Top 4 Tips for Writing Strong Proposal Narrative

In my last post, I wrote about the importance of a strong introduction and how it sets up each proposal section for success. The next component of a proposal section is the most important to the evaluator – the approach. In short, this is where you are scored. A poorly written or poorly structured approach leaves an evaluator little choice but to give your proposal a low score. Even worse, your proposal may be tossed out completely. How can we put together compelling narrative to maximize our score? Here are four key tips to boosting your chances for success.

tip 1. have something to say.

All too often, writing the first draft of a proposal section begins with copying and pasting the “shall” statements from the technical requirements. The writer then simply changes all the “shall” statements to “will” and considers that the first draft.

Simply repeating the requirements without adding anything about how you are doing the work provides a poor response. In most Federal bids, the solicitation specifically states reiterating the requirements results in a non-responsive bid and is scored unacceptable. In the commercial space, only saying you will do what you are asked demonstrates no initiative and does not highlight the firm’s capabilities and value proposition.

An approach section needs to speak to your approach. It needs to provide insight into what you bring to the table and what the client can expect from your firm. Therefore, make sure the writers are given clear direction and information to allow them to create this type of content.

tip 2. write how not what.

This tip dovetails perfectly with Tip 1. A lot of proposal sections provide a clear “what we are going to do.” Often, this parallels the solicitation’s technical requirements with little content added (as discussed in Tip 1).

A winning, high-scoring proposal section does not say WHAT the offeror will do, but describes HOW it will be done. This is a subtle, yet critical, difference. The “what” simply provides a description of the type of work expected. The “how” describes a process – often a step-by-step workflow that provides clear detail on what the client can expect from your firm. To illustrate the difference, for the requirement “the Contractor shall provide all documentation to the Government within 3 days of approval,” here is an example of each type of writing.

The “how” narrative clearly describes the process and easily allows the evaluator to not simply “check the box” but provides details that can translate into potential strengths.

tip 3: identify and highlight strengths and benefits.

The worst result of any proposal section is for the evaluator to read it and say, “so what?” A good proposal section should articulate a clear benefit to the client. Often, these benefits fall into three categories: reducing risk, reducing time, and reducing cost. Of course, a lot of specifics can fall within those three buckets. Writers need to provide details on what benefit(s) the solution provides.

However, the benefit needs to be something the client actually needs. It doesn’t matter how great your solution is if it doesn’t solve the client’s problem. Writers should refer to the provided capture materials provided to gain information on hot buttons and pain points. If that material does not exist, then writers should take the initiative. Researching both the client (using publicly available data) and the benefits of the solution for other clients can provide additional benefits to include in the section.

tip 4 – keep it simple.

There are two main reasons to keep your writing simple and focused. First, there is a likelihood that you have at least one evaluator who is not an expert on this topic. Providing too much detail can cause a reader to glaze over and lose your strengths in a complicated narrative. Secondly, you only have a limited amount of space. Page count is at a premium on most proposals. To keep narrative short and simple:

• Begin with the page count in mind. Write based on the space you have. Your first draft should be within 10% of the allocated page count
• Don’t use jargon. You likely will have at least one non-technical evaluator reviewing your section. You need to make sure they can easily score your compliance and strengths Therefore, try to use basic, general language over field-specific jargon
• Minimize acronyms. Overuse of acronyms in a paragraph can make your reviewer get lost in the letter jumble and forget your actual meaning, even if there is an acronym list in the proposal
• Use active voice. Writing in the active voice is more powerful and often takes less space. It makes you sound like an authority without requiring a lot of explanation
• Use short sentences. People better understand ideas if they can grasp the sentence’s purpose easily. This is best accomplished with shorter (less than 20 word) sentences

conclusion.

The approach is the most important section for the evaluator; it is how your proposal is ultimately scored. Therefore, sections need to clearly and easily highlight the key points and strengths. In sum, we need to follow the advice of British writing legend George Orwell from his “Politics and the English Language”:

“Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. Never use the passive where you can use the active. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. Break any of these rules soon than say anything outright barbarous.”

This is the first in a new series entitled “Better Proposal Writing.” For all the posts in this series, click here.

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