If you’ve ever worked tirelessly to create a proposal only to be informed by the customer that your offering was not selected, then you know you never want to hear those words again. But how can … Continue reading Nine C-words you CAN use to upgrade your proposal
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Parody of a bad healthcare proposal
Not from any real proposal. But sadly – oh so close. “We offer synergistic integrated collaboration creating new forms and models that lead to enhanced efficiencies for serving the evolving continuum of needs and challenges experienced … Continue reading Parody of a bad healthcare proposal
Corporate Introspection and the “Win Theme”
When I interview people for jobs within our company, one of the questions I ask is “what do you do better than anyone else you know?” I do this for two reasons. First, I find out … Continue reading Corporate Introspection and the “Win Theme”
Compliance Review for Healthcare Proposals
We are frequently asked to review our client’s proposals for compliance with the request for proposal (RFP). It’s a detailed task – our reviewers have to look at every response and determine whether that response is compliant with … Continue reading Compliance Review for Healthcare Proposals
Accursed Phrases, Part 1
In editing work, I often encounter a sentence like the following: “Does the system have the capability to do X?” The phrase “have the capability to” is irritating and unnecessary. There are many variations, including “have … Continue reading Accursed Phrases, Part 1
Some Final Thoughts (Part 9 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
Here are a few final tips. These have been garnered from many years of working on medium- and large-scale public sector health care procurements. Having an outsourced proposal development team does not absolve internal staff from … Continue reading Some Final Thoughts (Part 9 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
How do I Use Multiple Consulting Firms on the Same Bid? (Part 8 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
In many years of working on proposals, I’ve seen three different kinds of situations where multiple consulting firms might be involved in working on the same bid. These are as follows, with some notes regarding potential … Continue reading How do I Use Multiple Consulting Firms on the Same Bid? (Part 8 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
What Do I Do to Solve Problems? (Part 7 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
During the course of a proposal project, you – and your chosen consulting firm – are going to run into problems. It’s the nature of the beast – you are working on a large and complex … Continue reading What Do I Do to Solve Problems? (Part 7 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
How Do I Manage the Engagement? (Part 6 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
Now you have a contract. The tasks have been defined, and consultants are assigned and eager to begin work. What’s next? Several things need to be addressed. The most important one is: who is in charge … Continue reading How Do I Manage the Engagement? (Part 6 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
How Do I Structure the Arrangement? (Part 5 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)
You will probably work out the structure of the arrangement as you are considering different proposal consultants. However, there are a variety of ways to structure the engagement. Let’s talk about the two primary models for … Continue reading How Do I Structure the Arrangement? (Part 5 of 9 in Outsourcing Proposal Development)