- Decreasing the number of full-time personnel
- Taking a more careful look at selecting which programs to bid
- Finding a source of consultant personnel
Companies seeking a source of consultant support have two commonly used options:
- Hire independent consultants – This option is cheaper. However, many companies find it inconvenient, because they have to in effect become a proposal services agency. And this involves identifying and qualifying a cadre of talent that can be employed on an as needed basis.
- Selecting a proposal consultant agency
Following below are some of the factors a company would want to consider in selecting an agency:
- Does the consultant group have a corporate character and “feel” that is compatible with your company? These factors are hard to put in words but easy to sense in a personal meeting.
- Does the group have a demonstrated responsive service delivery capability? For example, can they deliver qualified consultants within your typical time frames?
- If your group does not have an efficient proposal process, can the consultant group provide a good process?
- Do they have a deep bench of talent in the labour categories you will use?
- Do they have a pricing scale that is compatible with your needs?
- Do they have a record of helping to win a lot of contracts?
In a best of all possible worlds there would be no need to downsize a proposal group. However, in the real world successful groups step up and do what they have to do.
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