Writing proposal content material underneath strain is a given within the bid and proposal trade. Deadlines compress, necessities shift, reviewers demand updates, and SMEs usually present enter later than deliberate. But the expectation stays the identical: ship clear, compliant, evaluator-ready content material quick. In line with the Affiliation of Proposal Administration Professionals (APMP) Physique of Information, an skilled proposal author can sometimes produce the next in an eight-hour day:
- 4 pages of latest textual content
- 8–10 pages of textual content requiring intensive revision
- 20–25 pages of content material needing minimal revision
So, if a mean proposal author can produce 4 pages of latest content material each day, how can we improve that consequence by 25% or extra with out sacrificing high quality?
The reply is to not sort quicker or to rely solely on AI; it’s about structuring your writing course of in order that your cognitive effort goes towards what evaluators rating, relatively than into rework or info searches. Listed here are eight methods you’ll be able to implement now to extend your proposal writing pace by at the least 25% whereas additionally producing high-scoring proposal content material.
1. Plan Your Writing
One of many largest slowdowns happens when writers begin writing earlier than they’ve a plan. To extend your writing pace, collect your compliance matrix, define, template, win technique, and proposal scorecard. Writers who plan their work can sometimes scale back drafting time by 15-25% earlier than they start typing.
2. Construction SME Enter for Velocity
Ready for SMEs to supply the knowledge you want is a efficiency drag. As an alternative, information them with a structured consumption course of. Schedule an interview to gather info and supply SMEs with the questions prematurely. Then request a short huddle to reply the questions. For those who can’t interview the SME in particular person, ask them to answer your interview questions briefly bullets or prose. This course of improves accuracy and reduces the necessity to rewrite SME-produced supplies.
3. Draft Tough Concepts First
Don’t fear if the preliminary concepts are ugly—quick writing is messy, and the target right here is about capturing substance earlier than type. Begin with bullets, phrases, and ideas. After you rough-in your concepts, think about using AI to increase them into draft textual content. To be efficient, you have to present AI with clear, detailed prompts associated to the viewers, tone, compliance, responsiveness, and terminology. AI can sometimes scale back writing time by 20-40%, permitting writers to deal with strengthening content material and maximizing their rating.
4. Write in Brief Construction Sprints
Proposal writers usually decelerate as a result of they edit whereas they write. Utilizing brief drafting sprints (25 minutes with a five-minute break) encourages uninterrupted circulate. In the course of the dash, your solely job is to supply textual content. Enhancing comes later.
5. Shield Deep Work Time
What number of digital units do you’ve gotten in your desk? Are you distracted by pings or rings? It may possibly take the common particular person 10-20 minutes to get better from a distraction and return to their job. Establishing a protected writing block, particularly within the morning when cognitive vitality is at its caffeine-driven peak, offers the main focus wanted to extend output. Writers who defend their work time routinely see a 15-20% enchancment in pace.
6. Use Boilerplate
Even “new” content material usually consists of recurring processes equivalent to high quality administration, staffing, recruiting, and threat mitigation. Reusing vetted boilerplate and tailoring it to your buyer necessities can lower growth time by 25% or extra. A well-maintained content material library additionally ensures consistency throughout proposals.
7. Conduct Fast Iterative Opinions
A ten-minute “early alignment assessment” by the proposal supervisor or SME can stop hours of rework later. Ask them to confirm your compliance, alignment with the win technique, plan for incorporating strengths, and proper interpretation of the answer. Figuring out issues early can save hours of rework later.
8. Polish Your Draft
Incorporate the reviewer’s feedback and, as wanted, use AI to enhance writing readability, facilitate transitions, and tighten wordiness. Nonetheless, you have to monitor AI content material for potential hallucinations, bias, and “AI Communicate.”
Conclusion
Rising writing pace by 25% from a mean of 4 pages of latest textual content each day to 5 is each sensible and sustainable when writers undertake sturdy preparation, higher SME engagement, AI-enabled pre-drafting, and disciplined work habits. The bottom line is to shift effort from rework to upfront readability.
If you need to study extra about how one can write quicker and rating increased, take into account attending Lohfeld’s newly refreshed Fashionable Proposal Writing Class. For those who want professional assist to navigate high-stress assignments or quick-turn proposal efforts, contact Lohfeld Consulting that can assist you succeed.
Related Data
By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow
Lohfeld Consulting Group has confirmed outcomes specializing in serving to firms create profitable captures and proposals. Because the premier seize and proposal companies consulting agency targeted solely on authorities markets, we offer professional help to authorities contractors in Seize Planning and Technique, Proposal Administration and Writing, Seize and Proposal Course of and Infrastructure, and Coaching. Within the final 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals profitable greater than $170B for our purchasers—together with the Prime 10 authorities contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” seize and proposal supply! Begin profitable by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and be a part of us on LinkedIn, Fb, and YouTube(TM).