ABSTRACT

Now that you have won the contract-maybe there was even a party to celebrate the win-it is time to do the real work. The work that you did in preparing the proposal will be the starting point for the program. Schedules, plans, estimates, risks, and opportunities are all part of the proposal record. Ideally, and especially if there was little pre-or postselection negotiation, those plans will form a good basis for the way that you will organize and run the program. Some companies require very detailed and highly reviewed plans as part of the proposal process, which if you win, are invaluable in getting started. However, if you lose the bid, they are essentially wasted effort. In any case, you will not be starting from ground zero as you kick off the program; the proposal, with whatever detail in which it was prepared, is the basis of your execution plan. It represents your interpretation of the customer’s requirements. In most cases, the proposal is noncontractual-the purchase order (PO) or contract and its attachments rule the program. But as a minimum, your proposal is a good-faith record of what you offered and expect to provide. Sometimes, you can have it included as a reference in the PO, and this can be helpful if misunderstandings arise. So with a firm understanding of the PO and its attachments, and with your offer vision (in the proposal) in mind, you are ready to begin the program.