Pens Down Blog

Pens Down Blog2024-03-28T16:03:54-04:00

Join Us In Welcoming Your New NCA Board Members!

The APMP National Capital Area Chapter is thrilled to announce and warmly welcome our newest Board Members! These dedicated professionals bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our leadership team, and we are confident that their contributions will significantly enhance our Chapter's mission to support and advance the careers of proposal professionals in the region. Learn more about your new Board members below, connect with them on LinkedIn, and meet them on January 16th at our Monthly Member Meeting! Marketing Co-Chair: Jennifer Cassaday I have been a member of APMP since 2018 and over the last 18 months have become much more involved. I currently hold APMP Foundation level certification, as well as Bid and Proposal Writing micro-certification. I’m currently working on my APMP Leadership Academy certification and will be graduating in the spring. I have nearly 25 years of experience in proposals with 15 years of proposal management

By |January 13th, 2025|Categories: Blog, Featured Article, Home Page, News, Regular Article|0 Comments

Congratulations to the Class of 2021!

By |October 7th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

APMP had their Week of Winners, the online celebration and announcement of members who have received various honors, including individual and chapter awards, Charlie Divine APMP Certification Scholarships and 40 Under 40. National Capitol Area had several winners to call their own - join us in congratulating our colleagues - we are proud of our members and their accomplishments!   40 Under 40 Winners: MORGAN ANDERSON, CF APMP Age 31 | Proposal Manager | U.Group Key

The 5 Most Important Trends in Proposals in 2021 and Beyond

By |September 8th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

According to the Department of Commerce, the United States’ GDP declined by 3.5% in 2020, the single worst year for the economy since the end of World War II. Most companies experienced major losses in revenue. Many had to make layoffs and reduce team sizes. It was an incredibly difficult and chilling year for nearly every company in every industry. Now, though, with vaccination rates rising in the United States and throughout the world and

6 Questions to Improve Your Proposal Opportunity Qualification Process

By , |September 1st, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

Reposted from Team Patri's blog - click here for the original article. According to RFPIO’s 2021 Benchmark Report on Proposal Management, proposal customization to customer use cases will be the most important factor in winning proposals in 2021. Of course, proposal customization is easier said than done when dozens of proposals are in the works and due dates are fast approaching. Complicating matters, 75% of companies plan to increase submissions in 2021, while only 37%

The MAC is Back on August 18th – More Speakers, More Presentations!!!

By |August 9th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

The Virtual MAC is back and happening on August 18th! See the announced speakers and register for your ticket today!   Deanna Winstead Simple Strategies that Solving Complex Proposal Management Challenges Increasing speed and agility of the proposal process is constantly sought after in the most effectively managed proposal departments. Identifying best practices, enhancing efficiencies, rapidly seeking intel, improving existing processes, and documenting EVERYTHING are essential aspects of effectively managing the proposal lifecycle. Attaining greatness

The MAC is Back – Keynote Speaker and More Announced!

By |July 27th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

The Virtual MAC is coming! Our KEYNOTE SPEAKER Mr. Milton Hunt has been announced - check out the video below! https://youtu.be/Y9EZik3FT8I For more than 25 years, Milton Hunt has lived all that he teaches and speaks in his Employee Training, Motivational Speaking, and Employee Coaching services and programs. Hunt is a Native American, a member of the Lumbee tribe. Having embraced his heritage, the principles, methods, and messages he utilizes and shares with clients

Apply Design Thinking Principles to Your RFP Response Process

By |July 1st, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

Save your proposal from ending at the evaluator’s trash bin As a reviewer of proposals prepared in response to RFPs, I have frequently seen the response provided as a statement of agreement to the functional/technical requirements included in the RFP. Most of the time, it looks like someone has utilized the Copy, Paste and Replace functions of the word processor. In effect, all the “should” or “must” statements in the RFP are replaced with “will”

Five Tips for Faster Proposal Writing

By |May 31st, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

    “Bid more, win more” is a flawed growth strategy that can take its toll on your proposal development team, causing burnout that leads to poor quality writing, unprofessional proposal products, and proposal errors and omissions. This burnout directly impacts your business through low win rates, negative impressions on potential customers, and staff attrition. When multiple, concurrent active proposals tend to constantly exceed your available proposal development resources, you have two options to avoid

APMP Certification: A selfish and selfless act

By |May 18th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

Are you considering APMP certification? Perhaps you’re already certified at the Foundation level but are wondering if you should pursue Practitioner or even Professional accreditation. Capture and proposal professionals often ponder whether certification benefits them as well as those around them. Research shows that getting certified benefits you (selfish reasons) as well as your colleagues (selfless considerations). Here are the reasons why. Five selfish reasons First and foremost, take care of yourself. Certification benefits you as

Why firms keep bidding on losers and what you can do about it

By |April 30th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

A crappy win rate or lack of bidding success is usually a direct result of bidding on too many losers, aka inappropriate "opportunities". Too often, professional services firms are tempted by the potential boost in revenue and go all out pursuing speculative tender and proposal opportunities. Generally, these firms have no consistently applied or objective "bid-or-no-bid" qualifying process and/or well-defined firm BD strategy other than "hope". In closely competed market segments – and there are

RFP Red Flags

By |April 23rd, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

Given the obligation of public sector organizations, and some corporate or private enterprises, to approach the market and run competitive selection processes (aka calls for tenders, bids and proposals), there are many potential proposal opportunities that may vie for your business development time and effort. Federal News Network reported in 2020 that “[U.S. government] agencies spent more on procurement in fiscal 2019 than in any of the previous 10 years.” According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office,

At A Glance Proposal Graphics

By |April 16th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

Today's blog is featuring our Diamond Partner, 24 Hour Company, which was founded as a traditional graphic design firm in 1992 by Dennis Fitzgerald. Realizing the opportunity to focus on an under-served niche market in the Washington, DC area, Dennis transitioned the company into one whose primary clients are business development professionals who bid on government and commercial contract work. To provide a growing client base with unique, new services, the company added Mike Parkinson

7 Steps for Successful Capture

By |April 9th, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured Article|

The Capture process is more than identifying a customer’s requirements and objectives in a Request for Proposal (RFP).  Here are seven steps to help you develop your capture process. 1. Know the Customer Ideally, your capture process starts prior to the release of the RFP. It should begin with understanding the customer’s needs, wants, likes/dislikes, and their procedures and business culture. Also, determine the key decision-makers and their backgrounds. Knowing these details, no matter how small,

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Arlington, VA 22216-0711
www.apmpnca.org

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Proposal Management Professionals
National Capital Area Chapter

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