How to Use Your Voice in Federal Decision-making: Comment Submission

Believe it or not, every comment that is submitted by the public in response to a Federal rule is read by members of a rulemaking team, be they Regulatory Development Managers (RDMs), subject matter experts (SMEs), technical writers (TWs), or others who are involved in the creation of the rule.  Typically, each comment is reviewed, summarized, and logged using a public comment matrix. That said, depending on the content, not all submitted comments warrant  a summary.  Only those containing clearly communicated, constructive content that supports the commenter’s points tend to make the cut. Therefore, if you are passionate or have concerns about a Federal rule and want to make your voice heard in the rulemaking process, remember to SING:

               Straightforward

               Impassive

               Noteworthy

               Germane

Straightforward

The first quality is, well, pretty straightforward (see what I did there?). Straightforward communication is effective communication.  Your comment should be simple, concise, and easy to understand. It should clearly identify whether you are opposed or in favor of a particular regulatory action, contain a logical and supported explanation behind your reasoning, and, when possible, provide a citation for each specific section of the rule to which your comment applies. 

Impassive

When you take an impassive approach to comment submission, you free the comment from emotion.  This allows the comment to be constructive rather than destructive, and to utilize reason and logic to have the highest impact on policymakers. If you disagree with a regulatory action, validate your position with a logical explanation, analysis, or alternative. Refrain from name calling, no matter how strongly you feel.

Noteworthy

A well-supported comment is a noteworthy comment. It contains information that is interesting, significant, and worth paying attention to. When an agency reviews the comments they receive, they look for sound logic and scientific reasoning. The more data, facts, and expert opinions you include in your comment to support your position, the better. Attachments with charts, tables, and figures are great ways to enhance your comment; however, limit their use to those that best support your position. Other noteworthy information to include are a list of pros and cons or trade-offs, and statements that describe how and why you believe you will be directly impacted by the regulation in question.

Germane

Comments should be relevant to the subject under consideration, and contain pertinent, applicable information relating to your position. For example, you should not submit a 75-page PDF attachment concerning the repopulation of sturgeon on the Hudson River if your opposition to the rule is about oil pollution. Additionally, do not drone on about how your great-great-great-grandfather’s second cousin’s brother (twice removed) was a Charter Boat Captain when you have professional industry connections that are germane to the rule.

These tips are the only notes you need to keep in mind when you develop comments. The example below shows the difference between a non-effective comment and an effective comment. 

Non-effective comment:

 

Effective comment:

Use your voice effectively in the rulemaking process: comments that SING are more likely to have an impact on regulatory decision-making. For more information on submitting effective comments, go here!

The Proposal Lifecycle: How to Plan, and Win a Proposal

Going through the process of creating a proposal can be an arduous task that often can be very time-consuming.  In order to alleviate unnecessary stress, try and plan out a “lifecycle” documenting each phase of the proposal-writing process.  This schedule will vary in length depending upon how long you have to prepare your proposal, which again varies upon how long you have until the deadline.  Deadlines on RFPs granted from the federal government very seldom have flexibility, so having a thorough and meticulous timeline in place is important to ensure you don’t have to play beat-the-clock in order to send out your proposal on time.

• Discovery: Proposal-writing process begins immediately after the opportunity is discovered.
• Qualification: After finding an RFP you may be interested in, it is important to examine whether or not your organization is qualified to meet the requirements.  In order to make this judgment, some preliminary research should be employed.
• Begin: Now is the time to decide whether or not to go after the RFP.  Do or die.
• Plan: Once you’ve decided this is an opportunity you want to have a stab at, don’t immediately start writing your proposal.  You have to thoroughly examine the RFP and determine what you need to write, and how you will go about doing it.  Simply having exceptional writing isn’t enough–without proper planning your proposal will almost certainly
• Write: Build upon your planning and begin writing your proposal.  If you feel like you’re having trouble communicating your case, do more 
• Review: You may have all the confidence in the world that your proposal is extraordinary, but this is seldom the case.  Proper review is necessary for all proposals to ensure that your document not only meets expectations, but exceeds Produce: Finalize your documents format.  Ensure everything in your proposal is well-
• Submit: Step away from the computer.  Your proposal is complete, reviewed, and finalized.  Now it is time to send it on its way to your client.  Ensure you have enough time for 
• Award: Stop fretting and view the results.  If you’ve won, congratulations!  Now it’s time for to put the language to action.  If you didn’t win, take solace in the fact that you gave it your best, and you learned from the experience.  There’s always next 
• Post-Award: Begin negotiations (if necessary); determine how you’re going to set your proposal in motion.  

Evaluating an RFP

Evaluating a Government Request for Proposal (RFP)

RFPs issued by the government have a tendency to be very complicated, and highly regulated.  As such, they can be a daunting task for someone unfamiliar with proposal writing to tackle.  Although completing a solicitation for an RFP can be very tasking at times, they all mostly follow the same criteria, and understanding how to fill these criteria make proposal writing a much more manageable task. 

The first thing to examine in an RFP is the “statement of work” which is contained in the RFP.  The statement of work describes what needs to be included in the proposal, how to format and submit the proposal, and evaluation criteria which explains how it will be examined, and ultimately be decided upon.  Included also is a due date, which is absolute, and non-negotiable.  It is of the utmost importance that all of the criteria provided in the RFP are met, as this is usually what determines the difference between a winning proposal, and another loser. 

Preparing To Write Your Proposal

In order to win, you first must ensure that you meet the needs addressed in the RFP.  This means that you must first determine what those needs are.  You must identify not only what the customer wants, but why they want it.  This includes what is important to them, what they want to get done, and why they need this fulfilled.  In addition to addressing what you can do for them, you also need to explain why they want you to do it for them over the competition. 

Proposal Formula

• Who: Parties responsible for completing the work, who manages, who is the contact person, who is ultimately responsible for what?
• What: What needs to be completed, what is required, what is expected, what is the cost?
• Where: Where is the work to be completed, where is it sent to?
• How: How is everything managed, deployed, completed, how will satisfaction be delivered, how are risks managed, how long will it take, how are you the best choice?
• When: When will work begin, when are deliverables scheduled, when is everything to be finished, when is payment going to occur?
• Why: Why have you chosen this route, why are you the best option?

Having a thorough plan for your proposal allows for much easier completion.  Your proposal needs specific goals and should address client requirements brought in the RFP.  Documenting a proposal plan is of the utmost importance, so that it can be validated before production begins.  Once you have validated your plan, it can be used as a guiding blueprint for the completion of the document, or utilized as a checklist.  This can provide guidance to authors, and be used to future reviews.

Using Themes and Discriminators

In a proposal, you want to suggest why you are the best option for the job, and how you best benefit the customer.  A well-written proposal should be able to be digested by simply flipping through the pages, and examining the themes apparent throughout.  From this, the message you are trying to convey should be immediately apparent.  The best way to accomplish this is to minimize the amount that needs to be read.  There are numerous techniques that can be employed to do this:

•          Discriminators: Explain why your business is ideally-suited for the task, and how you are unique or special.
•          Summaries: Round-up statements that detail your proposal.
•          Conclusions: Message that tells reader what you want them to conclude about a particular section of a proposal.
•          Ghosts: Subtle messaging that illustrates why your company or organization is the best to fulfill this contract, and why the others are inferior.
•          Action captions: An illustration caption that states the conclusion you wish them to reach. 
•          Win themes: Drives home the point of why your company should be chosen above the others.

Reviewing your proposal

Reviewing your completed proposal ensures that your product is of the highest caliber.  Ideally, this is done by a party not involved in the writing of the proposal, as they have a clean-slate with the project, and are better equipped for giving criticism.  Having clear goals in place when you are conducting a review is very important: you may for example want to try and score it how the criteria of the RFP suggests, and fix areas that need improvement.  Utilizing “track changes” and leaving comments in word processing software allow for team-members working on the proposal to get in-depth information on how to improve the document. There are numerous things to examine when reviewing: 

• Proposed solution:  Will your proposal work?  Are risks mitigated well enough?  Is your price adequate?  Do you have a good value?  Have all features been sufficiently tied to the evaluation criteria?
• RFP compliance: Ensure all requirements are addressed, particularly those that might conflict with relevant requirements.  Call attention to anything that might contradict RFP criteria. 
• Score: Give your paper a score based on the evaluation criteria.  Act as though you are the client.
• Additions and deletions: Ensure that all the information you have presented is necessary, and fulfills requirements.  Take out fluff and potentially patronizing wording.  Ensure there are no redundancies.
• Changes/corrections: Grammatical, spelling, etc.
• Experience: Mention all relevant experience. 
• Themes: Make sure themes are well-highlighted, and they are easily distinguishable. 
• Graphics/illustrations: Are there sufficient pieces of graphical design?  Are there too many?     

Appealing to Your Proposal Evaluator

Perhaps the most critical factor in creating a winning proposal is careful examination of the evaluation criteria, and tailoring your proposal to best match what the evaluator is seeking.  To do this, you have to get into the head of the evaluator, and try your best to meet their particular specifications.  This is done throughout the entirety of the proposal, through explaining important details, noting potential problems, explaining risks and risk mitigation, and how your particular solutions are vastly superior to any potential competitors.  Throughout all of these, you are educating your evaluator, and providing them with the information they’ve requested. 

It is important to note of course, that these evaluators are professionals, and pretty well know what they’re looking for already; do not patronize them, be subtle in your claims.  While you cannot explain their own job to them, ensure that you are demonstrating that you understand their needs.  Your proposal should be in depth, and completely address everything your evaluator is looking for, but there is a caveat; you don’t want to provide too much auxiliary information, don’t stray too far off from what is requested. 

Note the important issues in the RFP, and elaborate upon those immediately in your proposal, make sure it is among the first things they see.  Explain why these are the paramount issues in your solicitation.  Do not bore them, or waste their time by explaining that you understand what they’re requesting, ensure that you elaborate upon your understanding, and explain why these issues are so important, and how you plan on tackling them. 

Show them at that you are the only option that could possibly handle such a lofty responsibility, and that any other option would undoubtedly end with failure.  Systematically go through every potential competitor, and every alternative approach.  Demonstrate to the evaluator how your approach will benefit them immensely, while any other approach will result in certain failure.  Educate them on something they may not necessarily realize they need educating on.

Overall, your goal is to demonstrate how the evaluation criteria should be applied to your particular proposal.  Make the evaluator understand how you are the best option for the job, and for these reasons you are superior to any other contenders.  

Writing an Effective Executive Summary

Executive Summaries

An executive summary is a crucial segment of a proposal.  In the executive summary, the author needs to ensure that whoever is making the decision on the contract is given a firm idea of who the business presenting this proposal is, and why they must be selected above all others.  Included in the summary is information about yourself, and what you are proposing for the client to understand about you, and what you are offering.  All of this needs to be explained in one-to-two pages.  An executive summary can be compared to an “elevator pitch”, wherein your summary should be able to be delivered within the time span of an elevator ride.  It needs to quickly and simply define your organization and its value proposition. 

Introductions in executive summary

Needed in an executive summary are an introduction of your organization or business, what you can deliver to the client, and persuasion on why you are the best choice for the job.  This includes demonstrating how your product or service will benefit the client, and how your product or service is undoubtedly superior to the competition.  You should also address how you will meet the evaluation criteria provided within the RFP.  

What matters most in not only the executive summary, but the proposal as a whole is hopefully an answer to the question, “Why you?”  Your goal in the executive summary is to persuade the decision maker to accept your proposal without needing to examine any further.

Establishing proposal themes in your executive summary

Reasoning as to why your company should be chosen can be defined as a theme to your proposal, and should be apparent throughout.  Themes should be informative, and show they best benefit the customer.  It is important to establish your themes in the executive summary so that both your content and the presentation you present are built around the reasons why you’re the best choice for the job.  It is also important to utilize win themes in the executive summary.  Explain why you deserve to win through these themes, and provide examples of how you have accomplished your claims.

Showing understanding of the requirement

Incorporate the client and their needs into your summary, explain in writing why accepting your proposal will benefit them the most.  Persuasion is the goal. 

Introduce team partners

If your proposal is a joint or team-effort, the executive summary is the place to present them to the client.  Describe your team, and the significance of this partnership to the client.  Utilizing a table here can be a useful strategy, as it allows you to illustrate how numerous members are important to the project.  Ensure to point out what your team offers, what the teammates bring to the effort, and what you offer together. 

Format

Graphic design is something that should always be utilized in an executive summary.  The summary should not merely have numerous graphics attached, but try and think of the executive summary as a graphic itself.  Utilize different varieties of text formatting, or varying typefaces.  It should stick out immediately to the client reading your proposal.  Consider utilizing organizational charts, or tables and matrices.  Ideally, the executive summary should be an arms length, and grant the client all the immediate information.   

Important Techniques to Utilize in your Proposal

Important Techniques to Utilize in your Proposal

Your main task in crafting a proposal is suggesting that your organization is the best possible option for the job.  These techniques will help drive this point home. 

Themes

Themes are statements of benefit, or in other terms, what you hope to communicate to the evaluator.   They are undoubtedly one of the best ways to illustrate your ideas throughout your proposal.  If employed properly, the reader will be able to quickly flip through the pages and be able to immediately understand what you are trying to communicate.  Themes help you by minimizing the amount of the proposal that must be read, and allow you to drive home the most important portions of your writing.  Often they are placed in boxes along the side of the proposal with special formatting to call attention to them.            

Discriminators

In laymen’s terms, a discriminator, or “unique selling point” is a type of theme that allows you to show how you differentiate from the competition, and why ultimately you are the best choice for the job.  In order to differentiate yourself from the competition, you need to outline the benefits of choosing your company over theirs.  Talk about how your particular organization is unique in offering benefits, and how you can fulfill their requirements better than the competition. 

Summaries and Conclusions

Proper summaries and conclusions tell the evaluator exactly what you want them to take away from a particular section of your proposal.  Utilize these to really emphasize the point you were making in the body of each particular section.

Ghosting

Similar to discriminators, ghosting is a technique that allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition, and prove that you are the best possible candidate for the position.  They are different from discriminators because instead of listing why your organization would be beneficial over the competition, they instead allude to how utilizing a different company would be detrimental to their agency.  It is a delicate thing to accomplish, but with thorough research on the competition, they can be incredibly effective. 

Action Captions

An action caption should be included with all illustrations or exhibits to emphasize the key point of the piece you are presenting.  Doing this ensures that they take note of what is most important.

Win Themes

These are the core of any proposal, and should be what your executive statement revolves around.  Win themes can fall into numerous different categories, including: advantageous pricing, risk mitigation, proven track record, practical solutions and benefits, exceptionally qualified staff members/manager, exception experience of meeting the RFP requirements with proof.  Work some of these into your executive statement, and then elaborate on those with themes unique to your company.  It is important to note however that simply adding these into your proposal isn’t sufficient, you must be able to substantiate your claims.  

Who, What, Where, When, and Why - How to Formulate your Proposal

Although you can employ all sorts of intricate language and numbers in trying to explain why your organization deserves to win the proposal you seek, if it is lacking fundamental information, it may throw off the evaluator, and result in failure.  It is important to remember the simple “who, what, where, when, and why” technique in order to ensure that your message doesn’t get convoluted in complicated language.  Ensure that your proposal is able to demonstrate how these apply. 

• Who: Parties responsible for completing the work, who manages, who is the contact person, who is ultimately responsible for what?
• What: What needs to be completed, what is required, what is expected, what is the cost?
• Where: Where is the work to be completed, where is it sent to?
• How: How is everything managed, deployed, completed, who will satisfaction be delivered, how are risks managed, how long will it take, how are you the best choice?
• When: When will work begin, when are deliverables scheduled, when is everything to be finished, when is payment going to occur?
• Why: Why have you chosen this route, why are you the best option? 

Having a thorough plan for your proposal allows for much easier completion.  Your proposal needs specific goals and should address client requirements brought in the RFP.  Documenting a proposal plan is of the utmost importance, so that it can be validated before production begins.  Once you have validated your plan, it can be used as a guiding blueprint for the completion of the document, or utilized as a checklist.  This can provide guidance to authors, and be used for future reviews.