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Today’s topic is operations: the logistics of implementing proposed project activities in a way that is viable, effective, and efficient. Proposal teams often wait until late in the process to think about how all the technical pieces of the proposal fit together—especially how linked activities are supposed to be rolled out over the project period. The result can be a disjointed implementation plan, in which proposal reviewers dock points for cost realism, and organizations lose credibility for their ability to conceptualize and manage coherent projects.

Why don’t organizations prioritize operational planning early in the proposal process? Proposal writers (myself included) focus most of our precious time during live bids thinking about everything that needs to be covered in the response to what meet client expectations. The goal is to make sure technical proposals “cover” all the requirements in the solicitation. Ensuring the activities cohere in a meaningful way is often an afterthought rather than a core part of the planning process. Similarly, staff working on proposal budgets tend to think about how to cost out individual activities and account of core project staffing, administration, and procurement but don’t necessarily think about rollout at this stage of the planning process. Even when solicitations call for a detailed implementation plan or Gantt chart, planning often remains at too high a level of abstraction to be actionable.

Although including operational discussions at the earliest stages of proposal development takes time and complicates the planning process, it is still essential that these discussions be integrated deeply into design discussions. Here are three reasons why:

1. Early operational planning can help determine overall project viability. I have been in too many situations late in a proposal development process where a first version of a proposal, created based on the details of a fully developed technical proposal, is 50 percent or more expensive than the maximum budget allows. The consequence is a scramble and substantial angst to descope the proposal to meet budget expectations. This can include removing activities that achieve expected project results, that are based on an organization’s unique expertise, or that require cutting a partner’s budget. The result can be substantial gaps in proposal responsiveness and hard feelings. Alternatively, it is much better to consider project budgets early in proposal discussions to determine whether the organization can fulfill the expectations of the project with the budget available and, if so, how. It is easier to make a “no go” decision early in the proposal process, if necessary, than doing so after so many people have contributed time and creative input to the efforts and the prime organization has made commitments to partners and proposed personnel.

2. Early operational discussions can inform project staffing and resource allocation. By laying out a proposed project rollout early in the proposal period, it becomes easier to determine how many staff and other resources (e.g., vehicles, events) are required to fulfill project commitments. Proposal designers almost always front-load proposals with activities that complicate early staff recruitment and work effort. Translating information about project rollout into a simple Gantt chart can be an effective way to reconsider the timing and juxtaposition of various project activities. Even a simple chart with the timing of high-level activity sets can help inform whether certain staff members are oversubscribed or stacked in a way that requires disproportionally high investments at certain times and may be under-utilized at other times during the period of performance. Proposal designers can then adjust as necessary.

3. Early operational discussions can promote efficiencies in project planning. Early operational discussions during the proposal planning process can also help designers create more logical rollouts of pilot and full-scale implementation activities, economies of scale, and other cost savings by linking project activities more mindfully. For example, if a set of activities need to be piloted and potentially adjusted before full implementation, a map review of the rollout geographically can help determine the best decisions based on accessibility and clustering of project sites for each implementation cohort. Similarly, combining a map review with implementation plans can inform discussions about the need for regional field offices or outposts. There can also be instances in which the project can achieve savings in transportation costs, participant fees, and procurement by having early plans for project operations.

Many of the details discussed here will never be included specifically in technical proposals, but their impact will be apparent in the thoughtfulness and clarity of the technical discussion, proposal budget, and cost narrative. Considering operational requirements early in planning will not only help with stronger proposals but also initial project rollout, project closeout, and all aspects of implementation between the two.

How important have you found operational planning to be early in your proposal activities? Please join the conversation, and let us know what you think.