Combined Proposal and Capture Processes in Accelerated Timeframes

Jeremy Nusbaum

Red Team Consulting

November 16, 2010

About the Presenter: Jeremy Nusbaum

10+ years of federal contracting experienceCaptured over $27B of contract vehiclesCaptured over $2B of Federal business revenue80%+ win rate maintained over past 8+ yearsProgram managed several large-scale federal contracts with

recorded revenues over $500MFormer Director of Contracts and Proposals, Eyak TechnologyExperienced in Government to Government bidsTrained hundreds of executives from government and industryExpertise in federal small business programsMember of the IAC Fellows Program

About This Training

Reasons for a Compressed ApproachPositives and Negatives for a Compressed TimeframeRapid Readiness Review/Bid Decision processResource Considerations for Accelerated ResponsesConsolidating Capture and Proposal Processes

Effective KickoffsWriting GuidanceAccelerated ReviewsSchedule ManagementTools

Has this ever happened to you . . . .?

The Scenario

An RFP has been given to you with the following requirements:Due two weeks from today20-Page Written Technical Response3 Past Performance ReferencesFirm Fixed Price (FFP) Price Requirement

You are told to:Assess the bidPresent a plan on how to capture the proposal If there is Executive Buy-In, prepare a winning response

Easy, right. . . . .?

Rationale for Accelerated Timeframes

Opportunities that are not forecasted Requirements complement company strengths Key relationships with end-users and evaluation board “The customer asked us to bid . . . .” “I just found this great opportunity on INPUT . . .” New company employee with existing relationships and identified

opportunities

Other Opportunities Requiring Compressed Timeframes Emergency Effort for the Government in response to a war-time need or

natural disaster Size Status set-aside (Small Business, SDVOSB, 8(a), etc.) brought to the

company by a large, sometimes incumbent prime contractor

Pros/Cons of Compressed Timeframes

Cons Less time for the same steps as any other proposal Easy for panic to set in

Positives Leadership opportunity for Proposal Manager and Key Contributors Revenue for the company that was not forecasted/budgeted Short timeframe = It’s over sooner! Same Steps as any other proposal – just condensed

Less time for disagreements Quicker decisions on key requirements

Planning, Preparation and Positive Attitude Leads to Growth Opportunities for Individuals and their Companies

Key Milestones for Accelerated Timelines

RFP Release/Identification

Require quick action and decision on bid pursuit and kickoffThree Key Meetings Need to Occur within 24 Hours of

Opportunity Identification:

Bid/No Bid Decision w/ Executive Buy-InProposal Team Identification and AssignmentKickoff Meeting

Capture ManagementCapture Management occurs in days, not weeks during accelerated

timeframesAnalysis of the opportunity begins upon identification for strengths,

weaknesses, and potential mitigation strategiesCompetitive landscape is identifiedFor weaknesses

Identify teaming partners where relations and previous work has been performed

Identify small companies that fill a niche role well for areas outside of expertise rather than large companies that will take weeks to negotiate teaming agreements.

Have teaming agreement exhibits prepared immediately with short deadlines for response

Identify areas of the response where you will need teammate contribution to the response – include this contribution within your teaming agreement

Bid / No-Bid Decision MeetingAvoid rubber stamp meetings

Use Pre-Defined Bid/No-Bid Decision Matrices Discuss risks/weaknesses in a objective manner

Avoid work-shopping bid issues Business Development and Executive Management are PresentLed by Proposal Manager/Capture Manager

Instructions, Evaluation and Requirements are Briefed Evaluation Scoring Methodologies providing potential scoring Competitive Landscape is provided Bid and Program Risks are Presented with potential

mitigation/teaming strategiesDecisions made in this meeting need to be adhered to by all

parties

Response Team IdentificationFollowing a Bid Decision, the PM identifies and assigns Key

Resources that are SME’s on the project and in responding to proposals

Identify resources that are experts in time management and adherence to instructions and deadlines

Proposal Coordinator with strong time management and organization skills

Identify ReviewersSubject Matter Experts that understand the technical area of

expertise, the Federal RFP process and the customerKey Executives that Understand the RFP process and the customerAll reviewers need to be able to provide guidance for areas of

concern, not just identification of error

Response Team

All resources must read and understand the RFP to be a part of the teamMake sure that all resources have a hardcopy and electronic copy of

the RFPQuizzes on content may be held during kickoff

As a Proposal Manager, you are empowered to: Identify personnel-related risks to your timelines and employ

mitigation strategies as soon as possibleChange the team as necessary adding or subtracting resourcesChange the roles and responsibilities of team members

Effective Kickoff Meetings

The amount of chaos present in a Kickoff Meeting will mirror the amount of chaos in your proposal effort

For compressed timeframe opportunities, the kickoff meeting is one of your most important milestones

Preparation is key Participants in a Kickoff Meeting have three basic questions:

What am I supposed to do?How am I supposed to do it?When do I have to have it done?

As Proposal Managers, it is your job to answer these questions during the Kickoff Meeting

Effective Kickoff Meetings

Provide the team with a precise and comprehensive proposal project plan with the following elements:Bid RationaleRFPProposal Team Roles and ResponsibilitiesProposal Outline – Annotated with InstructionsCompliance MatrixProposal Style SheetProposal Schedule in MS ProjectWriting Assignments with page allocations

Effective Kickoff Meetings

Contributors must leave the kickoff meeting with no unanswered questions or serious doubts about the processes and tools they

will be expected to use

Proposal Managers as Leaders

Proposal Managers are in CHARGE of creating a positive environment and a CAN-DO atmosphere

Proposal Managers portray support of the executive’s bid decision

Participants can tell when you have doubts and will look to you for guidance

They will naturally test you to see if you are in charge and whether you will challenge them on deadlines and deliverables

Take the pulse of the team throughout the proposal process Identify problems early and address them ASAP Have contingency plans when things go wrong Maintain a calm atmosphere for those around you

Effective Proposal Writing

Effective Proposal Writing

Compressed Timeframes eliminate the luxury of re-writes and multiple reviews

Use Technical SME’s for Content Creation and Writers for Writing Technical experts do not always equal prose writers Compiling correct content will allow a writer to compose a compelling and

compliant responseWriter’s Meeting/Kickoff is recommended

Solution needs to be locked prior to writing Clear expectations on what is required during each step of writing

Warning - Use of existing material or “boiler-plate” often takes more time to incorporate than simply writing responses to the Government’s requirements

Red Team Proposal Writing MethodologyAnnotated Outlines and Bulleting/Storyboarding Prior to

Drafting

3.1 Capacity Analysis

3.1.1 Capacity Trends

3.1.2 Reserve Capacity

3.1.3 Surge Mgt

3.1 Capacity Analysis(address all of RFP 3.1.1…)

3.1.1 Capacity Trends(address RFP 3.1.1.1)(address 3 years, not just 2)

3.1.2 Reserve Capacity(address RFP 3.1.1.2 )Insert comparison table

3.1.3 Surge Mgt(address RFP 3.1.3.1)Show graphic for surges

3.1 Capacity Analysis• capacity requirements• # of shifts required• facilities capability

3.1.1 Capacity Trends• total units per month• # similar units per month• current fluctuations• supplement

3.1.2 Reserve Capacity• underutilized space

3.1 Capacity AnalysisThe Government requires ancontractor to be capble off producing approximately 4,300 R.F. monitors per month, with an initial qualityIndex of 9.7 or greater. FPI is capable of producing 9,700 per month withoutany expansions to our existing facilities, staffing, or other resources. With two daily shifts, as is

3.1 Capacity AnalysisThe Government requires ancontractor to be capable of producing approximately 4,300 R.F. monitors per month, with an initial qualityIndex of 9.7 or greater. FPI is capable of producing 9,700 per month withoutany expansions to our existing facilities, staffing, or other resources.

With two daily shifts, as is

1. Create a complete outline.

3. Write bullets or storyboard style text before drafting full scripts.

2. Populate the outline with instructions and references to requirements.

4. Write full text after agreeing upon content.

5. Final edit the text.

Here are a few basic rules:1. Always organize your proposal in accordance with the instructions

before giving consideration to anything else.

2. After developing an outline based on the instructions, validate that you can map all evaluation factors into the outline. If any factors have no corresponding section, add new sections accordingly.

3. If there are contract requirements not addressed by instructions or evaluation criteria, add sections for them if:

You have unique strengths worth noting. It will not hinder your ability to address what is instructed or evaluated. You have valid reasons to believe the government will actually care.

Effective Proposal Writing

Clear and Concise content should be provided in each proposal section using standard uniform responses.

1. Under each requirement being addressed, affirm your full compliance with the requirement.

2. Next, present how you will comply with the requirement.3. Then, comment on your capabilities (tools, credentials, etc.)

enabling you to comply.4. Finally, substantiate your claims showing how you have

successfully complied with the requirements before.

Effective Proposal Writing

Continuous Management, Communication and Coordination mitigates poor contribution in compressed timeline responses

It’s often more effective to have more people contributing raw data (facts and stats) and less people actually writing. This can be accomplished in meetings rather than assignments

For those who must write, provide very explicit content instructions and guidance.

Don’t allow anyone to write without a lockdown on the solution, including all of the data (facts, stats, etc.) to be written

Effective Proposal Writing

Also . . .

Request the use of specific terminology/nomenclature.Give style guidance to ensure consistent writing in the

consolidated document.Establish sufficient check-points at frequent intervals. Don’t

wait to see the finished product

Accelerated Reviews

Traditional Color Team Reviews should not be used during compressed efforts4 reviews at 3-4 hours apiece will take a minimum of 4 of your 10 days

away from creating and writing This is where weekend work is created

Review individual sections as they are ready for the following reviewsContent ReviewDraft Review Final Review

Reviewers will be as busy as writers during this timeframeEarly Sections such as Covers, Cover Letters, Past Performance,

Representations and Certifications, and Management sections are reviewed early

Pricing and Technical volume sections are reviewed later in the schedule as they take longer to develop

Accelerated Reviews

Schedule Management

The Skill of Managing Human Procrastination Good News/Bad News: You don’t have enough time to procrastinate

Create your schedule backwards from the due dateComplete the easy elements of your proposal early rather than

having all elements due at the same time Past Performance Certain Management Sections Representations and Certifications and contractual documents Transmittal Letter Covers

Track progress of each section If sections are complete lock them down for production and re-purpose

individuals to focus on areas that are lagging behind

Proposal Tools

Centralized War Room Location that is separated from normal work environment Conference room with White Boards

Used for Reviews, Progress Tracking, and Coordination Daily Status Meetings Fosters teamwork Central Location for all meetings, reviews and production

Microsoft Office Tools Schedules in MS Project Electronic Reviews in Word SharePoint Portals for a virtual War Room Electronic Progress Trackers

Progress TrackerSection

Proposal HeadingOwner

Content Defined

Bullets Drafted

Bullets Reviewed

Narrative Drafted

Narrative Reviewed

Revisions

Final Edits

Submit

Executive Summary Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1Technical Approach to Satisfying PWS Requirements Dan Done 14-Jan 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.1Program Management Support [PWS 9.1] Leah 12-Jan 14-Jan 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.1.1Project Management Plan [PWS 9.1.1] Leah 12-Jan 14-Jan 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.1.2Tiger Team Project Status Reporting [PWS 9.1.2] Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.1.3 Monthly Reports [PWS 9.1.3] Leah 12-Jan 14-Jan 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.1.4Staff Administration and Training Requirements [PWS 9.1.4] Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.2

Web Application Maintenance and Enhancements [PWS 9.2] Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.2.1Standard VA and VA Partner Templates [PWS 9.2.1] Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.2.2Web Registry [PWS 9.2.2]

Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.2.3Request Tracking Tool (RT2) [PWS 9.2.3] Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

1.2.4(CMAC) Intranet Site [PWS 9.2.4] Dan Done Done 15-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 22-Jan 24-Jan 25-Jan

In Summary . . . Compressed timelines should be viewed as a leadership opportunity and a

time to shine Ensure that you have executive buy-in and a realistic team to perform prior to

holding a kickoff Kickoff meetings give all participants a clear understanding of their roles and

responsibilities in response to the proposal Proper planning and clear expectations for all participants will result in better

content Avoid existing material and re-use to create your content Spend your time on content rather than unrealistic deadlines for the sake of

reviews SME’s deliver content and Writers write Review sections rather than volumes to provide real-time feedback to

contributors and focus Use electronic and existing tools to organize your proposal effort