proposal
is a document that includes a proposed approach, schedule, and budget for meeting the project requirements and accomplishing the project scope
relationships establish:
the foundation for successful funding and contract opportunities; relationship building requires being proactive and engaged
establishing and building trust is key to developing:
effective and successful relationships with clients and partners
building relationships with customers and partners keys:
1. get to know clients on a personal basis (be a good listener and a good learner)
2. contacts should be frequent
3. do not focus on discussing potential contract opportunities during contacts
4. always keep your word: be reliable and responsive
5. behave
pre-rfp/proposal marketing
1. contractors should maintain frequent contacts with past and current customers and initiate contacts with potential customers
2. the contractor should learn as much as possible about the customer's needs, problems, and decision-making process
3. the con
whether the goal is winning a competitive RFP or obtaining a noncompetitive contract from a customer...
...a contractor's pre RFP/proposal efforts are crucial to establishing the foundation for eventually winning a contract from the customer
bid/no-bid decision
evaluation by a contractor of whether to go forward with the preparation of a proposal
factors that influence the decision to develop a proposal:
1. competition
2. risk
3. mission
4. extension of capabilities
5. reputation
6. customer funds
7. proposal resources
8. project resources
a proposal is a selling document, not a technical report; in the proposal, the contractor must convince the customer that the contractor:
1. understands what the customer is looking for
2. can carry out the proposed project
3. will provide the greatest value to the customer
4. is the best contractor to address the need or solve the problem
5. will capitalize on its successful experience wit
proposals are often organized into three sections:
1. technical
2. management
3. cost
the objective of the technical section of the contractor proposal:
is to convince the customer that the contractor understand the need or problem and can provide the least risky and most beneficial solution
elements of the technical section:
1. understanding of the need
2. proposed approach or solution
3. benefits to the customer
proposed approach or solution (part of technical section) may contain the following:
1. a description of how the contractor would collect, analyze, and evaluate data and information about the need or problem
2. a description of the methods that would be used by the contractor to evaluate alternative solutions or further develop the propos
the objective of the management section of the contractor proposal:
is to convince the customer that the contractor can do the proposed work (the project) and achieve the intended results
the management section should contain the following elements:
1. description of major tasks
2. deliverables
3. project schedule
4. project organization
5. related experience
6. equipment and facilities
the objective of the cost section of the contractor proposal:
is to convince the customer that the contractor's price for the proposed project is realistic and reasonable
the cost section usually consists of tabulation of the contractor's estimated costs of elements such as the following:
1. labor
2. materials
3. equipment
4. facilities
5. subcontractors and consultants
6. travel
7. documentation
8. overhead
9. escalation
10. reserve
11. profit
management reserve or contingency reserve
is an amount the contractor may want to include to cover unexpected situations that may come up during the project
the contractor must consider the following items when determining the price for the proposed project:
1. reliability of the cost estimates
2. risk
3. value of the project to the contractor
4. customer's budget
5. competition
simplified project proposal
1. statement of the customer's need
2. assumptions
3. project scope
4. deliverables
5. resources
6. schedule
7. price
8. risks
9. expected benefits
some criteria that might be used by customers in evaluating contractor proposals include the following:
1. compliance with the customer's statement of work and requirements in the RFP
2. contractor's understanding of the customer's need or problem
3. soundness and practicality of the contractor's proposed approach to solving the problem
4. contractor's expe
best and final offer (BAFO)
is the final price from each contractor that the customer will consider
contract
is an agreement between the contractor, who agrees to perform the project and to provide a product or service (deliverables), and the customer, who agrees to pay the contractor a certain amount in return
two types of contracts:
1. fixed-price contract
2. cost-reimbursement contract
fixed-price contract
a contract in which a customer and a contractor agree on a price that will not change regardless of how much the project actually costs the contractor. The price remains fixed unless the customer and the contractor agree on changes
cost-reimbursement contract
a contract in which a customer agrees to pay a contractor for all actual costs incurred during a project, plus some agreed-upon profit
fixed-price contracts are most appropriate...
...for projects that are well defined and entail little risk
cost-reimbursement contracts are most appropriate...
...for projects that involve risk
miscellaneous terms and conditions that may be included in project contracts:
1. misrepresentation of costs
2. notice of cost overruns or schedule delays
3. approval of subcontractor
4. customer-furnished equipment or information
5. patents
6. disclosure of proprietary information
7. international considerations
8. termination
9. t
win ratio
is the percentage of the number or dollar value of the contractor's proposals that result in contractual agreements with customers