (02/17/08 09:01 AM)

70. Effective Change Happens BEFORE Change Occurs. I stayed with my Uncle on a business trip to OH the last couple days (we save money wherever we can! :-). He used to be a C130 pilot in Vietnam, a Colonel in the Airforce, a program manager at Rockwell/Boeing, and is now an MBA professor. In the Airforce he managed a team that acccepted 8,000 page, $5B proposals, and when he went to Boeing he created these proposals. Obviously a $5B project in any organization brings about a tremendous amount of change, on either side. In our many discussions he brought up a great reminder on effective change management and leadership... Most change slows down when you have to spend so much time cleaning up and handling crisis management at the back end of the change program that was improperly planned. Smart change management is spending the right time up front to 'ready the ship' to accept the change, thus allowing it flow more smoothly and quickly through the organization. I remember this lesson from launching customer segmentation marketing at Dell. For the first few months I made little progress at getting other functions to change the way we did business. They had to change their process, their measure of success, and accept a new way of doing things from outside their function. It wasn't until I formed a 'council', got executives from other functions involved, got buyin from the top and bottom, that the program moved forward (relatively) smoothly. This principle also reminds me of a post... (07/31/07 09:01 AM)

71. How to Take Career Risks -- 7 Principles. A reader commented and agreed that taking risks (Career Tip #12) would be great, but wondered how he could take bigger risks. I think he’s asking how to manage the career risk / reward ratio in a rigid organization. Notwithstanding apathy, I think people avoid risks due to lack of confidence and/or lack of comfort and knowledge in the organization which has to accept their initiative. So how do you accelerate both of these? As I thought back to how I developed the confidence to propose bigger changes, I thought of a 7 principles that helped me: Focus on RelationshipsIt would be difficult and foolish to propose a major change in your first 90 days on the job. Who really knows and trusts you? How likely are people to accept your ideas? Focus on building relationships with colleagues and executives. Build up your political capital, which you will spend to make change happen. It is this capital that not only helps increase the acceptance of YOUR change initiative, but also the cooperation in execution. Know your StuffYou may have an idea and passion, but if you don’t know the business, your numbers and haven’t thought around most of the ‘corners’, then someone may try to throw a spear at your idea with an “edge case” scenario . The better you know your business, the easier it is to think through obstacles and increase your confidence proposing a risky idea. Get to know the PL. Get to know other groups’ objectives... (01/21/07 09:00 PM)

72. Career Tip #13: Answer First. Answer First means that in any communications setting you should give the answer first (your point of view, recommendation, conclusion, finding, etc.) and then follow with details. This is applicable when you come into your manager’s office to propose an idea, or when you’re presenting a proposal to a group, or if you’re in a 1x1 with a peer talking about a new direction. Many people do it the other way around – build up the background, details of decision criteria, lay out all the options, and eventually they get to the recommendation or decision is. When you load someone up with a bunch of words before you get to the point, you’ve diluted your point. Presenting answer first is also the right way to write press releases and typically how newspaper stories are written. The gist of the story is usually found in the first two paragraphs, and the rest of the article is details. Why answer first? Executives communicate that way, and they want to be communicated to that way (in 1x1s or in a presentation). Why would an executive promote someone who rambles or seems indecisive? Answer first forces you to communicate your point or decision early in a conversation, and that portrays authority and confidence. Giving the punch line in the beginning causes people to pay attention to the details, if they are needed. And if they aren't needed, and the executive or audience approves of your 'answer' or decision, then shut up! Because ‘less is... (01/21/07 09:00 PM)

73. Red Teams.

    I never heard the term "red team" until several years after I began my proposal writing career. My employers never used them and it wasn't until I started working on my own that I encountered organizations that used red teams on certain proposal efforts.

    Basically, a red team is a team of outside reviewers that a company brings in to review a proposal once the final draft is completed. Many organizations don't incorporate a red team review process because: (a) it can be expensive; (b) they can't spare the time; and (c) the idea has not occured to them. But if you are preparing a proposal that is very important to your firm, using a red team can be a valuable and worthwhile activity.

    In a nutshell, the process works like this:

    • Your company identifies people (perhaps 4 or more) to serve as red team reviewers. These people should not have been involved in the proposal in any way, and in fact it's best if they are outside your organization. You will probably need to pay these reviewers a consulting fee for their time. Depending upon the size and complexity of the proposal, the red team review can take from one to several days.
    • Before the red team begins their work, you'll need to prepare for them. They will need a packet of materials, including the RFP, your final proposal draft, the proposal outline, checklists, instructions, and other relevant materials. These can be put in binders that are distributed to each reviewer. The red team will also need a conference room or other space where they can read and meet.
    • Once the red team assembles, the Proposal Manager or another member of your proposal team may give a verbal presentation on the proposal: what it is about, some background on the issues, what problems have been encountered in developing the proposal, etc. The Proposal Manager also goes over the instructions with the review team. These instructions should be as specific as possible -- they should tell the red team reviewers what you want them to look for. For example: Is the proposal theme clear and consistent? Are the benefits of your approach desirable and clearly stated? Does the proposal address all of the RFP requirements? Is it convicing? How can specific problem areas be fixed? How could the overall proposal be improved? Etc., etc.
    • The red team begins its review, first working individually to read the materials and document their comments and impressions. Once this is done, they meet as a group to discuss their findings and to prepare a set of recommendations. When the review is completed, the red team presents its comments and recommendations to the proposal team, which then incorporates the reviewers' suggested improvements.

    Besides red team reviews, there are also pink team reviews. But that's a topic for another day.

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

74. What Color is Your Proposal?.

    Yesterday I got this sort of panicky-sounding e-mail:

    Subject: Technical proposal.
    What does a score of yellow in this area mean?

    DOD (and sometimes other agencies) sometimes use a color-coded system to evaluate proposals. I interpreted the above e-mail to mean that the writer had received a "yellow" score on her technical proposal and didn't know what it meant.She may have forgotten to look in her RFP, where the meaning of the colors are usually explained.

    The color-coded system is usually something like this:

    • Blue - Excellent
      Proposal demonstrates excellent understanding of requirements and approach that significantly exceeds performance or capability
      standards. Has exceptional strengths that will significantly benefit the Government
    • Purple - Good
      Proposal demonstrates good understanding of requirements and approach that exceeds performance or capability standards. Has one or more strengths that will benefit the Government.

    • Green - Satisfactory
      Proposal demonstrates acceptable understanding of requirements and approach that meets performance or capability standards. Acceptable solution.
    
    
    
    • Yellow - Marginal
      Proposal demonstrates shallow understanding of requirements and approach that only marginally meets performance or capability standards necessary for minimal but acceptable contract performance.
    
    
    
    • Red - Unacceptable
      Fails to meet performance or capability standards. Requirements can only be met with major changes to the proposal.
    
    
    
    

    When the government uses a color-coded system to evaluate proposals, the colors indicate the degree to which the proposal has met the standard for each factor that is being evaluated.

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

75. The Book Proposal.

    So the lady from the book publishing company (see my previous entry) asked me to submit a book proposal. Specifically, she said I needed to include a working table of contents, information on my background, the perceived audience for the book and their needs, and any marketing promotional activities I would undertake to promote the book. She ended the e-mail with "well, you know how to write a proposal, so..."

    OK, yes, I do know how to write a proposal. But somehow, a book proposal seems very different and more intimidating. A friend who wrote a book recommended that I purchase a book called "Write the Perfect Book Proposal" by Jeff Herman. So I picked it up at Borders. It's a very good book and it includes 10 sample book proposals.

    But yikes! All of the sample book proposals include quite a bit more info than what the book publishing lady told me. Specifically, they all include fairly detailed summaries of each chapter of the proposed book. Some even include an actual sample chapter. I have come up with a fairly detailed table of contents for the book, but now I have to prepare chapter summaries! And the book I bought says that these should be 1-2 pages each. Since "my book" has 18 chapters, that's maybe 27 pages of text. How do people get time to work on stuff like this in between their other work?

    Plus, I need what the book calls a "catchy title" and "catchy chapter titles." I wonder how long it will take to think those up.

    All I can think of now is "why did I ever agree to do this?"

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

76. It's Done.

    I finished my book proposal. Actually, it's not totally "my" proposal, since the book (if it ever comes about) will be written by me and a long-time colleague and friend. So we worked on it together and sent it off yesterday. We thought it looked pretty good, but what do we know? Neither of us has ever written a book proposal. It will be interesting to see what happens. I suspect it will be a while before we hear anything

    This is a really busy time of year for us proposal people. The government's fiscal year ends on September 30, so agencies are often in a rush to spend their money. Thus, the release of many RFPs. I am getting numerous e-mails every day from people who need proposal help and, as usual, they are waiting until the last minute to get that help. I am already swamped with work, so I'm taking on very few new projects. In addition, I'm still waiting for three RFPs from two clients that I've committed time to. Plus, in a couple of weeks I'll be starting on the next phase of my workplan project. In the middle of all this, I'll be taking a few days off to go to Maine with my husband who will be attending a conference there. Lobster!!

    Yesterday, a client who I haven't heard from for about 5 years called. In fact, she called four times. I wasn't answering the phone because I was working on the book proposal and didn't want to be interrupted. But she left messages. Apparently she needs a proposal done for a local government agency here in Maryland -- pretty much the same kind of thing that I've helped her with before. But she is somewhat difficult to work with, and with my current workload I don't know if I will really have the time. Still, I hate saying "no" to existing clients, although I'm not sure I would consider her an existing client after a gap of 5 years.

    I just need to have more hours in a day.

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

77. Keeping Up (Not).

    I'm behind with everything, and this blog seems to get pushed down on my priority list. I don't want it to, but even so, I just can't seem to find the time to get the blogging done. Still, people keep reading it and signing up for my subscription notification form. So now I feel guilty for not writing anything here for a while.

    I have been bogged down with work and more work. First, I finished the little sole source proposal that I wrote about earlier. My client submitted it to the federal agency, which liked the proposal but didn't like the cost. So my client is having to revise his numbers and re-submit. One of my colleagues, a CPA who specializes in government costing, is working with him on this. My client is certain to get the contract, but not before the feds make him jump through a few more hoops.

    Second, I've been working on a USAID proposal. Somehow, I got assigned to prepare the largest section of that proposal and it took longer than I anticipated (no surprise there). As soon as I finished it, USAID issued a one-week extension. My client is happy to have this extension, but I'm not because it means that I might have to do more work. I'm waiting to hear from them maybe today. In the meantime...

    I've moved on to starting yet another assignment that I put off because I had to finished the USAID stuff. This is what I am behind on now. It is a very large proposal for NIH -- a services project, not a research project. The technical section consists of 5 separate volumes: Personnel, Technical Approach, Management Plan, Past Performance and Work Samples. I'm almost done with the Management Plan and it is about 50 pages in length. My client is working on the Personnel Section, and I am going to have to move on to the Technical Approach section probably beginning tomorrow. NIH wants lots and lots of details about everything, and there are no page limits to any of the volumes.

    So, I just continue to plod along here in my little world of proposals. Sometimes I wonder how I ever thought that this would be a good career. A lot of people think it is, but frankly I'm not sure. It's a good career if you want to be under a lot of stress all the time and if you like having one deadline after another -- deadlines that rarely slip. Ugh, I can't really even think about it right now because I have to get back to my writing. I have a conference call with my NIH client later this morning.

    Later...

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

78. A New Assignment, But What Is It?.

    Today I'm scheduled to attend a meeting at a client's office re a new RFP that they are planning to bid. I know this client well; I've worked with one particular department many times over the years. But a different department within this company is going to have primary responsibility for the proposal, and the department I've worked with previously will be helping them. When my contact at this company called me, he didn't say why they needed my assistance -- he just asked me to come to the meeting.

    Then yesterday someone from the "other" department contacted me to introduce himself and to tell me that he is going to be the Proposal Manager. We had this conversation:

    Him --- Did John tell you what he was thinking about having you do on this proposal?

    Me --- Well, no. I was just going to ask you that same question.

    Him --- Hmmm, I don't know.

    Tune in for the next exciting episode of "why am I here?"

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

79. Hour by Hour?.

    I'm plugging along on the NIH proposal. I would say that I have about 75% of the Management Plan done so far and will hopefully complete the first draft by the end of the week.

    In a conference call with my client yesterday we discussed the other sections. My client is basically handling the entire Personnel section. In addition to having to recruit Key Personnel, my client will have to fill out a lot of different personnel and staffing-related forms that are contained in the RFP. One look at these forms and you would almost want to run away from this bid. The forms require lots and lots of detailed info.

    My client is going to start sending me some material and information that I can use in preparing the Technical Approach section. If the Management Plan alone is going to be 50+ pages, then the Technical section is likely to be 100+ pages. Details, details, details.

    Here's an example of the extent of the detail required. I have never seen this before in an RFP. One of the subsections of the Technical Approach is a phase-in plan, where we have to discuss how my client will take over parts of project from an incumbent contractor. That's OK -- I have written quite a few phase-in plans. But in addition to the normal stuff we have to address in that subsection, the RFP says that we have to "detail every hour of proposed Government assistance as completely as possible."

    Wha? Are they kidding? I can't even detail what I do every hour of my own day much less what the Government would do. What would they do? Stand around? Have meetings? Talk on the phone? Take coffee breaks? Nap? Have lunch? This is nuts.

    I've just got to wonder who in NIH thought this one up. See what I mean by wanting to run away? Looks like there will be more than the usual amount of fictional writing here.

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

80. Sole Source Contracts.

    Everyone likes a sole-source contract when their company gets one, but we don't like them too much when they are given to other companies. When other companies get them, it's unfair; when our company gets one, it's a good thing.

    So what's a sole source contract, you ask? Well, according to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, sole-source contracting can occur "when the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source." That means, basically, that an agency can contract with a company without any competition. There are a few in's and out's to this -- you can read about them here.

    I bring this up because I just got finished doing a quick sole source proposal for one of my clients. In this case, the federal agency decided that it needed to have a particular task done, and that the task could only be performed by two people that used to work there. My client had marketed to this agency, and it was "decided" that their company could hire these two people as consultants to perform the work. So the agency issued an RFP to my client, which no other company received. My client then had to respond to this RFP so that the agency would have the proper paperwork to award them the contract.

    Fair? Not really. But of course it happens all the time. Most of the time we only hear about it when there is some type of investigation into possible improper practices and the media gets hold of it. But in reality, lots of companies receive sole source contracts. In many cases, it's just a matter of marketing and knowing the right people in an agency. In other cases, there is really only one responsible source out there, or there is a particularly urgent need for a product or service (another way that agencies can justify a sole source contract).

    That's the lesson (or rant) for today.

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

81. RFP Delays.

    The government RFP you've been waiting for has been announced in FedBizOpps. The announcement isn't the actual RFP -- rather, it's what's called a "synopsis." Basically, the synopsis contains the RFP number and title, a short description of the project and, most importantly, the expected RFP release date and due date. It's an advance notice that the RFP is coming, which hopefully gives you a little time to do some pre-planning and scheduling for your upcoming proposal.

    But the anticipated release date comes and goes with no sign of the RFP. Days or even weeks may pass and still no RFP. What's going on? You call the Contracting Officer whose name and number appeared in the synopisis and ask him or her when the solicitation will be released. Sometimes they'll give you a new release date; often they'll tell you that they are "still working on it." So now all your pre-planning and scheduling has gone to hell in a handbasket.

    This happens more often than you might think. Right now, two of my clients are waiting for RFPs that are critically important to their businesses. The synopsis for one of these RFPs appeared in May; the other RFP was scheduled to be released on June 30. Neither of them have arrived. Not only does this create havoc with my clients' schedules, it presents problems for me (and other consultants' schedules as well). We are all sitting around in limbo because the government doesn't have its act together.

    Most experienced contractors have gone through this waiting game any number of times. The real question is: why? The answer is ???

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

82. In a Funk.

    I haven't been blogging because I've been bogged down with things to do -- both work and home-related -- and I've been in sort of a funk about it. On the home side, we've been doing some major decluttering of one of our bedrooms. Up to now, my husband the packrat has refused to get rid of his zillion or so computer and hobby magazines, old college textbooks and who knows what, that he kept in that room and never looked at. Finally I convinced him, and it has taken us weeks to get rid of all that stuff. We now have to get the windows and lighting in the room replaced, and it is not easy to find home contractors that are willing to do small jobs.

    On the work front, yes, I've been working on several different projects, none of which is really worth blogging about. I am still waiting for three RFPs to come out for two of my clients, and I'm waiting for my workplan client to return from overseas so that I can get going on the next phase of that project. And I've barely begun on the book proposal because I can't really seem to get excited about it. But I did promise to submit it, so I'm planning to spend the next couple of days and the weekend working on it.

    It's just one of those in-a funk periods that seem to creep up on you every so often.

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

83. I Know You're Out There.

    I don't know the names of most of the subscribers to this blog. Many people don't submit any name at all, and many use personal e-mail addresses and not the e-mail addresses of their companies and organizations. That is fine with me -- I don't have a need for names or e-mail addresses (except to send my update notifications). My mailing list is never used for any other purpose; it is secure and is never given out to anyone.

    However, I do look at the list occasionally, and when I do, I am always surprised at the number of subscribers who are government employees (quite a few of them do use their government e-mail addresses). I am curious to know why they have subscribed to this blog, since it is geared to the "other side" -- writing proposals as opposed to reviewing proposals or preparing solicitations. Perhaps they are just curious themselves, or maybe they are preparing for a career change into the private or non-profit sectors. Or maybe they just want to learn what it's like to be on the other side.

    Whatever the reason, I think we could learn a lot from these folks. So, government subscribers, I invite you to speak up! Make comments to some of the blog posts. Or if you have a topic that you'd like to write about, send me an e-mail and I'll arrange for it to be posted on the blog. In either case, you don't have to give your name, e-mail address or agency if you don't want to.

    I know you're out there. So give us your thoughts from the government perspective.

    (12/12/06 08:42 AM)

84. Search marketing works for B2B, too.. Thanks to a reader, I learned that there was a 'B2B Case Study' session at the recent Search Engine Strategies conference in San Francisco. The article reviewing the session, titled, Search marketing works for B2B, too, starts with this gem:
    
    "Most people assume search marketing works only to reach consumers, but it's actually quite effective for businesses wishing to connect with other businesses, as well."
    
    Um, I'd counter that SEM is more effective for B2B, but I think this comment just shows the lack of knowledge of the author--obviously B2B is off the charts for some folks. The article throws up comments about basic SEM for B2B but this bit is probably of interest B2Blog readers:
    
    

    "Rick Brown, President of NetTrack closed out the session with a discussion of the effectiveness of paid inclusion in vertical aggregator sites like ThomasNet, GlobalSpec and Industrial Quick Search. Brown articulated his endorsement of such aggregators cautiously, saying that they can bring in relevant traffic as well as provide valuable links to a company's homepage but that many of the metrics such websites use to promote their services (such as "reach," "page views," and "brand activity") don't have much impact on a client's bottom line.
    
    He also noted that the value of the links from content aggregators is highest when the landing page can be controlled and there is a one to one relationship between the product category being searched and the landing page on a firm's website. Brown suggested than firms who invest in paid inclusion on a vertical aggregator site have their own analytics like ClickTracks to determine the value of the traffic coming in from sites like Industrial Quick Search. "

    
    Um, get an analytics program? Duh. What most B2B folks don't do is actually look at the data and ponder its meaning.
    
    One thing that Rick Brown said that is innovative, is that he proposes a 1-to-1 relationship between the seller's landing page and the product categories on the directories. I've opined before that part of the problem with directories is that once the user clicks-thru, they have to start their search over again.
    
    BTW: A rather interesting post by Marketing Headhunter Harry Joiner about a SEO specialist looking for a new job. Key fact: $125-150K pay for specialists at SEO agencies. Wow! (08/28/06 09:03 PM)

85. Venture Capital Term Sheets. A venture capitalist, once comfortable with the company and its plans, submits a term sheet—a summary of the proposed terms and conditions for a proposed investment. Normally, the term sheet isn't bin ...
    
    (08/28/06 09:02 AM)

86. What Should I Do to Check If a Proposed Name For My Corporation Is Available?. What should I do to check if a proposed name for my corporation is available? (08/27/06 09:03 AM)

87. Applying for an SBA Loan. From the Small Business Administration When applying for a loan, you must prepare a written loan proposal. Make your best presentation in the initial loan proposal and application; you may not get a s ...
    
    (08/26/06 09:02 AM)

88. Fridays Contract Management News and Comment (11th August 2006). Orange City to put garbage contract out on bid (Daytona Beach News-Journal) ORANGE CITY -- The city's residential garbage collection contract will be put out to bid after the City Council this week rejected a proposal from Waste Management to renew its exclusive contract. NewsWatch: Bechtel wins FEMA contract (Gazette.Net) Bechtel National Inc. ... (08/11/06 09:03 AM)

89. Word of the day - Nemawashi. "Nemawashi in Japanese company culture is an informal process of quietly laying the foundation for some proposed change or project, by talking to the people concerned, gathering support and feedback, and so forth. It is considered an important element in any major change, before any formal steps are taken, and successful nemawashi enables changes to be carried out with the consent of all sides." via Wikipedia
    
    This word came across to me in an email. Working with Japanese over the years, I've experienced it, but didn't know it had its own term. Giving it a name makes it much more distinguishable as a tactic for change. It means that you already know what's going to happen before anyone says the word 'go'. It also means that you should be prepared and ready when someone does say 'go'. (08/01/06 09:04 AM)

90. Why It's Pouring VC Cash. Why It's Pouring VC Cash
    
    By Michael V. Copeland
    
    "The forecast for entrepreneurs during the next few months? It'll be raining -- cash. Consider Flickr, a popular photo-sharing-meets-social-networking site based in Vancouver, British Columbia. When it went live a year ago, it attracted plenty of notice and even pulled in a few angel investors, such as Excite co-founder Joe Kraus. But that's nothing compared with the torrent of offers it's entertaining now. Google (GOOG) and Yahoo (YHOO) want to buy it outright, while venture capital firms are flooding it with all kinds of creative proposals. 'We get four or five calls a week from VCs,' says Stewart Butterfield, who co-founded Flickr with his wife, Caterina Fake. 'We even had a health-care fund call recently. I guess they wanted in on the excitement.'"
    
    - I've noticed a lot of VC activity lately involving web based companies such as Flickr and Technorati. This article explains what is going on. It seems like there is a lot of money out there with a time constraint on it. Dust off those business plans everyone! -ed. (07/29/06 02:29 PM)