Design Secrets That Make Evaluation a Breeze

Government evaluators often review hundreds of pages, and making their job easier can set your proposal apart. But how do you design a proposal that makes their evaluation a breeze and emphasizes your proposal’s compliance, responsiveness, and strengths? This blog describes design strategies to help evaluators quickly find the necessary information to score a proposal.

Design Secret #1: Design As Soon As You Outline

Once you create a compliance matrix and a compliant annotated outline, design the proposal layout to facilitate the evaluator’s review of the request for proposal (RFP) requirements. First, identify telegraphic headings for major sections corresponding to RFP instructions, as in the case of using the title “Executive Summary” for the introduction. Use informative headings for subsections to help reviewers quickly identify the section’s content and map it to RFP requirements. For example, for a resume section, use “Section 4: Resumes that Exceed 100% of RFP (L:1.2.7, M:5.3, G.3).”

Next, identify the placement of graphics, charts, text boxes, icons, and other graphic elements to facilitate the evaluator’s review and emphasize your proposal strengths. Giving a proposal writer a compliance matrix, annotated outline, and proposal design can expedite the writing process and facilitate the evaluator’s review in the long run.

Design Secret #2: Simplicity

The first design secret is simplicity. Evaluators are usually under tight deadlines, and the clearer your layout, the easier it is for them to navigate your proposal. Use a structured approach to break up large blocks of text into manageable sections.

Headings, subheadings, bullet points, and buzzwords aren’t just aesthetic; they help evaluators locate crucial details without sifting through paragraphs. Each section should have a clear purpose, with content that flows logically from one point to the next.

Design Secret #3: Make Visuals Work for You

Visual aids such as charts, graphs, and text boxes can simplify complex data and make your message memorable. However, they need to be purposeful instead of decorative. Use visuals to reinforce your strengths and demonstrate compliance and responsiveness.

Design Secret #4: Design for the Distracted Reviewer

It’s no secret that evaluators often juggle multiple tasks at once. Your proposal should be designed with this in mind. Break content into digestible chunks, use bold headings, and include callout boxes highlighting key information.

Avoid dense, text-heavy pages that make it easy for the reviewer to lose focus. Instead, create visually appealing sections with ample white space to help evaluators focus on critical content without getting overwhelmed. Color can also strategically guide the evaluator’s eye to essential elements. However, keep color usage minimal and professional.

Design Secret #5: Consistency Is Key

Consistency in design elements helps create a professional appearance. Maintain uniformity in font sizes, margins, and line spacing throughout the document. This might seem like a small detail, but it contributes to the overall perception of quality and attention to detail.

Conclusion: Design with the Evaluator in Mind

Great proposal design is about making life easier for the evaluator. By employing a clean layout, using visuals wisely, ensuring readability, and making compliance easy to verify, you’ll increase your chances of standing out and scoring higher. Remember, the easier it is for evaluators to navigate your proposal, the more likely they’ll see its value.

Related Content

• Win Rates Double with Seven Quality Measures

• Tips for Increasing the Ease of Evaluation

• Video: Moving Proposals from Good to Great: Insights from Three APMP Fellows

By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube^(TM).