How to Fix the Proposal Processes Holding You Back

What part of your proposal process still feels broken? If more than a few things come to mind, you’re not alone. Recent LinkedIn polls of bid and proposal professionals revealed four major pain points that consistently stall progress:

• Bid/No-Bid decisions (43%)
• SME collaboration (21%)
• Knowledge Management (25%)
• Pricing (11%)

This blog explores why these issues persist and how to rebuild your proposal process so it performs smoothly under pressure.

Why Your Proposal Process Struggles at Bid/No-Bid Time

Nearly half of all respondents identified Bid/No-Bid decisions as the biggest breakdown point in their proposal process. For many teams, these decisions are made too late, with incomplete data, based on gut instinct, or driven by executive whims instead of evidence.

To strengthen this element of your proposal process:

• Establish clear, weighted criteria tied to the customer, competition, and capability.
• Require capture validation before entering the proposal process.
• Create a repeatable playbook so decisions feel objective and not emotional.

A disciplined Bid/No-Bid step protects the entire proposal process from wasting precious days on unwinnable pursuits.

Fixing SME Collaboration in Your Proposal Process

SME collaboration came in as the second-biggest challenge, and it’s no surprise. SMEs often juggle customer work, urgent issues, and internal demands, leaving little time for meeting proposal deadlines.

To streamline this part of the proposal process:

• Use structured data calls with examples of “what right looks like.”
• Replace generic outlines with annotated storyboards tailored to each SME.
• Implement a standing SME calendar during the proposal process to reduce last-minute scrambles.

Clear expectations and support tools give SMEs the clarity they need to contribute meaningful, evaluator-friendly content.

Strengthening Knowledge Management to Support Your Proposal Process

A strong knowledge management system is the backbone of an efficient proposal process, yet 21% of respondents said their process still feels broken.

To boost knowledge management within your proposal process:

• Organize your content library around evaluator-focused categories: compliance, strengths, proof points, and corporate experience.
• Tag content by agency, contract vehicle, and capability to increase findability.
• Refresh content quarterly rather than annually to ensure it reflects evolving customer priorities.

When teams can quickly access reusable, high-quality information, the rest of the proposal process accelerates dramatically.

Where Pricing Breaks Your Proposal Process—and How to Fix It

Pricing challenges ranked fourth but remain a high-risk bottleneck in any proposal process. Delays or rework here can unravel even the strongest narrative response.

To stabilize the pricing component of your proposal process:

• Sync your pricing and technical teams early—ideally during capture.
• Establish a pricing assumptions log that is shared across the proposal process.
• Use templates for BOEs, staffing models, and recurring estimates to reduce confusion.

Alignment and communication reduce the last-minute panic that often derails pricing and forces teams into after-hours heroics.

Conclusion: Transforming Your Proposal Process Starts with One Fix

A broken process rarely fails in just one area. Most often, multiple weaknesses accumulate and become part of “how we’ve always done it.” But the good news is this: fixing even one issue creates momentum that strengthens the entire proposal process.

If any part of your proposal process still feels broken, contact Lohfeld Consulting for help. In addition, our Capture Management, Proposal Management, Modern Proposal Writing, and Strength-Based Winning® training programs give your team the structure, templates, and proven strategies needed to win more in today’s competitive market.

Relevant Information

• How OTAs and CSOs are Enabling the New Warfighting Era

• How to Master the FAR Part 15 Overhaul: Win Smarter, Score Higher

• The Overview: How to Survive and Thrive Under FAR Changes

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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).