Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Businesses Using Knowledge Management to Win Government, Private-Sector, and International Contracts Fourth Edition -- Contents vii -- Acknowledgments xiii -- Introduction xv -- Chapter1 Competitive proposals and small business 1 -- 1.1 Overview 1 -- 1.2 From set-asides to full-and-open competition 7 -- 1.3 Small business constraints 11 -- 1.4 Maximizing small business strengths 11 -- 1.5 SBIR and STTR programs 13 -- 1.6 Organizing your company to acquire new business 16 -- 1.7 Effective strategic and mission planning 22 -- 1.8 Converting knowledge into proposal success 24 -- Endnotes 37 -- Chapter 2 Strategic partnering and subcontracting opportunities 43 -- 2.1 Subcontracting opportunities and pathways to success 44 -- 2.2 Critical success factors 45 -- 2.3 Specific strategies for achieving subcontracts 46 -- 2.4 Becoming part of a governmentwide acquisition contract (GWAC) team 51 -- 2.5 How mentor-protégé programs can help your business 54 -- Endnotes 57 -- Chapter 3 Marketing to and with your clients 59 -- 3.1 More than just selling 59 -- 3.2 Transactions are personal-people buy from people 65 -- 3.3 Listen to your client 66 -- 3.4 Infuse marketing intelligence into your proposal 66 -- 3.5 Intelligence gathering and analysis techniques 68 -- 3.6 Call plans 72 -- 3.7 Maintain management visibility on your contracts 78 -- 3.8 Project managers as client managers 81 -- 3.9 Commercial off-the-shelf acquisition 83 -- 3.10 Pursuing firm-fixed-price and invitationfor- bid opportunities 84 -- 3.11 Using the request for information and the request for comment as valuable marketing tools 85 -- 3.12 Standard Form 129s and contractor prequalification statements 86 -- 3.13 Ethics in marketing and business development 87 -- 3.14 Advertising, trade shows, and high-impact public relations 89 -- Endnotes 95.

Chapter 4 Requests for proposals 97 -- 4.1 Overview 97 -- 4.2 Part I-the schedule 100 -- 4.3 Part II-contract clauses 100 -- 4.4 Part III-list of documents, exhibits, and other attachments 101 -- 4.5 Part IV-representations and certifications 101 -- 4.6 The importance of Section L (instructions to offerors) 101 -- 4.7 Section M (evaluation criteria): toward maximizing your score 104 -- 4.8 Greatest or best-value approach 104 -- 4.9 Emphasis on performance-based acquisition (PBA) 105 -- 4.10 Influencing the content of an RFP-legitimately 107 -- 4.11 Other types of solicitation documents 109 -- Endnotes 110 -- Chapter 5 Private-sector solicitation requests 111 -- 5.1 Grant proposals-winning what you bid 114 -- 5.2 Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) 117 -- Chapter 6 The federal acquisition process: emerging directions 121 -- 6.1 Overview 121 -- 6.2 Statutory and regulatory requirements for competition 122 -- 6.3 The source selection process 123 -- 6.4 Full-and-open competition 126 -- 6.5 Major contract types 127 -- 6.6 Significant recent paradigm shifts in federal government acquisition 128 -- 6.7 Understanding the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) 134 -- Endnotes 142 -- Chapter 7 The proposal life cycle -- 7.1 What is a proposal in the competitive federal and commercial marketplace? 145 -- 7.2 Where does the proposal fit into the total marketing life cycle? 148 -- 7.3 Bid-no bid decision-making process 164 -- 7.4 Planning and organizing 166 -- 7.5 Kickoff meeting 173 -- 7.6 Writing 173 -- 7.7 Major contractor review cycles 178 -- 7.8 Preparing for orals and Final Proposal Revision (FPR) 186 -- 7.9 Debriefings (refer to FAR 15.1003) 187 -- Endnotes 188 -- Chapter 8 Major proposal components 189 -- 8.1 Overview 189 -- 8.2 Transmittal letter 190 -- 8.3 Technical volume 191 -- 8.4 Management volume 199 -- 8.5 Cost volume 208.

8.6 Government contract requirements 210 -- Endnotes 210 -- Chapter 9 Acquisition/capture and proposal team activities 213 -- 9.1 Formation and function of acquisition/ capture teams 213 -- 9.2 Prekickoff activities 215 -- 9.3 Proposal kickoff meeting 217 -- 9.4 Postkickoff activities 223 -- Chapter10 The role of the proposal manager 225 -- 10.1 Overview 225 -- 10.2 Generalized job description 227 -- 10.3 Changing focus of proposal management 236 -- 10.4 Effective solution development 239 -- 10.5 Complementary roles and responsibilities of proposal and capture managers 242 -- 10.6 The growing importance of oral presentations 242 -- 10.7 Attending to the details 247 -- 10.8 Control of the schedule 248 -- 10.9 Training additional staff in proposalmanagement skills 251 -- 10.10 Finish the job at hand 252 -- 10.11 Successful proposal managers 252 -- Endnotes 253 -- Chapter11 Pursuing international business and structuring international proposals 255 -- 11.1 Overview 255 -- 11.2 Where in the world to begin? 256 -- 11.3 The importance of the World Bank Group 258 -- 11.4 Your company's participation in United Nations procurements 262 -- 11.5 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) 263 -- 11.6 Asian Development Bank (ADB) 264 -- 11.7 International market planning 265 -- 11.8 In-country partnerships 267 -- 11.9 Host country procurement environments 268 -- 11.10 Import-export considerations and technology transfer 268 -- 11.11 Risk assessment 269 -- 11.12 Terms and conditions 269 -- 11.13 Ex-Im Bank of the United States assists small businesses 270 -- 11.14 Helpful Web-based resources and in-country support infrastructures for small businesses 272 -- 11.15 British-American Business Council 284 -- 11.16 U.S. Trade and Development Agency 284 -- 11.17 U.S. Agency for International Development 285 -- Endnotes 288.

Chapter 12 Proposal production and publication 291 -- 12.1 Internal documentation standards 293 -- 12.2 Document configuration management and version control 294 -- 12.3 Freelance and temporary publication staff 296 -- 12.4 Incorporating technical brilliance up to the last minute 296 -- 12.5 Graphics are an integral part of your proposal 297 -- 12.6 Role and structure of your publications group 301 -- 12.7 Software and hardware compatibility, standards, and recommendations 302 -- 12.8 Electronic proposal submittal and evaluation 304 -- 12.9 Important documentation tips 305 -- 12.10 Virtual proposal centers, intranets, and extranets 307 -- 12.11 Using freelance proposal writers to maintain technical productivity 311 -- Endnotes 313 -- Chapter 13 Human and organizational dynamics of the proposal process 315 -- 13.1 Modifying our thinking to win 316 -- 13.2 Building a competitive work ethic 317 -- 13.3 Strong link between project performance and proposal success 318 -- 13.4 Past performance-it's more important than you think! 319 -- 13.5 Proposals can be fun! 325 -- 13.6 Maximizing human intellect 325 -- 13.7 Proposal professionals as change agents 328 -- Endnotes 329 -- Chapter 14 Controlling bid and proposal costs 331 -- 14.1 What does it cost to get new business, and how are those costs recovered? 332 -- 14.2 Tracking B&P expenditures 333 -- 14.3 Business development bonus policy 333 -- 14.4 Stretching limited marketing funds 336 -- Endnote 337 -- Chapter 15 Tried-and-true proposal writing and editing techniques 339 -- 15.1 Proposals are knowledge-based sales documents 339 -- 15.2 Active voice adds strength and saves space 342 -- 15.3 Guide the client's evaluators through your proposal 344 -- 15.4 Action captions 346 -- 15.5 Methods of enhancing your proposal writing and editing 347 -- 15.6 Government-recognized writing standards 349.

15.7 Additional sources of writing guidance 350 -- 15.8 Storytelling as an art form 350 -- Endnotes 352 -- Chapter 16 Packaging and managing proposal information and knowledge effectively 353 -- 16.1 Overview 353 -- 16.2 The all-important résumés 354 -- 16.3 Project descriptions (project summaries) 357 -- 16.4 Proposal boilerplate (canned or reuse material) as knowledge assets 359 -- 16.5 Marketing targets 359 -- 16.6 Corporate library 364 -- 16.7 Proposal lessons-learned database 365 -- 16.8 Applying IT solutions: scalable informational data systems 367 -- 16.9 Small business KM success story-this stuff really works! 370 -- 16.10 Leveraging federal performance appraisal systems to your company's benefit 374 -- 16.11 ISO-driven proposal and business development excellence 375 -- Endnotes 379 -- Chapter17 Leveraging business complexity in a knowledge-based economy 381 -- 17.1 Turbulent transition toward knowledge-based business 381 -- 17.2 How to communicate effectively on your knowledge landscape 384 -- 17.3 Envisioning supple business models 387 -- 17.4 Sample application: tracing complexity and KM through the proposal development process 391 -- 17.5 Summation 392 -- Endnotes 393 -- Chapter 18 Planning and producing SF330 responses for architect-engineer services 395 -- 18.1 SF330 and the FAR 395 -- 18.2 Understanding the required structure of the response 396 -- 18.3 Overall strategy of response 403 -- 18.4 Section F: selling your project experience 404 -- 18.5 Section H: structure according to the evaluation criteria 404 -- 18.6 Section H outlining 405 -- 18.7 Subcontractor participation 405 -- 18.8 Building teaming agreements 406 -- Epilogue Thinking to win smallbusiness competitive proposals 411 -- AppendixA Sample proposal kickoff package 415 -- Appendix B Template to capture important résumé information 429.

AppendixC Marketing information and intelligence sources: federal, international, and private sector 435.