Big Picture Perspectives
Is a go/no-go decision made before or after the RFP is released?
After.
After a go/no-go decision is made and a proposal team is in place, what is the first pen-to-paper exercise of the proposal process?
OUTLINING
Memorable and compelling reasons to choose ICF repeated in a proposal are known as what?
Win themes
True or false: Proposals are meant to be written as more of a technical document than a story.
False. They need to flow!
Name 3 roles/responsibilities of a proposal team. (+ 50 for every role beyond 3)
Champion, Proposal Manager, SMEs, Technical Lead, Budget Lead, Editor, Coordinator, Writer.
When writing a proposal, what is the most important thing to consider?
The Client!
What is the biggest advantage of outlining?
It saves time!
Should win themes first appear in the cover letter or executive summary of a proposal?
Cover letter
True or false: Graphics should not be included in proposals because they are unprofessional and take up space.
False! Graphics keep readers engaged and can be used to highlight important features of the proposal.
True or False: when assigned to a proposal team, you should preserve your time by reading just the RFP sections that pertain to your specific writing assignment.
False. Always read the entire RFP!
What are the three colors used to identify different review stages of a proposal?
Blue, Red, and Gold
Which part of a proposal should always be included: the Cover Letter or the Executive Summary?
Cover Letter!
True or false: Win Themes often make great paragraph introduction sentences for the Cover Letter.
True
What is the difference between active voice and passive voice?
In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject is the recipient of the action.
Difference between a feature and a benefit?
Feature is a detail about the product or service.
Benefit is what a customer gets out of it, positive experience for customer.
What percentage of completion should be achieved for when Red team drafts are due?
95%
Project issues should be addressed in which section of the proposal?
Approach
What is the maximum number of win themes that should be integrated into a proposal?
5
Name 3 types of information graphics are commonly used to present information.
Benefits, proof points, schedules, maps and geographical information, process and flow charts.
What is it called when a client need overlaps with an ICF benefit?
A differentiator.
On average, a client will spend no more than how many minutes reviewing a proposal submission?
30 minutes
What is the difference between Scope of Work and Approach?
Scope is what you are going to be doing, Approach is how you are going to be doing it.
What are the three parts of the anatomy of a win theme?
Addresses a need, offers a differentiator, describes a benefit
What is a normalized verb?
A verb that has been turned into a noun.
What are the three simultaneous pathways occurring during the proposal writing process?
Pricing, Contracts, Content