Proposal Team - Lessons Learned

[LucyQ]

I work for a 140 employee aerospace engineering company who goes for DoD (USAF, USN) contracts. The team is fabulous on the technical part but I feel we're somewhat inefficient in the way we approach the entire process of building a proposal. Evidence of this is in the outrageous hours some team members keep during proposal season. Our success is not in question, this is a matter of optimizing efforts.

My question is - What does a successful and efficient proposal team/process look like? and/or What do you think is the key to the successful proposal team/process?

I've taken a 6 week proposal class with NCMA focused curriculum and I know the program/project management textbook approach answer. I guess I'm looking for the real-world version which injects people's actual experience. The two might be the same but I'd like to at least ask.

Feel free to add any misc advice.

Thanks.

[Guest Vern Edwards]

In the real world of aerospace competitive proposal preparation that I saw as a consultant, people kept outrageous hours, so I'm not sure that you can avoid that. It comes with the territory in "big" competitions and is due in large measure to the way the government runs its source selections. The process in such competitions is very strenuous.

I'd say that the key to process effectiveness is having a great proposal manager with a deep understanding of business strategy, proposal tactics, development methods and tools, technical writing, and publication design and production. If the acquisition is big and important, your chances greatly improve with a top-notch professional proposal manager. The big companies sometimes bring in an outsider to establish order, but that's very expensive.

I once worked for this outfit: http://www.hsilver.com/about_hsa.cfm. They were/are very famous, their founder, Hyman Silver, having handled some pretty big proposals for big contractors. (Space Shuttle orbiter, B-1 Bomber, MILSTAR, if I recall correctly.) See http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=150956929. I don't know how they're doing now. They have an affiliate, Technology Training Corp., that conducts proposal prep seminars. I used to teach source selection for them. Again, I don't know how they're doing now. But Hy Silver was the big dog in his day.

There are many companies that provide proposal consulting and conduct good proposal prep courses. Don't spend money on courses taught by lawyers and former government personnel. You want a course taught by experienced proposal managers who have worked in your industry. I'm sure someone else at Wifcon can provide some references. But if all you're looking for is an end to stress, I'm not sure that you'll find it. Winners manage it, but don't eliminate it.

[bob7947]

There is a California chapter of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals. In addition to other items, this Association has a Body of Knowledge for its members.

[here_2_help]

Several companies have created a business model that uses recently retired long-time aerospace/defense managers & above as SME consultants. My consulting business uses such people as sub-consultants when specific expertise is called for. In fact, this month we are sending our 252.215-7002 (Cost Estimating System) guru to a client for a few days to make recommendations towards building a standardized proposal process/system. He comes with 35 years of estimating system management including successful development of a major DoD contractor's Estimating System Manual.

I'm not trying to plug my own business here -- just trying to offer advice that there are consulting businesses out there that specialize in using retired folks as SMEs. Many consulting firms offer heads but there are only a few that offer SME heads with deep expertise. Even so, some SMEs make lousy consultants. Obviously you have to vet the quals and interview the individual, and make sure you're getting the right person for your need(s). But such firms and such individuals do exist -- and they tend to be cheaper than the bigger consulting firms.

Hope this helps.