Proposal Land

Better RFP Responses & Management
 
Proposal Land

Term: Lead

 

In Proposal Land, a lead is a proposal team member assigned to coordinate a task area, as in “Who has the lead on that?”

In the real world, a lead is someone (just short of a supervisor) assigned to coordinate a task area. Most often seen on large projects that require layers of supervision and technically or functionally conversant supervision.

In both cases, this use connotes that the position does the work as well as supervises it.

Term: Response Instructions

 

The ignore-at-your-own-risk rules about how the proposal is to be submitted:

  • The document (content, organization, volume and section numbering, number of copies, binder labelling, page limits, and things that affect page definitions [paper size, font type and pitch, margins, line spacing, character spacing])
  • The electronic version (file types, file names, size restrictions, media to be used)
  • The packaging instructions (labelling, separation of financial and technical submissions)
  • The delivery instructions (date, time, location, recipient)

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Term: Instructions to Bidders

 

The RFP section in which the client tells bidders how to prepare, organize, and submit their proposals (or their submissions in response to any other Request; for example, an RFQ).

See also “response instructions.”

Must be followed.

Or else.

Page Limits: Tip #1 for RFP Issuers

 

OK, we get why you use page limits. They make life easier for evaluators, and help to separate the sheep from the goats, procurement-wise.  After all, those who are best at delivering a service or designing a product or building or software system are also best at explaining themselves succinctly, right?  Well, maybe.  Maybe not. But if you’re going to use them, here’s the first tip on how to do them better.

When is a page not a page?

When the pieces that comprise it are not defined.

 

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