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Preparing proposals and qualifications that have drop dead due dates can be harrowing for all involved.  Even in firms with an effective established document production process, problems sometimes occur.

When they do, it’s a good bet that one of the eight common proposal pitfalls listed below is the culprit. Most of these pitfalls can be avoided by conducting a consistent and productive pre-proposal kickoff meeting or conference call early in the process. This article assumes that your firm has a technical lead and a proposal coordinator assigned to each proposal and qualifications in production. 

 Here are the eight most common proposal kerfuffles and suggestions for avoiding them.

 1. Missed Mandatory RFP Provisions
A careful, attentive reading of the RFP (Request for Proposal) prior to the proposal kickoff meeting or conference call gives you an unfair advantage in the proposal production process. As you read the RFP highlight or make a note of all mandatory requirements. Have those notes available to you during the pre-proposal kickoff meeting. Reschedule the kickoff meeting if participants have not had time to read the RFP.

 2. Changes to the Project Team
Taking the time at the beginning of the process to review the RFP requirements and discuss the project team in depth will virtually eliminate the need to insert additional team members after the organization chart and resumes have been completed. Last minute changes to the project team are disruptive and, with few exceptions, are easily avoided with adequate discussion of the project team and RFP requirements at the beginning of the process. Remember, project teams include in-house personnel and all sub-consultants.

 3. Subconsultant Materials
Identification of all needed subconsultants should be completed by the end of the proposal kickoff meeting. The technical lead for the package should contact the subconsultant firms, confirm their participation in the proposal and clarify the subs’ project role. Thereafter, the proposal coordinator should be in contact with the subconsultant for all materials needed within the proposal. The process works best when your proposal coordinators are talking to their proposal coordinators. 

 4. Added Project Descriptions
Again, time invested in this topic during the proposal kickoff meeting or conference call a week or two before the proposal is due will greatly reduce the need to add project descriptions to the proposal at the last minute.

 5. Scope
Scheduling a date, several days before the proposal review date, for the draft scope to be submitted to whomever is to approve the scope is essential. Otherwise, the Pricing section is delayed and the Scope and Price are produced under less than optimum circumstances. Mistakes in Scope and Price are the greatest threat to producing a winning proposal or worse, sending a flawed proposal that won’t allow the job to be profitable.

 6. Pricing
Pricing needs to be tested against Scope and in most firms is subject to management approval. At the kickoff meeting, assign someone to confirm when those persons needed to approve the pricing will be available to do so. Adjust the schedule to accommodate management review of pricing.

 7. Notary and Original Signatures
The need for forms that have to be notarized, original signatures requirements, Insurance Certificates, proof of corporate registrations in the project State and other required documents should be understood and discussed at the proposal kickoff meeting or conference call. The process must accommodate original signatures required on subconsultant materials too.

 8. No Proposal Schedule
Following the proposal kickoff meeting or conference call, every participant in the proposal process should receive a schedule from the Proposal Coordinator indicating what each participant’s role is and when that information is due. A schedule-free proposal is far more likely to crash and burn than those with a schedule. Work demands change daily, so the proposal schedule has to be flexible. If a due date is going to be missed, let the Proposal Coordinator and Technical Lead know the new due date.

Proposal Kickoff Meeting
The common thread for avoiding these proposal pitfalls is an effective pre-proposal kickoff meeting or conference call. A commitment to planning at the beginning of the proposal process and insisting on communications throughout the process will eliminate the most common proposal pitfalls. You can’t eliminate every potential problem, but you can get rid of the ones you cause, and that leaves the absolute minimum number of hurdles to overcome.
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