Developing Proposals Responding to an RFP to establish a contract

Proposals as Persuasion  We write proposals to persuade audiences to act in a particular way: –To fund a project (e.g. asking a granting agency such as NSF to fund your research) –To approve a project (e.g. asking a manager within your department to approve a process modification) –To accept a product (e.g. trying to win a contract for a specific job)

Elements of Persuasion  When responding to a request for proposals (RFP), you need to convince them of several things: –That you understand the need defined by the client –That your proposed project meets that need –That your project is viable –That the benefits outweigh the costs –That you are capable of completing the project  Bottom Line: Do the benefits (tangible and intangible) outweigh the costs?

Expectations: Proposal Structures  Summary (Problem Statement, Executive Summary)– –Brief statement of the need, the project (scope of work), the benefits, and the costs –Provide the “big picture” or “bottom line” to someone who may not read the rest of the document

Expectations: Proposal Structures  Statement of Need – an explanation of why the work needs to be done –Contract proposals: Review of RFP & client-defined needs –Prior work (research, archives, available data)

Expectations: Proposal Structures  Project Description: Scope of Work –Design constraints: Practical matters that govern the possible design options –Deliverables: Concrete, measurable outcomes –Justification: How deliverables meet need –Benefits: Why your plan is best

Expectations: Proposal Structures  Safety, Regulatory, and Environmental Considerations –External factors that influence the design –Laws the design must conform to –Ethical considerations that must be considered

Expectations: Proposal Structures  Project Design –Implementation: Project Plan (phases, big picture) –Schedule: Detailed work plan (Gantt Chart  Project Evaluation –Mechanisms to determine success

Structure of Proposals (cont’d)  Literature Review –Provides necessary background –Demonstrates your understanding of the problem –Reviews information necessary for developing effective solutions

Knowing Your Audience  To persuade an audience to act, you need to first analyze that audience: –Who makes the final decision? –What is the audience’s knowledge base? –Why does the audience care? What is their stake in the outcome? –What are the criteria (explicit and implicit) for decision-making? –What constrains the decision? –Is the decision merit-based or competitive? –What biases, values, predispositions, etc. does your audience have?

Knowing Your Tools  Winning proposals rely on three types of appeals: –Appeals to Logic … support your claims with the “facts” of the case –Appeals to Emotion … support your claims by connecting your work to your audience’s value or beliefs –Appeals to Credibility … support your claims by helping the audience believe you

Tips for Developing Content  Review all relevant documents from your audience  Research information to support both the need and the project description  Brainstorm all possible benefits and costs, and highlight those most important to your audience

Effective Research/Design Proposals….  Support the need for the project with a review of the relevant literature  Provide a concrete set of deliverables in response to the need  Demonstrate a well-thought-out approach to meeting the need  Give the reader confidence in the investigators knowledge and ability  Clearly account for all spending requests  Build common ground with the audience…

Building Common Ground  To reach your audience, you need to think and write on their terms: –Use your audience’s language –Explain all unfamiliar terms –Read between the lines and address the audience’s values as well as their stated needs or expectations

Making Your Proposal Readable  Use meaningful headings and subheadings to organize your text –Meaningless: Literature Review –Meaningful: Tillage Research in Undeveloped Countries since 1990  Use lists to help highlight key information –Deliverables –Critical needs –Benefits  Use graphics to illustrate key concepts  Use tables and charts to illustrate plans –Schedule –Budget

Making Your Prose Concise  Go for the verb –Avoid passive voice  The dog was walked by me.  I walked the dog. –Avoid nominalization  The committee makes a recommendation…  The committee recommends –Avoid expletive construction  There are five factors that influence…  Five factors influence  Cut overblown phrases – S_wordyphrases.html S_wordyphrases.htmlhttp:// S_wordyphrases.html