How to Develop a Compliant Proposal - Bid & Proposal Academy Course

A compliant and high-scoring proposal starts with a well-thought-out outline. This course dives into the intricacies of developing proposal outlines, annotating these outlines, preparing compliance and cross-reference matrixes, and preparing storyboards or work packages the right way. It starts with analyzing different types of Requests for Proposal (RFP) and Requests for Quote (RFQ) formats to show how various customers may organize the requirements.

A great outline reduces stress and rework during the proposal development process. It helps direct the authors, and integrate the proposal from the start.

The course subsequently delves into when use of storyboards (or writers’ work packages) is more appropriate than annotated outlines, and vice versa. It shows how to develop storyboards the right way, avoiding the typical problems companies face with storyboard development.

This course is for those in the Proposal Management, Proposal Writing, and Proposal Coordination fields. It will teach professional skills in annotated outlines and storyboard development. In the course, attendants will explore the outlining topic in a greater depth than in our Foundations of Proposal Management and Writing Persuasive Federal Proposals courses. It addresses the typical areas of struggle for proposal practitioners through individual and group work in a “roll-up-your-sleeves and put the new skills to practice” workshop format. The course zooms in on the nuance of outline and storyboard building that’s a hallmark of true proposal professionals.

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding how properly annotated outlines help reduce stress in proposals and get a higher score with evaluators
• Navigating different types of RFX structures like a professional
• Mastering the techniques for structuring proposal outlines correctly
• Setting up compliance matrixes
• Developing cross-reference matrixes
• Developing compliance checklists
• Allocating the page count correctly
• Developing effective resumes and past performance templates
• Setting up outlines for business and cost volumes
• Creating useful annotations to guide the authors
• Incorporating proposal mock-up elements into the outline
• Incorporating section flow into the outline
• Reviewing and refining the outline
• Issuing assignments to the authors using an annotated outline
• Navigating through the pros and cons of working with storyboards and writers’ work packages
• Deciding when to use storyboards
• Setting up the storyboards correctly for the writers to eliminate typical storyboard breakdowns