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COMMENTARY


A basic rule of thumb states that if the release is the first time you hear of an RFP, then there's no point in competing. In the industry, the earlier they start, the better.


development discovers, tracks and eventually wins potential business for contractor companies. Defense contractors must consistently book new business (orders)—win competitions— to stay in business. Tey also must “keep programs sold,” that is, make sure the contract and quantities contracted don’t get changed or canceled by DOD or Congress. Tis means business developers must have an in-depth understanding of warfighter issues and position the company to solve those problems. Tat’s why the industry is always interested in former military personnel. Former Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines provide a perspec- tive most industry people don’t have—an understanding of the culture and the way the systems will be used.


“Capture” is a defense contractor-unique term. It is the process contractors use to concentrate on winning the weapon system development business. Tese front-end activities are critical to developing a winning proposal in response to an RFP.


THE RFP ROAD MAP Writing a proposal requires the contractor to analyze the RFP to thoroughly understand what the government wants so they can develop a technical solution. Te only purpose of a proposal is to persuade the government that their answer is the best choice. Tey follow a disciplined, formal process to produce a convincing document according to strict rules and within restrictive dead- lines. And, they often spend significant amounts of money on engineering, labor, travel, intellectual property and other costs to deliver a competitive proposal.


Tey usually have professional in-house artists to create the graph- ics and will even hire voice and acting coaches should the RFP require an oral presentation. Tey may also employ a company that specializes in developing and managing proposals. If a contractor commits to responding to an RFP, they are in it to win it. I have worked on small proposals for which the company spent less than $2,000 and proposals that cost over $500,000 and, in some cases, even more.


GO WITH THE FLOW Different companies have different processes, but there is a univer- sal flow of in-house events from the time an RFP is released to the submission deadline. Every company uses this typical flow from prime contractors to their subsystem, component and parts suppliers. Te steps include gate reviews to provide company lead- ership an assessment of the probability of winning, analyzing the RFP, developing and writing the solution, plus a series of quality reviews to ensure compliance, quality and profitability. “Color team” reviews address compliance and quality. Gate reviews address profitability and the probability of winning and culmi- nate in a bid or no-bid decision. Assuming the company decides to bid, the initial proposal activity, examining the RFP, is to communicate what the government wants to the proposal team.


It is important to note that while the RFP release starts the formal proposal process within a company, several critical pre-proposal activities happen before RFP release. Tese contractor activities include engaging the warfighter and PM office and gathering business intelligence for competitive assessments, to name a few. Of these, developing a win strategy is often the most challeng- ing. A win strategy is conceptually simple—the plan for winning the competition. It requires a clear-eyed appraisal of company strengths and weaknesses, whether a proposed solution would address all the government’s issues, an assessment of the compe- tition and an evaluation of what a win or a loss might mean to the company.


SHREDDING THE RFP Analysis of the RFP, the first phase in the proposal process, is often referred to as shredding the RFP because it entails literally taking the RFP apart to identify requirements, instructions, eval- uation factors and deliverables. Once the shred is complete, the RFP is broken out by sections into smaller parts for assignment to the proposal team.


Tere are software applications that not only automate the process but also assign, schedule and track writing tasks. Decompos- ing or shredding the RFP gives the proposal team insight into the specifics the government seeks, and results in a rule book, or compliance matrix, to ensure that the team is addressing every- thing the RFP requests.


Finding all of the government “asks” in an RFP is challenging because deliverables and requirements are frequently dispersed throughout the document. My students, even those who have worked on RFPs, are often amazed at how hard this job can be. Te shredding process provides the key players of the proposal


https://asc.ar my.mil 143


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