Benefits of Proposal Outsourcing
Though many larger companies may have dedicated pursuit or proposal teams who follow a consistent proposal development process, most small to medium-sized businesses do not. Time and again, they are caught scrambling to find the time, the leadership, and the dedicated resources (content contributors) to craft persuasive, winning responses to issued tenders (i.e, an RFP, RFQ or RFI). This is where specialized proposal writing and management firms can be of tremendous value as they enhance a company’s business development efforts in a tangible, targeted manner that alleviates stress ensuring a professional proposal is submitted.
Below we outline seven concrete ways outsourcing proposal management delivers value to small and medium-sized businesses.
7 Benefits of Outsourcing Proposal Management:
1. On-Demand, Cost-Effective Support
Retaining a team of dedicated proposal writers in anticipation of occasional proposal efforts is not a financially viable option for many. The demand for these services is variable. The expenses incurred – both from cost and labour perspectives – should be as well. When you outsource your proposal efforts, your costs are 100% variable and based on your temporary needs. And this way, you avoid the fixed, monthly cost of dedicated full-time employees and free up headcount for more fixed roles dedicated to your company’s specific growth goals (e.g., sales and marketing, product development etc.).
2. Skillset Specialization
When you outsource your proposal management, you secure a dedicated team of experts. This team is typically comprised of a proposal (or project) manager, editor, writer, graphic designer, brand strategist etc. for a specific effort and a finite time span. They facilitate the entire proposal process, from bid qualification to bid submission. An outsourced professional proposal team will stick-handle everything from project management, team communications, design, and, when required, printing, to ultimately deliver a polished, winning proposal to your prospective client.
3. Capacity
In contrast to companies, who scramble to commit resources for periodic proposal efforts, forced to improvise their way through the often complex tender process, an outsourced proposal management team is always ready and equipped. Outsourced teams are dedicated to proposal development and rely on their experience and proven methodologies to help clients develop and deliver a professional proposal that demonstrates your company’s credentials in the best possible light.
Some larger, outsourced proposal management firms complete five to 10 proposals every month and successfully deliver hundreds of proposals annually. This focus and volume informs and continually improves the creation of effective content and win strategies, for successful submissions. As a result, they can leverage their extensive expertise, proven processes, professional writing, editorial and design services to drive the creation of a compelling proposal that hopefully generates new business for you, their client.
3. Accountability
In your company, employees may be reluctant to hold other proposal team members accountable, particularly senior management, which can be detrimental to proposal creation.
When you outsource to a proposal management firm, you hire an organization paid to ensure everyone is accountable. Retained for their objectivity and professionalism, these companies can confidently and persuasively solicit the required input from all levels of management. They will keep every proposal team member accountable to the schedule and commitments, alleviating this responsibility from the client and dedicating the necessary time and focus to the proposal effort. This helps ensure the very best proposal is submitted on time and with as little stress as possible.
4. Broad Industry Exposure
Outsourced proposal management firms have provided services to many different industries acquiring an expansive knowledge base and comprehensive understanding of industry best practices. As a result, they can leverage this experience to develop strong narratives using industry-specific language that resonates with the intended audience and tells a compelling story of your company. Where many companies rely on boilerplate for proposal narratives, with little time or attention paid to tailoring the content to the opportunity, an outsourced proposal team can ensure proposal content is original or effectively customized and targeted to the prospective client or RFP. They also understand the complexities and detailed requirements set forth in many tender documents and will ensure all criteria are met.
5. Streamlined Processes and Tools
The dedicated and extensive experience of outsourced proposal management services ensures a streamlined proposal development process. These dedicated firms employ best practices developed over many proposal efforts, combining them with operational efficiencies and the latest library tools (e.g., RFPIO, Loopio, Qvidian etc.), to consistently craft winning proposals in a timely fashion using proven methods. In addition, they also employ the latest practices and relevant trends for RFP response management.
6. Winning Strategy Framework
With their broad industry experience, outsourced proposal management teams help clients articulate their value proposition, competitive advantage, and target market. In collaboration with the client, the outsourced proposal team gains valuable insight into the client’s value, situation, pain points and the opportunity at hand. This information helps clients articulate winning themes, identify their value proposition and craft a winning strategy framework for proposal development that will endure and apply to subsequent efforts.
Conclusion
Outsourcing proposal management to companies who specialize in proposal writing may be your best path to proposal success. Doing so is a simple, stress-free way of enhancing your company’s business development efforts while alleviating the pressure on your own resources.
If this seems like a viable solution to your RFP challenges, consider engaging the services of The Proposal Lab – your one-stop, proposal management solution. And enjoy the benefits of proposal outsourcing.