A Sincere Thank You from APMP-NCA
This past year, APMP-NCA’s activities have had one focused, overarching mission: to rebuild. Like many organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted us deeply, and as we move into 2025, we continue to feel its aftereffects. In times of change, it is easy to lose direction, but what has kept us grounded are our members, the relationships we have built, and our collective vision for the future of APMP-NCA. Our chapter’s greatest strength has always been the dedication of our members. Your ongoing commitment and passion are the heartbeat of our organization, giving us purpose and driving us to continue improving and growing. Rebuilding is not solely about numbers and events; it is about reconnecting and fostering a sense of community that brings value to all of us. As we work toward a brighter future for the chapter, one thing remains constant: our members are the soul of APMP-NCA. We could not
Welcome to Our Weekly blog, Pens Down!
New Year, New Universe - Working and Living in a Distanced World Maybe not everyone, but I’d say a good majority of us would agree that 2020 was just not the best year. There are silver linings to find for sure, such as our advanced 21st century technology that saved the day and let a huge swath of the population keep working while also safely quarantined. Not just our profession, but the national workforce was
Three Surprising Things I’ve Learned as a Student of Proposal Writing
As a student of proposal writing rather than an active member of the field, it does feel presumptuous to be writing about the topic with a mere two semesters of writing for proposals (barely) under my belt. However, as a newcomer to the field, I do think I have an interesting perspective on the nature, function, and presence of the field. Without further ado, here are three things that initially surprised me about proposal writing.
Recording Available: “APMP Webinar – What’s SUPS”
Our recent webinar recording is now available. Are you looking for a way to better articulate your discriminating value proposition? This webinar will show you how to explain the Strengths of your offer that bring value to the customer. Using Lohfeld Consulting’s SUPS methodology – Strengths, Understanding, Process and Summary – attendees will learn how and then practice their proposal writing skills. Lisa Pafe, CPP APMP Fellow and PMP, is Vice President of Lohfeld Consulting
Recording Available: “Ask the Experts: Bid and Proposal Con 2019 Edition”
Our recent webinar recording is now available. Three summaries of presentations from the 2019 Bid and Proposal Conference in Florida are presented. View the recording here >
2019 MAC Call for Speakers
APMP-NCA 2019 Mid-Atlantic Conference and Expo Call for Speakers APMP-NCA solicits abstracts for presentations at the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Conference and Expo (MAC). We are looking for sessions that use a variety of presentation methods (standard presentations (with PPT slides), panels, workshops, etc.) and provide innovative, actionable insights that attendees can use in their day-to-day experience as Business Development, Capture, and Proposal professionals. Approximately 300 individuals will attend the MAC on October 17th in Tyson’s Corner,
Recording Available: “No Money. No Design Skills. No Problem”
Our recent webinar recording is now available. The presentation does not start until 12:40 in the recording. Get the latest tools and techniques to make professional proposal graphics quickly with little to no money. No design skill needed. All participants get a collection of 1800 icons, step-by-step guides to making graphics, and Mike's Graphic Cheat Sheet. Do not miss this high-energy, enlightening event. It will change how you make proposals. Presenter: Mike Parkinson, CPP APMP
Scholarship for 2019 APMP International Bid & Proposal Conference
A scholarship award is available in the amount of a full early bird conference registration for the 2019 APMP International Bid & Proposal Conference in Orlando, May 20 – 23, 2019. Please refer to the conference web site for specific conference information: https://www.apmp.org/general/custom.asp?page=orlando. The scholarship covers Early Bird Full Registration for an APMP member affiliated with NCA. The award is for 2019 only, and the scholarship award will be paid directly to APMP to cover
Recording Available: “Assessing Capture Readiness”
Our recent webinar about assessing capture readiness is now available. Business capture takes time and money, sometimes with few tangible results. How do you assess capture readiness for each opportunity in your pipeline? This webinar will explore Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that help you measure and track capture progress, improve capture quality and increase PWin. Presenter: Lisa Pafe, CPP APMP Fellow and PMP, Vice President of Lohfeld Consulting Group, brings nearly 30 years of capture
Recording Available: “Top 5 PowerPoint Tips and Tricks”
Our recent webinar about using PowerPoint is now available. Learn from a Microsoft PowerPoint MVP (1 of 34 in the world). This session will blow you away! Get the top five secrets the pros use to make and deliver the best-of-the-best PowerPoint presentations. See how you can build almost any graphic in PowerPoint, make professional slides quickly, and keep your audience engaged and eager to learn. Discover where to get the best visuals, infographics, photographs,
Recording Available: “Let’s Get Agile!”
Our recent webinar about using Agile methods in proposal development had a record-breaking 351 registered! Clearly this is a topic that is front of mind for many. Thank you to presenter Neal Levene, to all who attended and to those who submitted such great questions. View the recording here >
Career Tools: Mentor, Advocate, Or?
by Tara Rethore, CEO of M. Beacon Enterprises LLC Mentorship is a fairly common tool for professional development, as part of both formal mentoring programs (e.g., APMP-NCA’s Mentor-Protégé Program) and selfinitiated personal development plans. An effective mentor is usually a more experienced person who guides someone along her/his professional journey based on her/his experiences and ability to model positive behaviors. Mentors can be helpful at just about any point in one’s career and often are
7 Key Pre-solicitation Activities for Proposal Management Input
Capture, marketing and proposal staff must perform key pre-RFP release activities to enhance proposal management and content as follows: 1. Perform Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for previous contracts, deliverables, SOPs and customer five-year plan to gauge previous contract activity, issues and initiatives 2. Obtain customer phone listing, e-mail addresses, and location addresses, organization chart, mission statements, operational platforms, toolsets and interface requirements 3. Find out Customer desires, needs, hot buttons, budget, problem areas,
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A Publication of the Association of
Proposal Management Professionals
National Capital Area Chapter