Writing and Managing Federal Proposals

This workshop combines two of Shipley’s most powerful proposal management workshops-Managing Federal Proposals and Writing Federal Proposals. Learn a process that works!

Participants learn essential skills for managing a full proposal in any competitive market. It focuses on how to lead teams to produce written or electronic proposals in response to Request for Proposals (RFP), beginning with planning that precedes the assignment of proposal writers.

Another key objective is learning to apply proven principles of customer-focused communication.

Participants also learn skills related to planning and writing sections in any portion of a proposal. While basic principles are applicable to all markets, course content and examples place heavy emphasis on complex highly competitive bids.

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Writing and Managing Federal Proposals

Workshop Details

Pricing To Win

This 2-day workshop teaches skills for business development, marketing, capture management, pricing, and finance personnel, including:

• Understanding customers’ acquisition budgets, including sources and uses
• Understanding customer assessments of bidders’ proposed prices/Price-capability trade-offs
• Reviewing competitors’ probable solutions and likely pricing strategies and tactics
• Iteratively adapting your company's solution, price, and capture strategy to improve win probability
• Influencing customers to prefer your company's own solution and price over competitors’ prior to release of an RFP
• Guiding proposal pricing efforts to ensure the offer places your organization in a position to compete and ultimately win
• Securing the award after proposal submittal by refining and executing pricing strategies

Participants actively engage in hands-on exercises based on a real-world competitive opportunity. This fast-paced workshop builds skills and expands knowledge in this critical aspect of winning business.

Winning in the Cost Volume

Learn skills related to planning and writing sections in any portion of a proposal. Practice a proven process for planning content and layout of winning proposal sections. You will also learn how to ensure your section will score highly during evaluation through a government evaluation.

You will learn to:

• Plan content using a storyboard to be compliant and implement approved proposal strategies
• Incorporate effective graphics and captions to better communicate messages
• Mockup section layout
• Organize content to be persuasive, write the planned proposal section, and examine the section draft for effectiveness
• Collaborate and coordinate with other team members writing different sections of the proposal

Managing Federal Proposals

Learn essential skills for managing a full proposal or volume in the U.S. federal market space. Develop detailed understating of federal proposal evaluation processes and their impact on proposal planning management.

You will learn to:

• Assess your own proposals like a government evaluation team
• Convert action-based capture strategies into message-based proposal strategies or win themes
• Assign requirements to appropriate authors for coverage in the proposal
• Prepare for and conduct an effective kickoff meeting, including providing clear instructions to authors
• Lead high-performing proposal teams on fast-paced schedules

Writing Federal Proposals

Learn skills related to planning and writing sections in any portion of a proposal. Practice a proven process for planning content and layout of winning proposal sections. You will also learn how to ensure your section will score highly during evaluation through a government evaluation.

You will learn to:

• Plan content using a storyboard to be compliant and implement approved proposal strategies
• Incorporate effective graphics and captions to better communicate messages
• Mockup section layout
• Organize content to be persuasive, write the planned proposal section, and examine the section draft for effectiveness
• Collaborate and coordinate with other team members writing different sections of the proposal

Capturing Business

Learn to improve your competitive position before your customer releases a request for proposal. By learning how to select and pursue the most winnable opportunities, you can lower business development costs and increase revenue.

Working with a team representing one of several contractors, you’ll cover topics including:

• Analyzing and building knowledge about potential business opportunities
• Understanding competitors and their likely approaches
• Developing strategically sound solutions to the customer’s needs
• Influencing customers to prefer your solution over competitors’

Managing Proposals

Learn essential skills for managing a full proposal or volume in the U.S. federal market space. Develop detailed understating of federal proposal evaluation processes and their impact on proposal planning management.

You will learn to:

• Assess your own proposals like a government evaluation team
• Convert action-based capture strategies into message-based proposal strategies or win themes
• Assign requirements to appropriate authors for coverage in the proposal
• Prepare for and conduct an effective kickoff meeting, including providing clear instructions to authors
• Lead high-performing proposal teams on fast-paced schedules

Writing Proposals

Learn skills related to planning and writing sections in any portion of a proposal. Practice a proven process for planning content and layout of winning proposal sections. You will also learn how to ensure your section will score highly during evaluation through a government evaluation.

You will learn to:

• Plan content using a storyboard to be compliant and implement approved proposal strategies
• Incorporate effective graphics and captions to better communicate messages
• Mockup section layout
• Organize content to be persuasive, write the planned proposal section, and examine the section draft for effectiveness
• Collaborate and coordinate with other team members writing different sections of the proposal

Course Description

Workshop participants learn the Shipley proposal process and how it fits into the business development framework. The skills learned include:

• Assessing your own proposals like a customer evaluation team
• Modeling a proposal kickoff meeting from planning to implementation
• Developing a comprehensive compliance checklist
• Creating a compliant proposal outline
• Assigning requirements to appropriate contributors for coverage in the proposal
• Planning proposal content using storyboard techniques to be compliant and responsive
• Incorporating effective graphics and action captions to better communicate messages
• Organizing proposal content to be persuasive
• Writing the planned proposal section
• Examining the content for effectiveness and compliance

OnDemand Advantages

• Learn at your own pace
• Revisit prior modules, as needed
• Practice key principles with case study exercises
• Test understanding with quizzes and a final exam
• Work toward Shipley Business Winning Certification
• Earn APMP CEUs and PMP PDU units

Featured Modules

Completion Criteria

What you'll learn

Benefits of Shipley OnDemand

With no fixed schedule and ample time to go back and review topics as needed, our on-demand course offers you an effective use of your time and training investment. In addition, our OnDemand— Micro Course provides:

• Reinforcement of key concepts, principles, and best practices contained in Shipley training
• Access to Shipley’s best practice guidebooks for ongoing reference and guidance
• Convenient log-in to learning sites wherever you have web access

Who Should Attend?

• Proposal Managers
• Proposal Developers

• Proposal Writers
• Proposal Contributors

Topics covered

Certification

Below are the credits earned for this course and remaining credits needed to complete Shipley Certification

• Earned: 4 Core Learning Units for Proposal Management and Proposal Writing
• Remaining: 2 Core Learning Units for Capture Management; 4 Elective Learning Units

Cancellation Policy

Change Policy: If you cannot attend a workshop for which you have registered, you may transfer to another workshop of equal value, or you may substitute attendees from your company without penalty.

‍Cancellation Policy: If you cancel your registration, a $75 processing fee will be charged on all cancellations made up to 14 days in advance of the workshop start date. For cancellations made 14 days or less prior to the start of a workshop, a Cancellation Fee of $400 will be charged. If you do not attend a workshop and do not advise us, the full price of registration will be charged. Shipley Associates may cancel a workshop if enrollment is not sufficient and will coordinate your attendance in another workshop.

Discounts

If you register 30 days prior to the start of this workshop, enter EARLYBIRD at checkout to receive $100 off your registration fee!

Active duty military, veterans, and those with certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI) or Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) are eligible for an additional discount. Please contact mprice@shipleywins.com for details and discount code.

Workshop Length

Workshop Material

• Workshop Manual
• Shipley Proposal Guide™

Module Length

Cost

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Training Solutions Tailored to Your Needs: We offer comprehensive training programs on any topics in business development, capture management, proposal management and/or proposal writing. Our solutions are customized to align perfectly with your organization's specific business model, processes, and goals. To ensure optimal results, we conduct complimentary needs assessments for all our corporate clients before designing your training program.

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