Waiting for an uncertain RFP release

If you complete all of your opportunity readiness reviews but the RFP does not come out on time, you should put a monitoring program into place.

Your plans are based on the earliest anticipated RFP release. But what if it gets delayed or comes out later than that? The Business Developer and Capture Manager should take advantage of that time. The Executive Sponsor should set up a schedule (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?) to review the status.

Suggestions for what to monitor while you are waiting for RFP release:

• Could the opportunity be cancelled?
• Could the customer’s acquisition strategy change?
• Are all necessary budgets and approvals really in place?
• Could the scope change?
• Can you add detail to any of the readiness report questions?
• Is there anything else you can do to prepare for the proposal?
• Is there anything else you can do to position yourself in the eyes of the customer?

You can't run at full speed forever. Should you pause?

In addition to monitoring, you have to decide whether to maintain a high tempo of pursuit or slow down to wait for the customer to act. The MustWin Process helps you decide. Are you satisfied with the answers to the Readiness Review questions and do you feel you have an information advantage? You don't ask these questions in isolation where you have no way to assess the answers. You ask them against a specific set of questions including:

• Your responses to the Readiness Review questions
• What you have discovered about what it will take to win
• The questions you will need answered to complete your Proposal Content Plan

Regardless of whether you pause active pursuit or not, you'll still need to implement the monitoring program.