Proposal Writing
Bid content creation for all elements and sections of a proposal: how to write and design layouts, executive summaries, cover letters, and other components.
How to Proofread Bid Documents: Tips, Tools & Checklist
Learn how and why it's important not to overlook editing and proofreading bid documents from the experts at The Bid Lab.
Should Your Bid Responses Include a Project Timeline?
When exploring bids, proposals, and other competitive contract opportunities for your business, you’ve likely seen more than a few Requests for Proposals (RFPs), bids, grants, and other solicitations that required vendors to submit a project implementation timeline with their proposal response.
RFP Graphics: Using Imagery to Elevate Proposals
It’s often challenging to convey complex information without losing audience attention. By using RFP graphics, you can ensure overstimulated reviewers engage with your proposal. In this article, we’ll discuss how to engage your inner RFP design expert to help you gain a competitive edge.
Writing Successful Key Staff Summaries for Your Next RFP
When responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP), presenting key staff summaries well can make or break a proposal response. Key staff summaries are a commonly required component of many bids. It’s nearly as common as references, a cover letter, and an executive summary! This part of the proposal not only highlights the qualifications and…
How to Build an RFP Response Template
Gathering bid responses for an RFP can be chaotic! Collecting technical information from SMEs, verifying certifications, and having legal teams review terms and conditions are all part of the RFP response process.
References for RFPs: A How-to Guide
Almost all RFPs, RFIs, and RFQs will request references as part of your proposal submission. So, selecting the right professional references for inclusion in an RFP.
RFP Buzzwords: Eliminating Stale Language From Bid Proposals
Have you ever been in a meeting where you feel everyone in the room is speaking a different language, and you’re the only one who’s out of the loop? RFP buzzwords, jargon, verbiage, industry glossary lingo, government bid rhetoric, policy speak; whatever you call it, we all encounter it on a daily basis. RFP buzzwords are…
RFP Proposal Writer: How to Write Like an RFP Expert
Whether you’re a small company or a major firm, you might need to purchase a product or service from an external source. That means shopping around. An RFP will give you a chance to collect offers from various vendors. But once you’ve found your perfect procurement opportunity (maybe you found it through Bid Banana, the…
How to Organize Original Documents and Forms of Solicitation
Once we have found an RFP that our team is qualified to compete for, our first step is simply to understand what the entity has provided through the original documents and forms of solicitation. Often, the issuing body will list their postings on their website, especially if a government agency sends them. These listings will…
Get an RFP Editor to Tackle Your RFP!
All Writers Need Editors! The most ironic part about mistakes is that many people have a more difficult time seeing their own. This is also true when it comes to writing. Writers might roll their eyes when editors say, “You need an editor.” They may think editors are just attempting to drum up business for…
Cover Letter: From Uneasy to Breezy
Writing a great cover letter can be an overwhelming experience. Much like the intimidation of the blank page, the pressure of ensuring the cover letter is perfect can make even the most seasoned business owners feel like a ‘noob.’ When tasked with drafting a cover letter, you end up stuck with a serious case of…
RFP Content Portfolio to Simplify Your RFP Responses
Few documents intimidate the uninitiated, like a blank Request for Proposals or RFP. More often than not, the team creating the response has a great deal of experience in their field but little with crafting a competitive, informative, and visually engaging proposal. Here The Bid Lab offers insights on preparing a Content Portfolio to make…
Content for RFP Responses: Leverage Content for Bid Proposals
A blank RFP document can be daunting at first glance! Yet, the truth is your company has been accumulating RFP response content since forming your business. You’ve created countless useful content documents, including employee handbooks, portfolios, your website, blog posts, and client testimonials. This previously created information can be used to answer the most common…
Writing a Successful RFP Executive Summary
A compelling RFP executive summary can help set a proposal apart from the competition. Why is that? Because it’s one of the few parts of the unpredictable, sometimes restrictive RFP process where the proposer can unfurl their full story and strategy for the evaluator. Here’s how to use an RFP executive summary to ensure your…
RFP Cover Letter: The Dos and Don’ts
You’re not alone if you feel like completing RFPs is a never-ending process. Time, research and planning all take an organized effort from your team. There are myriad documents to assemble and requirements to meet. But, just when you think you’re finally finished, you may realize that you’re forgetting that all-important ‘first impression’: your RFP…
Writing an RFP During the Coronavirus
During the Covid pandemic, very few aspects of our personal and professional lives have gone unaffected. Social distancing, remote work and economic changes are yielding new developments in how we work and conduct business. With all of these changes, you may find it challenging to manage an RFP response on your own. Writing an RFP doesn’t…
RFP Layout: Tips to Design Bids Exactly Right
When your organization offers the best products or services, getting the RFP layout of your bid response right can mean the difference between a winning bid and missing out on new business. Your bid must be 100% responsive to the Request for Proposals (RFP). A clear RFP structure is key to highlighting your responsiveness without…
Great RFP? Here’s the Secret Recipe
Wolfgang Puck calls a great chef “a mixture of artistry and craft.” The same can be said for managing a successful Request for Proposals (RFP) response. Just as a cook blends passion and flavors, a great RFP response needs many ingredients to create the perfect RFP recipe! At The Bid Lab, we’re cooking up choice…
5 Tips and Tools for Creating Amazing RFP Responses
An amazing RFP response can provide additional revenue streams for your business. Are you an expert in your field? Do you know your organization is ready to provide an expert-level product? If so, the world of Request for Proposals (RFPs) is a lucrative ecosystem you can’t afford to ignore. But in this bustling, competitive world…
How Do I Write a Scope of Work for an RFP?
A Scope of Work (SOW) is a fundamental piece of a Request for Proposal (RFP) and describes what the company is looking to achieve as a result of the RFP. The SOW helps ensure that the product or service meets the company’s needs and establishes the parameters of what could be included in the resulting…
Here’s What to Include in an RFP Cover Letter
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The same is true when responding to Request for Proposal (RFP) opportunities. A successful RFP response establishes its tone immediately through a well-thought-out cover letter. RFP cover letters include an overview detailing why your organization is best suited to meet the issuer’s needs. An…
What Makes a Perfect RFP Writer?
The Request for Proposal (RFP) process – or how organizations source, evaluate, and acquire goods and services – used to be a pretty archaic ordeal. Think binders slowly making their way through the mail, typewriters bleeding ink, and warehouses full of questionnaires piled as high as the eye can see.
Why You Need an RFP Writer
Your organization needs to build a new website. You’ve been chosen to spearhead the project. Now, it’s time to build a Request for Proposal (RFP) – and of course, you’ve never done this before! What is an RFP? How do you even construct one? Where do you look for help?
How to Write a Winning Bid
You have to respond to an RFP or other type of bid request. It’s not always enjoyable but it’s easier when you have a solid, strong chance of being selected. What can you do to not just respond…but to WIN?