The Marine Corps gets straight to the point and you should too
For conferences, the Marine Corps Systems Command, Office of Small Business Programs hands out a small 16-page pamphlet. A small unassuming pamphlet entitled, Doing Business with the Marine Corps. The brochure has a page dedicated specifically to proposal writing titled, “Power up your proposal.” (Federal News Network August 2021)
Within the “Power up your proposal” page, you will find one of the most straightforward guides to proposal writing.
- “Read the solicitation in its entirety multiple times, read and understand the instructions to Offerors, and comply with all of them.”
- “Choose your competitions wisely. Target only those solicitations for products and services in your niche market so that you can increase your probability of success.”
- “Don’t submit quotes or proposals with teaming partners’ logos all over them.”
- “Do not use acronyms without spelling them out first! Do not assume that the proposal evaluators are familiar with a particular acronym unless the acronym was used within the solicitation. When in doubt, spell it out, and provide a definition and/or context for all acronyms.”
- “Constantly review your proposal for grammatical errors. Have different people from diverse backgrounds read your technical proposal for clarity, comprehension, consistency, and conciseness. It is important to submit a proposal that is completely free of errors.” (ibid)
All of the above may seem obvious, however, if overlooked, can mean the difference between having a proposal accepted or rejected.
Have questions or need assistance with your next response to a request for proposal? Give us a call.