Federal Proposal Writing 101

This course will help you gain an understanding of why proposals do or do not win, and show you how to make an educated decision to bid or not to bid, analyze and “shred” the RFP, and develop a proposal schedule to deliver the proposal on time. This module provides an overview of the proposal development process and key tasks that a proposal manager in charge of the government proposal needs to accomplish.

Topics Covered:

• Walking through the proposal process, including Pink Team, Red Team, and Gold Team reviews
• Understanding how RFP structure and form differs significantly across agencies
• How to read a Government RFP
• Understanding which RFP sections are important for the proposal
• A system for making a bid-no-bid decision
• How to dissect requirements – the basics to outlining your proposal and understanding what is really being asked for
• How to change requirements into an annotated outline
• How to develop a compliant proposal outline and structure
• How to create a compliant outline/status tracking matrix in a table
• Being able to tell a story while remaining compliant – the art of developing great proposals
• Naming and numbering your sections for easy evaluation
• Developing and using a compliance matrix
• Developing and using a compliance checklist
• Developing your proposal plan
• How to build a proposal schedule
• Sample 30-day proposal calendar
• Creating a proposal organization chart with roles and responsibilities
• Conducting a great proposal kickoff

David Huff is the Vice President of OST Global Solutions, Inc. (www.ostglobalsolutions.com – home of the GovCon Incubator and Bid & Proposal Academy). He has more than 10 years of Government Business Development and military experience. He is a dynamic leader who develops pipelines and implements growth strategies for OST’s client companies. He is a skilled facilitator and has captured, managed, and written proposals up to $1.5B in value. He is an instructor at OST’s Bid & Proposal Academy, teaching thousands of attendees from businesses and Government organizations, such as General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) EXCEL Training Program, NASA Langley Research Center, and the Department of Treasury. He has presented at the National Contracts Management Association (NCMA) World Congress, the National 8(a) Association, and the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP). David is an army veteran who served with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division during two tours to Afghanistan.