Clear thinking

Plain language proposals are convincing, easy to read and easy to score—all good qualities. And a cardinal plain language rule is to avoid the passive voice. Passive voice makes sentences sound weak and their intent less clear. But, as this post explains, passive...

Creating internally consistent proposal documents is always a challenge, especially with large proposals written by several content developers or—in the case of joint venture bids—different companies. Earlier posts examined information architecture, organizing for...

When writers set off to generate content without a shared plan, bad things happen. Often early drafts become a meandering description of processes and features with no focus of selling power. In other cases, individual writers make their own assumptions about the...

Welcome to the New Year!  Are you and your team looking for ways to make 2020 a year of better bid proposals? As a start, we recommend following the links below to our favourite blog posts of 2019. Making efficient bid/no-bid decisions Using a process to create...

Proposal teams typically dive into the narrative and pricing sections of a new opportunity with enthusiasm. But even well managed teams often show less appetite for tackling the more mundane requirements. The result of this procrastination is several days of...

Recent posts described the RFP contender spectrum and the importance of pre-RFP discovery appealing to the economic buyer, technical buyers and user buyers. Large procurement teams often include another member—the coach. Whenever a complex RFP attracts more than a...

Regular readers of our posts know how strongly we believe in making a fast bid/no-bid decision and then developing a detailed strategy before beginning to write content. But your chances of success depend even more on what you do before the RFP is issued. The...

Successful proposals begin with understanding how the prospect’s needs intersect with your strengths and those of your competitors. After setting up your response structure (see this post for details), your next task is to analyse each section and answer three...

Earlier posts provided an overview of RFQs, demonstrating capability to complete the RFP phase and contract, and creating confidence that the RFQ team is and will continue to stay aligned. If you’re not familiar with AFP/P3 projects, please read the posts linked...

Recent posts provided an overview of RFQs and the key elements in demonstrating the RFQ proponent’s ability to perform the work and, if selected, successfully fulfill the contract requirements. If you’re not familiar with AFP/P3 processes, please read the posts linked...