End-to-End Proposal Development Plans
We now spend more time analyzing bids sent to us for review. In response to an ad hoc request, we now (within 24 hours) send a detailed end-to-end proposal development plan forward. This plan will critically highlight the complexity we/you are likely to face, have an estimated billable hour total, and total costs.
We welcome ad hoc requests as trial engagements and/or supplements to the normal subscription.
We differ from the competition in that we focus energies on the post-submission tracking and follow-up process, which can be drawn out and expanded across months. A good end-to-end plan, and a model we have adopted, accounts for this kind of workflow and clearly sets expectations for clients.
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Proposal Evolutions
TKS is now trialing Document AI and other tools to source insights from winning proposals. Depending on our ability to extract useful data, and in theory, we should be able to apply these insights with surgical precision for certain client requests. This effort is codenamed: Chichen Itza
Our limited trial of 30 proposals is showing enough interesting data, patterns, etc. to expand and investigate further. We hope to provide another update before June comes around.
If you have questions, or want to discuss our proposal development services, contact us.
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"Outside the Pipeline" News & Insights
The Starter Package subscription includes a weekly email that summarizes work performed by your RFP Analyst, mostly sticking to the managed pipeline/active bids.
Starting today, we'll be rolling out a new email format with 1) Pipeline news/developments and 2) Insights and "Outside the Pipeline" news.
This could include creative partnering strategies, subcontractor opportunities, articles on the changing nature of procurement, or stats/data on your competition. We believe this addition will cultivate a wider understanding of the GovCon space and encourage new bidding approaches.
By being ecosystem-focused, TKS pushes ahead as the leader in 'Next Gen' capture management.
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New Feature to Prevent Missed Deadlines
We're rolling out the following, to be found in the "Miscellaneous" section of our clients' requirement lists (or maps):
- Whether registering though the purchaser's e-portal is required to successfully submit a response.
- How long registration can take, on average and if known. While the vast majority of platforms are able to register a vendor in 1-4 hours, some can take up to 24 hours or longer. Given the COVID-19 procurement environment, we'll likely see delayed approvals.
Why does this matter? Clients working under time constraints need every hour they can spare. We're helping to improve time efficiency by highlighting these informal technical requirements before a 'Go' decision is even made.
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Tracking a Bid During COVID-19
Some procurements are being delayed, suspended, or modified due to COVID-19. That's just the reality of the bidding space right now; however, there are numerous cases when a suspension is reversed. And business owners simply do not have the time to track these developments as they unfold.
For every suspension due to COVID-19, we are requesting more information:
1) Is there a vendor list to be immediately notified of [Specific Bid No. XX] developments?
2) Can you add me/us to that list?
3) When do you expect this bid will re-open?
4) Is it purely a logistical issue with your team or something related to the project need?
We've included screenshots of a recent (high interest) bid that was re-activated. Once it was back online and open to the public, we sent an immediate update to our client. This will be our policy going forward.
A Standardized Compliance Checklist
We regularly perform final compliance checks for our clients after they've completed a proposal (and prior to submission). It makes sense to have multiple people review the final package, especially the RFP Analyst, since he/she knows the respective bid documents inside and out.
Once a client submits a request, we now use an APMP-inspired compliance matrix and final document review sheet as supplements. You can see screenshots of these documents below: