In response to my friend Erin’s comment that she was having trouble navigating an RFI (Request for Information), I thought I’d pass along the most useful posts related to the task. And because it’s a nice way to help you, my readers, I thought I’d share with you the same links I would’ve shared with Erin. I’m helpful that way. I hope Erin and all of you find them of value.

Reading the Solicitation (Government & Otherwise)

These links focus primarily on (U.S.) government proposals, but so far as I’ve seen business and academic proposals contain the same elements, they just are not as precisely standardized.

• Doing Effective Business Development Research in FedBizOpps
• How to Decipher Government Solicitations
• Government Contract Types
• Reading the Fine Print in Contracts and Solicitations

Writing the Proposal

These posts focus on tips related to the content of your work. I’ll cover non-writing activities in the next section. My apologies if I repeat myself here and there. I’ve been writing this blog for nearly eight years now, so the same themes are likely to recur. And Uncle Sam doesn’t change much, so some advice will remain relevant.

• Proposal Prep
• Marketing Language in Proposal Writing
• The Tech is Great, But What’s it Good For?
• Getting to the Heart of the Matter in a Technical Proposal
• Tips for Improving Your Proposal Writing
• Selling Your Program More Effectively
• Seven Tips for Effective SBIR Proposal Writing
• Writing for the Military-Industrial Complex

Handling Other Things Related to the Proposal

This section is more about self-care and feeding during or after proposal writing. It can be a stressful job on occasion, with more stress added based on how much money and organizational solvency is tied to it. And if you’re the sole proposal writer or editor, the pressure will be on you to make certain things go well.

• Playing Nicely With Subject Matter Experts
• How Can I Do a Content Review if I’m Not an Engineer?
• Working in the Little Room
• Proposal Survival Tips Revisited
• What to Do When You Lose
• Dealing With Proposal Losing Streaks
• Business Traveling as a Contractor
• Taking Your Health Seriously (Yes, I’m serious about including this in a set of proposal links!)

If you have specific questions (Erin or anyone else) about the mechanics or externals of proposal writing, feel free to email me at Bart at heroictechwriting.com. I do take requests!

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