Compliant Proposals: Getting it Right
What is compliancy in a proposal?
Proposal compliance refers to the process of ensuring that a proposal meets all the requirements and guidelines set forth by the requesting organization or regulatory body. This includes adhering to specific formatting, content, and submission criteria to ensure that the proposal is considered valid and competitive.
Review the bid and follow the proposal instructions carefully
Take time to do some research and find any data or graphics that can help support your proposal and showcase that your solution has sound reasoning behind it. Approaching your proposal with supporting documentation will help drive a strong content narrative.
Grab a highlighter, a pen (preferably not black, so it will not blend in with the text on the bid), and post-it notes/flags. This is an active exercise. Highlight requirements, circle, underline, and number each requirement, and mark who will be responsible for the requirements. Utilize Post-it notes/flags and flag the pages for easy future reference.
As you go through the bid, indicate specific requests such as page limitations (overall limits as well as section limitations), proposal submission order, due dates and times, submission for questions, and submission of the complete proposal.
Develop a compliance matrix
A compliance matrix will keep you honest throughout the proposal process. This is the hub of all compliance and also your proposal outline. These matrices can be created in Word and Excel. See our sample compliance matrix below!
| Bid Section # | Our Section # | Proposal Section | Responsible | Requirement(s) | Page Limit | Due Date | Additional Comments |
| Executive Summary | Executive Summary | Julie | 2 | 9/28 | |||
| 4.1 | 1.0 | Pricing | Roger | Provide all costs associated with project completion. (development, implementation, travel, meetings, project management) | 3 | 9/3 | Utilize IRS rates for mileage and use four star hotel estimates for lodging. |
| 4.3 | 2.0 | Past Performance | April | Include 3 references, including name, phone, email, company, and similar scope of work | 5 | 9/1 | Pull from the last proposal we submitted |
| 4.3 | 3.0 | Technical Requirements | Keith | Identify technical specifications necessary to complete work within desired timeframe. | 10 | 9/1 | |
| 4.4 | 4.0 | Management Plan | Lynsey | Describe your management structure, processes, reporting requirements, contingency plan | 15 | ||
| 4.5 | 5.0 | Company Information | Stephanie | Include ownership structure, organization chart, years in business, financial solvency. | 3 | Utilize our boil plate information on the server |
Utilize your outline
When developing your proposal content, start by outlining your document with the section and sub-section headings from your compliance matrix. Include the RFP language and any supporting research documents under each heading. This way, as you create content, you’ll know precisely what to address but also ensure nothing is missed.
You can also utilize your outline with RFP language for when you evaluate your response. Once you have completed your content, you can cross check it for RFP compliancy.
A winning proposal requires an organized approach that results in detailed responses to all the topics requested in the RFP in the proper order and format. When you establish a standard process for analyzing and dissecting your RFPs, and utilizing a compliance checklist to adhere to throughout each stage of your response, you will be prepared to develop your compelling and compliant proposal.
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