...consortium that appears resistant to oversight. In effect, read the RFP as if you are a Government agency looking for help. If, instead, you read it from the perspective of what you wish to do, you'll probably not make the cut.
Involve senior management to gain commitment of resources/personnel. Both the prime contractor and the sub-contractors must be willing to expend resources necessary to win the contract. This commitment must be made by senior management of all involved companies, and include making key experts available when required for brain storming and practice sessions, even during the June-August vacation time frame.
Develop an overall theme that is responsive to the RFP. Think of this theme as the lead paragraph in an article in The Washington Post describing the program to be undertaken. Seek focus and thematic unity, centered on what the Government wants accomplished. When this theme is developed, all presenters must coordinate their presentations with this theme to produce clarity, cohesiveness and consistency.
2. Practicing
Get professional help. The purpose of the Government's emphasis on oral presentations is to have the people with in–depth knowledge make the presentation, not polished...
speakers who possess less-detailed knowledge of the RFP requirements. Still, the team of experts making the clearest and most professional presentation certainly increases its prospects of winning the contract. An outside speaking coach should be brought in to show the technical experts how to make a coherent and effective presentation that focuses on the Government's needs.
In addition to providing knowledge of the speaking art, this coach can be much more frank in providing constructive criticism to presenters than will co-workers, who, wanting to maintain positive working relationships, may be “kinder and gentler” in their critiques of presentations in the various “Murder Boards” (see below). The coach's objective is to blend the techniques of effective presentation skills with the expertise of the presenters. The fusion of these two elements produces contract–winning presentations. (Modesty precludes me from making a specific recommendation as to whom this coach should be!)
Developing PowerPoint slides. You will have started developing your PowerPoint slides during the Planning phase, but it is during the Practicing phase where you will refine them. A complicating factor presented in many RFP's is the number of slides permitted. I worked...
