There is a common misunderstanding that you can hire a proposal writing consultant that will write you a winning proposal and you don’t have to do anything except provide some information. A GOOD consultant won’t promise to write a winning proposal for you. What they will do is guide you through the proposal process and help your team develop a winning proposal. Along the way they should teach your team some of the processes related to developing a proposal.
A consultant will guide your team through the capture process (if hired early enough), Win Strategy Session, PWin Calculations, Color Reviews, Outline the Proposal, and yes they can help write the proposal. Especially the “boilerplate” parts of the proposal. There is a lot more to writing a proposal than just writing a good story. Remember, what you promise in the proposal you will be expected to deliver when the contract is awarded. Do you really want someone who is not part of your company committing your company to the Government? The responsibility for executing the contract they way your proposed it is the responsibility of the company’s leadership.
Be careful letting a consultant write your proposal for you. He is probably taking someone else’s winning proposal and editing it for you. He may also be committing you perform tasks you didn’t consider in your pricing and many not be prepared to deliver.
Author: Phil Davidson
I have worked in the Defense Industry as a contractor for over 20 years. I do Business Development for a small aviation company right now, but I have worked as a full-time and part-time consultant over the years. I decided to redesign my website as a place where I can share information about my experience and help companies come together for working together and teaming.