Recent procurement abuse incidents, including inter-agency contracting problems, Iraq rebuilding scandals, Katrina contracting problems, and misuse of congressional dollars, have refocused the federal government on whether or not procurement reform has gone too far. We will undoubtedly see a new emphasis on full and open competition until the latest Congressional scrutiny of competitive rules and procedures subsides once again.

Because of the government's recent focus on open competition, more proposals will be required from contractors. Furthermore, there will be an emphasis on the necessity for the submittal of technical proposals for task orders under MAS contracts like GSA schedules. In spite of recent developments, contractors must keep in mind that that sales must still be made well in advance of the issuance of the Request for Proposal (RFP). The end result is that contractors are going to have to write proposals to close the deals they have partially or completely sold to end users ahead of the bidding process.

REASONS PROPOSALS ARE UNPOPULAR

• Writing proposals creates tension and worry because your company could lose a deal that it has already sold; in other words, they put your deal at risk.
• They have a negative impact upon a corporation's profitability. Your technical staff is devoted to writing proposals rather than billing their time on an existing contract.
• Most companies are not set up to handle proposal preparation without a resulting strain on the resources of the company.
• Proposals demand a level of organization, management, and procedural detail that doesn't exist in most companies.
• It is difficult to find talent that can write winning technical approaches (customer solutions). Furthermore, those who can do so often dislike the task.
• Proposal managers are sometimes thought of as the solution to the writing dilemma and they are a critical factor in writing winning proposals. However, proposal managers often lack a command of the subject matter needed to write the solution to the customer's problem.
• Most companies turn to their technical staff to write the solution content and usually (but not always) they don't have the writing or creative skills to write solutions that sell.
• Surprisingly, management consulting, information technology, and business process companies experience the same problems as contractors in other industry sectors.

Perhaps some of the issues described above apply to your situation. We suggest that you write fewer proposals and place an emphasis on quality and winning. Write proposals for the deals you have sold, not the deals that "are made for you" when you see them in FedBizOpps. Don't try to write "on the cheap." Single out the good writers and provide them with monetary incentives based on your success rate. Take them off the customer clock and give them the time to write (triple what you estimate it will take). Install the systems and procedures required for effective proposal development. Essentially, this means organizing the proposal to the greatest extent possible. Doing this one thing properly will save untold dollars in lost revenue because it minimizes unbillable time. Further, it results in high quality, consistent content in situations where multiple writers are involved.