Domain 4: Proposals
Posted by Communications2 on Apr. 11, 2024 / Member Resource / Subscribe 0
Improving Communication Will Help Proposal Reviews go More Smoothly
Written by Eric Larson, CPSM | 2023–2024 Director of Membership
There are many articles and trainings covering the proposal process in the AEC industry. And there should be, since proposals are crucial in securing new projects and clients. I have even had the opportunity to present at conferences on our firm's proposal process. The most common questions I get asked when doing these revolve around interaction and communication.
Effective communication is one of the single biggest challenges when working on proposals. This challenge can become even more intense when you add outside firms for a teaming pursuit. There are many reasons for communication breakdowns during a proposal, and despite our best efforts, they're going to happen. So, how do you right the ship when the inevitable happens? Here are some steps that help foster effective communication.
Establish a Hierarchy Early: During every pursuit, opinions on the proposal's direction will be different. Working through conflicting viewpoints can be exponentially more challenging if no one knows who has the final say. To help with this, I identify who has the final say early on, usually during the kickoff meeting. Remember, what is obvious to you may not be apparent to others involved. Before you assume everyone knows, it's best to make sure.
During a recent proposal, we had a technical lead with the best project understanding and strongest middle game, a principal with the most technical knowledge and experience for that type of work, and one of the firm's leaders who understands the overall market as our final reviewers. During our final review, there were differing opinions on how some key points should be handled. Since we knew ahead of time who had the final say, when we had points that people disagreed with, we could make a decision and move on. The discussion was still stressful and frustrating for some people, but we didn't have to waste a lot of time debating who got to make the final call, which helped us move on to the next comment.
Communicate How to Communicate: Everyone has their preferred communication method, including handling proposal reviews. Some people will buy into the process, while others will resist. To help, we talk through our process during the kickoff anytime we have someone unfamiliar with our proposal review process. We include instructions on how to use the tools in our software and what we would like them to focus on at each review stage. One key is to both follow your process and be flexible enough to make it work for others who might not be comfortable with your methods.
A constant challenge on proposals is getting buy-in on our review process—for various reasons. Everyone has their preferred way of doing things. Some like using Word, others prefer Bluebeam, while others like Adobe Acrobat. We always use instructions and discuss how we handle our reviews with anyone unfamiliar with our process. But change can be challenging. I have always tried to work with people to find a compromise that follows our process but still lets people work in a way they feel comfortable.
Some solutions have been to do the first draft and review in Word before putting everything into InDesign. With another person, we vet our content using OneNote pages. He will write the approach and anything else needed for the proposal, and then his team can review it. Once it's been reviewed, the marketing team brings the content into InDesign, and we do the reviews according to our process. These variations may seem like we are bypassing our process or making things more challenging. But what actually happened is that both sides found a way to compromise—as a result, we had a better proposal process and, ultimately, a better proposal.
Set Clear Expectations: The previous two steps contribute to setting expectations; now you must build on them. Outline the pursuit schedule, writing assignments, and how you will handle exchanging information. Doing this lets people know what they need to do and when so they can prepare and adjust their schedules if needed. It also gets their commitment early in the process, which can help with buy-in as you go through the proposal.
This step might be the easiest to do but the hardest to follow through on. Most people are willing to commit to tasks that help their proposal. But many times, project deadlines and life get in the way. Many times when our reminders (aka pestering) aren't getting results, I have had to go back to the technical lead or a supervisor to enlist their help to encourage people to fulfill their commitments. Our leaders were more willing to provide support because we discussed and documented what was needed and when it was due.
Control Your Emotions: Anytime you do something that requires as much effort as a proposal, you naturally become emotionally involved. As people comment, constructive criticism can quickly start feeling like a personal attack on your hard work. It's also common for reviewers to become emotional when defending their viewpoints. But whatever happens, it's vital for the proposal manager to control their emotions. After all, you've put a lot of effort into getting the proposal to its current state. To have it ripped apart can be brutal. But remember, you're supposed to be the professional facilitator. Once you start reacting emotionally, others will follow your lead. Likewise, if you talk through the comments calmly and rationally, most people will be calmer. As hard as it is, we must be the calming influence. As you're doing this, pay attention to your tone. The phrase "it's not what you said, but how you said it" is very relevant when talking through review comments.
A few years ago, I led a proposal for one of our company's leaders, who was serving as the technical lead. During one of the reviews, the technical lead grew frustrated that some of his ideas weren't possible to implement because they conflicted with the guidelines in the RFP. During the discussion, he became increasingly agitated. He pushed harder and harder, and I had to push back. While I wanted to match or even one-up his aggressiveness, I remained calm. I didn't back down, but I stayed calm and discussed why some things didn't work and the possible alternatives. He still left frustrated when the review meeting ended, but we had a clear direction. Later that day, he came and apologized for how he had handled the meeting and thanked me for my approach. What could have turned into a yelling match ended up being a great moment where we both gained respect for each other.
Proposals can be rough, and you may feel like you just went 12 rounds with a heavyweight fighter afterward. But by taking simple steps to improve communication, the fight can feel less overwhelming.
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