The following is a guest post by Melissa Palmer, Vice President of Proposals at Strategic Growth Advisors, GovContractPros’ sister company.
Every year the federal government spends billions of dollars on goods and services. There are many opportunities for small businesses to get involved in bidding competitions for these government contracts. Understanding what GovCon proposal support entails is crucial to small business success. When the federal government releases any public procurement data, the bidding process can produce a vast amount of competition. So how do businesses form a winning track record to secure these difficult-to-land contracts?
Strategic Growth Advisors (SGA) has taken their expertise and experience in Proposal Support and answered key questions every small business should consider in pursuing government contracts. We will also look at how on-demand hybrid proposal support gives small businesses a competitive edge as opposed to traditional proposal resources and how it offers efficiencies and flexibility, not available by hiring fulltime resources.
What services should I expect from your proposal support team?
Whether you are building your proposals in-house or are leaning on proposal experts, a full- spectrum proposal team should provide the following:
1. Proposal Management
2. Proposal Writing & Editing
3. Subject Matter Expertise
4. Desktop Publishing
5. Compliance
6. Graphics
7. Editing
8. Review Support
9. Bid/No-Bid Analysis
Why should I consider supplementing my existing in-house proposal team?
The quality of your proposal submissions is one of the most crucial factors in gaining government contracting opportunities. This is one area where a serious small business should not cut corners. It is important to evaluate how successful you have been or would like to be in winning federal jobs. Small businesses don’t have the luxury of cutting corners or being wasteful. A lot of times, a bid/no-bid decision comes down to resource bandwidth and potential contracts with high probability of a win are left on the table. Supplementing your proposal team can seem intimidating or intrusive. Bringing in the right resources, who are flexible to each clients’ needs, respectful of what works and what doesn’t, and pleasant to work with, can propel the company into more wins and exponential growth.
Our team is available as a full spectrum offering and as a la carte support. At the end of the day, you are the expert in what your business needs. SGA’s proposal professionals support businesses of any size, with any level of internal resources in place. We assist small businesses with no proposal resources and understanding of the proposal process or can supplement large businesses that currently have in-house personnel. The ultimate decision to bring in external support lies in where you want your business to focus its efforts. SGA believes small businesses should focus on what they do best, and their proposal experts will navigate the potential opportunities you can win and apply those strengths.
Are there different levels of proposal support?
As with many other consulting support offerings, proposals are not a “one-size-fits-all” type of effort. Some government contracting opportunities may require a full team to support a proposal and others may only need an editor or reviewer to ensure you have the pieces in place to be successful.
Traditional proposal efforts have required full-time resources to work in-house to fulfill a full- service proposal role. For established businesses with larger budgets, this approach may fit well. However, in a world where emerging small businesses are working to establish their contracting footprint and be as budget conscious as possible, an on-demand proposal support team may fit the need better.
SGA stands apart in this hybrid gap as a unique team of experts that is fluid and flexible. On- demand, hybrid proposal support teams work with you to determine the most efficient and effective solution for each unique proposal effort. They bring in the key players for each opportunity on an as-needed basis. The process is quicker, resources can usually be applied within a day, and they support proposal needs at a fraction of the cost.
Isn’t it expensive to outsource proposal support?
Traditional proposal consultants have historically been very expensive. Emerging, hybrid proposal teams have developed a structure that makes proposal support more efficient, reasonable, and affordable. This structure is offered to all businesses, large and small, and allows access to the customized support you need to build your business. Customers have full visibility into the cost of each project, up front. And expenditures against the estimates are transparent and detailed. In today’s day and age, we do not see the benefit of paying for one proposal manager at an exorbitant rate, when you can have access to an on-demand proposal team custom fit to each opportunity. In addition to a right-sized team, we apply just what you need in terms of tools and processes to provide a quality end product, with realistic efficiency.
I want to focus on what I know best and leave the proposals to the experts. What now?
When choosing a firm to support your proposal needs, look for a team who can qualify your opportunities, guide the proposal development process, develop compelling and compliant content, submit your proposals to the customers, provide post-submission reviews & analysis, and provide thorough knowledge management. Contact us at proposals@stratgrowthadvisors.com to learn how our proposal services can be tailored to what your business needs. Our quick start process is easy and doesn’t cost you a thing.
Learn more about what makes a winning proposal at GovContractPros & Strategic Growth Advisors’ joint webinar on November 10 at 1 PM EST.
Register Here
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