Proposal Land

Better RFP Responses & Management
 
Proposal Land

I’m Firm; You’re Obstinate; He’s a Pigheaded Fool

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In rhetoric, emotive or emotional conjugation
mimics the form
of a grammatical conjugation of an irregular verb
to illustrate humans’ tendency
to describe their own behavior
more charitably than the behavior of others.
– Wiki

They’re also called Russell’s conjugations, after the British philosopher who featured them in a BBC radio broadcast: the one used in the title of this post, and at least these two . . .

I am righteously indignant,
You are annoyed,
He is making a fuss over nothing.

I have reconsidered the matter,
You have changed your mind,
He has gone back on his word.

Continue reading“I’m Firm; You’re Obstinate; He’s a Pigheaded Fool”

Term: Response

 

Usually just another word used interchangeably with proposal, bid, and submission.

In the proposal, should be used in preference to those terms when the RFP refers to the requested proposal as a “Response/response.”

Standing Out: Standing Different

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Every CoVID-19 commercial is exactly the same.

That, at least, is the claim, and the video splicing in this compilation makes it seem credible.

I agree that the sappy themes are sometimes overdone in these ads. I also agree with those who are pushing back against what they see as criticism of the whole creative industry for going with the zeitgeist. Of course there are big similarities in these ads: Everyone is communicating about the same thing to folks who have similar concerns.

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Term: Response Period

 

The time from the RFP being issued to when the proposal is due.

In government contracting, usually stipulated as the number of days that amount to one of the more-or-less standard response periods: four, six, eight, or twelve weeks.

In capital procurements requiring a major design effort (think trains, ships, airplanes, information technology systems, big buildings, highways), can be a year or more.

Over-Modified, Under-Specified

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A mysterious stranger
joins forces with a notorious desperado
to protect a beautiful widow
from a ruthless assassin working for . . .
the railroad.

Yes, this was an actual movie description on a to-remain-unnamed streaming service. I understand the breathless tone when you’re going for the click, but too much proposal writing is also of this sort: loud with extraneous modifiers, yet silent where it should speak.

Continue reading“Over-Modified, Under-Specified”