Capital T Engineering

Planning, Understanding & Executing

Weaknesses

  • Interpreting the RFP:

    scope of work & matching to core functions

    types of documents required

    past performance necessary

    when to team

  • Waiting until the deadline is looming

  • Limited English writing skills

  • Communication skills

  • Responsiveness

Capital T’s Story

Capital T Engineering and Laurel Rock began their relationship as likely partners for a large municipal contract in the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia area).  However, working together revealed that the account managers needed guidance and support.

Proposals are time-sensitive. Period.  Once released, it’s a dedicated sprint to compile all the documents, write the narratives, check the boxes, and submit the offer on time.  Our friends at Capital T did not allow adequate time for opportunities they wanted to pursue, due to a lack of understanding the effort involved.

Inexperience or misreading the RFP led to Laurel Rock receiving resumes without the relevant experience, case studies that did not correspond to the personnel suggested, and other mis-fires. Ultimately, it was decided to change our partnership to a mentorship and support Capital T’s account managers.

Strengths

  • Established Engineering and Architectural firm in operation for 16+ years

  • Excellent reputation

  • Diverse portfolio of services

  • MBE/DBE/WBE certifications

  • Utilize latest technologies for client projects

  • Qualified engineers and architects on staff

  • Over 2500 projects successfully completed

Immediate Needs

  • Clear understanding of previous performance

  • Internal capabilities assessment

  • Familiarity with key personnel’s expertise

  • Creating a manageable timeline for proposal responses

  • Support in drafting and editing narratives

Winning Outcomes

  • Did not submit a proposal that was less than Rock-Solid

  • Strengthened relationship with Capital T associates

  • Looking ahead to new partnership opportunities

  • Greater insight into pairing experience, individual and corporate, with scope of work in an RFP

  • More responsive partner

Rock Solid Solutions

  • Instructed account managers in breaking down RFP requirements

  • Review key personnel for each opportunity and past performance to comply with proposal requirements

  • Advise on bid/no bid opportunities, freeing up time for core functions

  • Managing the proposal life cycle: creating a schedule and submitting on time

  • Edit resumes, technical volumes and narratives for proposals

FAQs

What are the steps to creating a proposal response?

  • Determining needs/ breaking down the solicitation
  • Writing: technical and narrative portions, past performance, references
  • Distributing: getting all the pieces to the main stakeholders
  • Evaluating: do the components address the requirements in the RFP?
  • Compiling: get the licenses, certifications and other necessary forms and documents
  • Formatting: there are reasons your response needs to follow the formatting guidelines
  • Submitting the response ON TIME

Why are proposals time sensitive?

Late proposals are often eliminated from competition without being read. It’s a shame to have your hard work dismissed out of hand!

Who should write the RFP response?

The person or team writing the RFP should know the project well and be good at decision-making. Part of the RFP process is choosing a vendor to carry out the project, and only those invested in its success can make the best decision.

Why is experience important?

Mastering a new skill requires patience, discipline and practice.  How great were you the very first time at driving a car, playing a new sport, or learning a musical instrument? Figuring out how to write a compelling proposal is similar in that respect – the more you go through the process, the smoother it becomes.