The Red Team and the 5 Cs of Proposal Review

Posted by Administrator on January 17th, 2008

Writing your government proposal may not feel much like writing a novel or newspaper article, but one adage remains true for just about every kind of writing imaginable: it’s almost impossible to properly edit your own writing. You’ve spent so much time on the project, it’s difficult to separate what you mean to say from what you’ve actually said, and spotting inconsistencies can be tough. This is just one of the motivations behind forming a proposal review team, commonly known as a “red team.”

The Red Team Proposal Review

Before beginning the red team proposal review process, it’s important to have specific goals in mind for each review. Giving your red team free rein to criticize every aspect of your proposal at once will result in disorganized feedback. This is why it’s better to break your proposal review up into more than one session. Issues dealing with the “meat” of the proposal – looking for gaps, making sure each part of the RFP is addressed, etc. – can be done with a rough draft, while the finishing touches, such as proofreading for spelling, grammar and formatting errors, can wait until the proposal is almost complete. Be sure to leave enough time between the second red team proposal review and the proposal submission to make any recommended changes (no, the night before it is due is not enough time).

The Five Cs of Proposal Review

During the red team proposal review, the red team should be checking against the “five Cs” of proposal review:

Coherence – Does the proposal make sense? Is there too much use of technical jargon? Is every section clearly written? The coherence review is also the time to remove unnecessary language and make the proposal as streamlined as possible.
Completeness – Is every requirement in the RFP fully addressed? Are there any gaps in strategy? The completeness review is also the time to discuss modifying strategy to make sure the proposal is providing the best possible value.
Compliance – Do all sections conform to relevant guidelines and regulations? Is proper legal language in place to protect proprietary information?
Consistency – Are all sections formatted the same way and in the same font? Does the proposal appear to be a unified whole? Are units, terms of measurement, etc. consistent throughout, and consistent with the RFP requirements?
Correctness – Are there any grammar or spelling errors? Keep a special eye out for “numerical typos.” They’re harder to see, but an error in pricing or units could lose the contract for you – or worse, commit you to a contract that won’t be profitable to fulfill.

Building the Red Team

Who you ask to be on your red team will vary based on your unique organizational needs as well as on the proposal itself. You may not want all of the same people to be involved at every step; for example, senior team members and executives might have a lot to contribute during the Coherence and Completeness stages, but you may not want to take up their time conducting the Consistency and Correctness reviews. Make sure that the proposal manager is involved; legal counsel should also take a look at the draft before submission. Other possible red team members include technical and product experts and personnel who will be involved in the project.

More Information from Government Contracting Best Practices
Learn how to review, rewrite and repackage your government proposal, and review our proposal writing checklist. Give your red team more time to review by finding government contracts before an RFP announcement.