Writing a winning govcon proposal is all about understanding the requirements..

For a winning proposal, your job is not to have all of the requirements, because I know exactly what happens to you. You find an opportunity, you get really excited, and you open up the requirements. You see that they want a project manager and cybersecurity and an IT specialist. And then you may think, well, I can do the project management and I know IT, but I don't know anything about cybersecurity.

And you say, well, I guess I'm just not qualified. And then you close the tab and don't even submit a proposal. But the reality is you're a lot closer than you think to writing a winning proposal. So here's the shift that I need you to make. Stop looking at the requirements like a bouncer deciding you can't get into the club. Start looking at the requirements for the proposals as a puzzle.

Start looking at the requirements for the proposals as a puzzle. Your job is to fill the puzzle. That's it. So let me explain. So if you want to submit a winning proposal, but there's a piece of the requirement that you don't have, you're probably asking, well, Stephanie, how do I fill it? Number one, your network. Do you have friends that have specialized expertise that are looking for work that can help fill that requirement?

Or something that I have done plenty of times, put out a job description for the exact role or requirement that you are missing. You interview people and you tell them that the position is contingent upon contract award, meaning if you win, they get hired. But here's the part that stops people. They'll say, but Stephanie, isn't that lying?

But here's the part that stops people. They'll say, but Stephanie, isn't that lying? You really don't have a job that you're hiring for. No, this is lying. Let's think about the timeline for government contracting for a second. You might submit a proposal in February. That contract may not get awarded until December. The exact person you had lined up in February might be long gone by December anyway.

So the government isn't really asking, do you have these exact people on your payroll today? No. They're asking, do you understand the work? And can you get the right person to do it if you are awarded the contract? And that's called having a pipeline. And you are being completely honest about your ability to staff and deliver. And guys, this is what people do. OK, so now we got over that hump.

And guys, this is what people do. OK, so now we got over that hump. Let's talk about how we build this winning proposal. First, read the submittal requirements. The solicitation tells you what it wants, the font, the margin, whether you need a cover sheet, a table of contents, a staffing plan, all of it.

Start there. And here's what a lot of new people leave out. A risk mitigation plan. I wrote our risk mitigation plan for our Department of Transportation proposal. And I'm telling you, this thing was gold. And I feel like it helped us win. So in plain English, a risk mitigation plan is just a fancy way of saying if something goes wrong, here's my backup plan.