Articles

The following scoring sheet summarizes the questions to be answered, action items to be accomplished, and goals to be achieved for this review. Each one should be assessed to determine if the pursuit is on track to be ready to win at RFP release.   Question, Action Item, or Goal Guidance Score Opportunity Intel Describe the scope/customer requirements in detail. What do you anticipate will be included or excluded? Include eve

The following scoring sheet summarizes the questions to be answered, action items to be accomplished, and goals to be achieved for this review. Each one should be assessed to determine if the pursuit is on track to be ready to win at RFP release.   Question, Action Item, or Goal Guidance Score Opportunity Intel Are you sure about the scope/customer requirements? The scope can change as the customer looks for consensus, feasib

The following scoring sheet summarizes the questions to be answered, action items to be accomplished, and goals to be achieved for this review. Each one should be assessed to determine if the pursuit is on track to be ready to win at RFP release.     Question, Action Item, or Goal Guidance Score Opportunity Intel What is the scope of the opportunity? What does the customer require? Include everything necessary to estimate the

Readiness Reviews are where the measuring of progress takes place. Without them, progress is uncertain, and you will probably find yourself unprepared at RFP release. The Executive Sponsor is responsible for performing the Readiness Reviews.  The goal of the Readiness Reviews is to track progress towards being ready for RFP release. In performing the reviews, you should do more than simply assess any deficiencies. Wherever possible, you should identify the

Within the CapturePlanning.com MustWin Process we measure progress and quality against what it will take to win.  During the critical pre-RFP phase of the pursuit, we use Readiness Reviews to ensure measurable progress towards discovering what it will take to win. Readiness Reviews bring structure to the pre-RFP phase of pursuit and help ensure that you arrive at RFP release and begin the proposal prepared to win. Each Readiness Review has specific questions, goals, and action items that mu

You need someone to do all of these things. But it’s far more than one person can handle. So we’ve categorized them according to the roles as we define them in the may have to play multiple roles. But everything on the list needs to be assigned to someone. Some can be shared, but there always needs to be someone with primary responsibility. For each role, we’ve listed primary and secondary functions. Executive Sponsor Lead the bid/no bid review Conduct readiness reviews Approve budg

The only thing harder than winning business is having to work with other people to win business. First you've got all the hand-offs, from marketing to business development to capture to proposal to production. Then there is the natural tension between technical staff and those involved in marketing and sales. People in different positions have different perspectives.  It only works when people work together. And to work together people need to know what to expect from each other. The

Most companies have many departments that might get involved with supporting a proposal A Contracts Specialist: Reviews the RFP. Assists with Teaming Agreements. Reviews contractual terms to be included in the proposal. Reviews and prepares any certifications or representations required by the RFP. A Pricing Specialist: Gets it on paper. Leads the proposal process. Other corporate suppor

Graphics specialists are often used to prepare graphics for the proposal.   Graphic Specialists render the graphics, and may or may not be involved helping to conceptualize the graphics. Responsible for complying with instructions regarding graphic composition, completion of forms related to graphics, and maintaining configuration management of graphic files. Specialists are often used to render graphics.  Proposal writers are still responsible fo

The Production Manager is responsible for final formatting, graphics, editorial support, reproduction, binding, and packaging for delivery. Responsible for the implementation of the Production Plan and compliance with RFP instructions regarding formatting, packaging, and delivery. The Production Manager also oversees the rendering of graphics and their insertion into the document. Functions as a single point of contact for production assistance, tracking, a

Sometimes proposal writing is done by a specialist, and sometimes it's done by a subject matter expert. A Proposal Writer: Writes finished copy. Helps plan the contents of your sections before actually writing them. Incorporates detailed instructions into your writing. Delivers your sections by their deadlines. A Subject Matter Expert: Describes approaches and provide technical details. Delivers in

The Process Administrator provides support for the implementation of the proposal process. Maintains process records. Frees the Proposal Manager to focus on the message, assignment completion, and quality validation. For a large MustWin proposal, it’s a good idea to have a person dedicated to administering the process.  It facilitates the process if someone is available to help people complete forms and maintain process records.  With a Process Administrat

The Proposal Manager: Has the lead role for developing the proposal process, plans, schedule, and assignments. Gets involved shortly before the RFP is released to help ensure that intelligence gathered is staged for use in the proposal and that plans can be drafted. Should avoid putting pen to paper and personally creating the proposal.  Instead, the Proposal Manager should manage the process, staff, and other resources to develop the proposal.

Key responsibilites include: Capture Managers must not only sell to the customer, but also must sell internally to gain support and resources for the pursuit. A Capture Manager must know about the customer, the opportunity, the scope of work, project management, budgeting, pricing, contracting, proposal writing, and how to obtain, allocate, and steal resources within the company. Congratulations!  You have the most challenging job in winning new business.  It is also

Key responsibilities include: Pursuing as many new opportunities as possible. Developing customer relationships that facilitate discovering and researching new business opportunities. Becoming the expert on what the customer really wants. Helping to position the company to win. Gathering intelligence and making sure the proposal reflects it. The Business Development Manager is expected to gather intelligence about the c

Key responsibilities include: Opening the doors to resources Setting the tone Fighting indecision Providing oversight Approving the review plan The Executive Sponsor’s hands-on involvement with the proposal may be extensive or could be very little, depending on his or her interests and priorities.  If you are the Executive Sponsor for a proposal, even if you never touch the proposal itself, you can have a major impact o

Keep in mind: We define roles functionally. A person can play more than one role. Since the roles cover functional needs, they all must be covered. While this chart gives you a simple to understand goal for each role, it does not cover everything required from each role. A chart like this may be the start of expectation management, but it's far from the end. Expectation management is key.   Role Description Executive Sponsor

The MustWin Process ensures that everyone knows what is expected, based on what role they play in the pursuit Roles are defined functionally.  If a person performs more than one role, that person is responsible for all of the responsibilities of each role. Managing expectations is critical for people to work together to win a business opportunity. If the expectations need to change, it is your job to communicate that and stay in the discussion until everyon

The MustWin Process is an approach for capturing leads that require the submission of a proposal. It makes proposal development more efficient, sets expectations, enables progress and quality to be measured, and increases your chances of winning. It focuses on getting the right information and going through the steps to turn it into a winning proposal. The MustWin Process is for those who want to win and realize that a one-size-fits-all fill-in-the-blanks template is not the best way to go

monthly_2025_08/IntroductiontotheMustWinProcessv3.mp4.db6ccaaa5bbb6c21249deb0d2de48f8a.mp4