7 Tips to Ensure Your Proposal Makes the Short List

The reality is that proposals don’t get read, at least not from beginning to end. What actually happens most of the time is that your proposal is skimmed and scored. To win, aim to help the evaluators award you as many points as possible.

What better to help you do that than advice from evaluators themselves? The tips below on what helps evaluators score your proposal and award you the job came from government departments and from businesses in different industries, from procurement of equipment, to IT services, to consulting services.

1.  Read the instructions and follow them to the letter – it shows your respect for the process

Evaluators like compliant proposals that fully meet the requirements and specifications of the RFP. When you follow the instructions, you show your respect for the client and for process.

Make sure your document is well constructed and flows logically. If the RFP asks for a specific format, follow it exactly. Do not change the order of elements and do not rewrite the requirements.

Evaluators see bidders who properly scope and understand the work lose contracts because they don’t follow the RFP criteria. The winners understand the work and follow the RFP.

And yes, evaluators use the search function to find keywords from the RFP that will help them with the scoring. Using as many keywords from the RFP as possible will help the evaluators find the content they are looking for.

2.  Never submit an incomplete proposal

You are wasting your time if your response is incomplete. Missing information, incomplete responses, and silence on a requirement means the proposal is noncompliant.

Prepare your content plan early. If you do not have enough time to gather the required documentation or prepare the required sections, it may be better not to bid. Redirect your efforts and resources toward another submission for which you can prepare a complete response.

3.  Make information easy to find

It is especially important that mandatory requirements and items weighted in the evaluation criteria be easy to find. Hidden information makes the evaluator’s job difficult. Why not make their job easier?

This might seem obvious, but hard-to-find information is a common pitfall. Make sure your table of contents has correct page numbers, your sections and sub-sections are numbered, and your charts and graphics are labelled and have meaningful captions.

Research has found that it takes customers just seven minutes to decide whether your proposal is a “keep” or a “discard.” During this short time, they register your document’s initial visual appeal and skim it for key content. Make the best of this time by ensuring your submission is pleasing to the eye and easy to skim and follow, and that it’s very easy to find the required content.

4.  Be concise, but ensure you provide enough details for the evaluators to score

Avoid boasting, flattery, fluff, and jargon. Evaluators do not want to read through irrelevant information (like your company history or services you provide that are irrelevant to the proposal). Evaluators do like concise proposals that link your solution and pricing to their goals. They like proposals that show how each activity in your services or each feature of your product will help them solve their problem.

Evaluators are put off by waffling and too much talk about how “excellent” you are. They make awards to companies with track records that submit proposals that are concise, simple, informative, and easy to understand.

Evaluators can tell when proposal writers have put more effort into the formatting than into the information in the proposal. Bidders that win do not promise the sky for the lowest price, but instead provide a realistic plan.

5.  Ask questions – it shows your appetite for details

Some bidders do not attempt to ask questions and therefore make incorrect assumptions.

Avoid asking for information that is already supplied in the RFP (check before you ask!), but make sure you get the information you need to prepare a strong proposal.

If something is not clear, ask for clarification. If you want to ask for an extension, ask as early as possible and always provide a reasonable explanation for the extra time you need. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. How would you feel if they changed the deadline at the last minute without giving a good reason?

6.  Make your assumptions clear

Evaluators do not like vague assumptions. If your offered product, solution, or price is based on certain assumptions, make sure to clearly state what they are in your technical solution and in your price section. This enables the evaluators to compare your proposal with other proposals (both technically and financially).

If you do not include your assumptions, the evaluators will not know there is a difference between your solution and that of the competition and they will assume that lack of distinction extends to your price. If your price is higher because you are assuming a certain product quality, for example, and you make that clear, the evaluators will examine the competitor’s proposal for that quality. They might ask the competitor to confirm that is included in their price or they may come back to you asking for a price for a different quality standard. What’s important is that you prevent the evaluators from wrongly assuming all offers are the same and encourage them to investigate before making their decision.

7.  Substantiate your claims for the outcome of your proposal

Evaluators like proven claims. It is not enough to state you can do the job or deliver the service or that your product will solve the problem. Always include evidence of your capability, capacity, and experience. Evidence includes your previous projects, the experience of your staff, reference letters, testimonials, and awards.

Although most RFPs include a “previous experience,” “references,” or “case studies” section, mention evidence to support your claim every time you state the benefits of your offering: in the cover letter, in the executive summary, while explaining your methodology, and in your technical specifications. This way, you ensure that everyone looking at your proposal sees this evidence, not only those evaluating your “similar experience” section.