Tip 134 – If you think the proposal plan does not need to be written, then… - Shipley Asia Pacific

…the proposal should not be written. No bid.

Many organisations tackle proposals without prior planning, creating additional work for themselves.

Good proposals are planned, and good proposal management plans are detailed, written, and available for review and reference. Poor plans are in the manager’s head.

The shorter the response time, the greater the need to plan because you have no recovery time. If you think the proposal management plan (PMP) does not need to be written, then the proposal should not be written. No bid.

For a response time under two weeks, use a quarter of the available time to plan.

Develop a PMP template in a medium that suits your organization. While a PMP is described as a single document, most PMPs are a series of documents or files that are shared and repeatedly updated on a secure site.

Adapt the format and contents of a PMP to the complexity of the proposal, the size of the proposal team, the value of the proposal, and the experience and skills of the managers and contributors.