John Cook

You have only a few seconds to make a good impression — or risk getting your proposal tossed into the reject pile.

At the March, Atlanta APMP conference, presenter Lisa Pafe defined a Federal Government proposal reviewer’s attention span as about 8 seconds, compared to a “goldfish‘s” attention span of 9 seconds.

She also quoted industry consultant Dave Herndon who said:  “Studies of Government source selection boards found that the typical board member doesn’t understand 75% of what he or she reads in a proposal.”

According to another analogy, a reviewer will look at your proposal like they might view an online dating profile.  They know what they’re looking for in a company, and a few misused words could cost you the job.

I had a client tell me that they bid a job at GSA but lost even though they were low bidder. The Contracting Officer (CO) would not award to them because they had 21 typos. The CO thought the risk was too high, because the QC in their proposal was unacceptable, and there was the fear QC would be the same under the contract.

I had another Federal Executive tell me to “state your capabilities,” since even though they knew our capabilities, “they can only evaluate the written proposal.”

So how does your proposal content attract enough attention to get invited on a first date, i.e., next step in the procurement process?

Here are six little changes that will make a big difference in your wins.

1. Remove fluffy, clichéd, generic or obvious statements.

“I have excellent communication skills, and I am a multi-tasker.” Even if this statement is true, it’s also so overused the reviewer won’t give it a second thought.

2. Remove broad, generic and outdated skills

“I am proficient in Microsoft Office 2007.” Every time you update your capabilities statement, take a careful look at your skills to fix anything that is outdated.

3. Don’t take style risks

Be bold in your presentation but not in your proposal. Italicizing, highlighting or underlining keywords can be distracting.

4. Don’t tell

Don’t just list your accomplishments; rather, show how you exceeded the requirements or saved money.

5. Pay attention to location

Some Federal agencies don’t want to consider any remote support for an opportunity.  A friend who won a job for 25 Acquisition support people is having problems staffing due to unclear requirements — now they require all contractor personnel to work on-site.

Also remember this poem by Rudyard Kipling:

“I kept six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew.

Their names are:

What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.”