GETTING TO A WIN
FINAL DELIVERY
Once the proposal manager gains final approval, the proposal is delivered according to the RFP instructions. (Image by Getty Images)
submission date. However, the many moving parts, people, processes and deci- sions can push these final meetings to just hours before deadline.
Finalizing the proposal means putting it into production. In ways reminiscent of publishing a newspaper or book, the editing process—making sure graphics are what they should be, where they are supposed to go, with captions that explain what they are supposed to explain—is a huge undertaking. A proposal must be perfect because it represents what that company can do. If it is professional and without flaws, it can convey the idea that here is a company that is profes- sional, detail-focused and competent. Conversely, errors in a proposal convey the opposite. Finally, the government will reject any proposal not in compliance with the instructions in Section L of the RFP. While the stakes are very high throughout the process, impeccable delivery is crucial.
Once the proposal manager gains final approval, the proposal is delivered per the RFP instructions. At this point, most of the proposal writers are finished. However, there remains a small core of people who will stay in the proposal center, ready to address any questions coming from the government evaluation board. Keeping these people together is crucial because they have the information, understand the solution and, most importantly, can
146 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2020
explain what they meant should the government need clarification. Depend- ing on the issues, this group may be tied down for many weeks.
FINAL THOUGHTS Te defense industry wants to show the Army that they get it, that they can do the job that needs doing. By the same token, the Army wants the best proposals from the best contractors. Tat sets up a potential win-win situation. Te defense industry must make a profit to stay in busi- ness, and we need quality weapon systems that ensure mission accomplishment.
Winning proposals aren’t written in a vacuum. Te proposal process for every company in the industry is predicated on understanding what we in the govern- ment want, what we want it to do, when we want it and how much we are willing to pay. We make the rules. Industry wants to work with us—and no, they don’t expect any unfair advantages. Tey are probably more aware than we are of the law and work hard to prevent any illegalities.
For industry, communication is critical to this process of proposals. We should always keep in mind the value of commu- nicating with the industry because the RFP is a means of communication. You would be surprised at the value you can get from engaging your industry partners.
For more information on RFPs, go to:
https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/ccap/cc/ jcchb/html/Topical/
rfps.html, https://
www.acquisition.gov/content/15203- reque s t s - pr oposa l s ,
ht t ps : //
www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2018- 02/proposals_workbook.pdf or http://
acqnotes.com/acqnote/tasks/request-for- proposalproposal-development.
DR. CHARLES K. PICKAR is a senior lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California, where he teaches program management, acquisition, and systems engineering in the Graduate School of Defense Management. He has more than 30 years of management and research experience, including leadership positions at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Science Applications International Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. He holds a doctorate in business administration from Nova Southeastern University, an M.S. in systems engineering from Te Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in national security affairs from NPS and a B.A in business from the University of Maryland. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies. Te author’s last Been Tere, Done Tat column was “AI Needs Data,” in the Summer 2020 issue.
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