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It used to be that there was essentially one way to bid on Federal government and a lot of commercial work. After all the relationship building, personal interaction and mind-share (the condition when you and the potential client are in general agreement that you understand their requirements and they understand your approach to meeting those requirements), you read through the final RFP (if you don't know that means Request for Proposal we need to talk), you and your staff beat your brains in for about 30 or 40 days, and you prepared and delivered the prop ("proposal" for you new folks) on time.

Times have changed. The first part (relationships, et. al.) is as important as ever, but it's becoming a lot more common these days that the proposal is delivered orally - standing in front of some variant of a Source Selection Board (SSB). Now you must pray (1) that you figured out all the right things to say, (2) they don't ask questions you or your team isn't prepared to answer, and (3) that no one on the team embarrasses themselves in front of the group receiving your presentation.

Proposals Are an Art Form

Traditional written proposal are tough to do right, which is why most companies will do almost anything to keep a top notch prop manager or writer. Written props have a formal structure, usually dictated by the agency or firm for whom it is being written. A good prop manager assembles a team of comprised of subject matter experts, additional writers, graphics people, the legal staff, the Chief Financial Officer, an editor, and other necessary support.

Based on instructions in the RFP and a detailed checklist, the team sets out to prove to the prospect that you understand the requirements, have a killer solution, have the background and experience to take on the work, can support the program with a strong administrative and management team, and can offer a price that has the prospective client drooling. They write to the anticipated audience using simple graphics, descriptive captions, bold conclusion headlines and lots of other techniques to ensure that their prop flows like the Mississippi. However, in spite of all this structure, would you believe, for example, that many proposals submitted to the government ARE NOT in compliance with the RFP?

But What About Orals?

Well, the government (and perhaps commercial firms as well) say they are asking for more oral proposals because they are (1) easier and less expensive for you to develop, and (2) faster to evaluate. It almost goes without saying that half of that is not exactly correct. Orals are NOT easier and less expensive to develop.

If fact, an oral prop may take more of your resources and just as much time to develop, and, frankly, there's a great deal more uncertainty because unlike a written proposal, you have no real idea about what the competition's submission will look like or what techniques they may employ once they are in front of the selection officials.

In addition, we've come to learn that the government and commercial firms are asking for orals because they want to meet, face-to-face, the people who will actually do they work. They've determined that people are sometimes as important as solutions and further, in an oral a bad company can't hide behind cleverly presented phraseology.

There Are Other Differences as Well

Unlike written proposals, orals are usually not scored in the traditional sense. An oral presentation may follow a written proposal with which it must dovetail exactly. Your technical people will likely have to participate, which means training, practice and rehearsal for all those who will present. It may require you to bring in people otherwise engaged in on-going work to put together and prepare for the presentation, graphics may be very specific and other media may be required (such as video) and difficult to accomplish. All of this preparation may need to be completed in a very short time.

How Tough is an Oral Really?

Well, think about it this way. Let's say your firm employs a staff of people who are expert in high-end software applications development, multi-media design, graphics, and so forth. Let's also say these are the kinds of folks who truly enjoy working in the middle of the night when there's no one around, and get so wrapped up with their technology that 12 to 18 hours in front of their monitor is considered great fun. Or your staff might be comprised of retired government civilian or military personnel who might just be perceived as a bit "stiff" or "domineering." Given these circumstances, it's fair to suggest your staff might be considered a bit introverted, and perhaps not particularly comfortable facing a group of people who can decide their fate based on the words spoken and the manner of their presentation.

These factors aside, an oral can be tough because the prop is put together anticipating a circumstance quite different from that under which a written prop will be reviewed and the preparation steps (e.g., training, rehearsals, dry runs, murder boards) that precede the presentation deal with issues other than how well ideas and solutions are presented on paper.

One of the hardest things to recognize is that an oral is not an "off the cuff" discussion between your firm and the prospective client. It needs to be as carefully planned and rehearsed as a State of the Union address.

As orals have become more common a new specialist, the Orals Coach, has emerged to help first-timers as well as repeat "offenders" get through the hot spots. Skills in proposal development have being combined with skills in public speaking, presentation graphics, video presentations, and other areas as esoteric as drama coaching to help firms achieve success in this new arena.

Funny thing is that an oral presentation isn't as foreign to most of us as it may at first seem. I'd guess that you once interviewed for your present job - and we've got to assume you "won" it. Congratulations, that was your first oral presentation. The next one should, we hope, be easier.

For more information, contact Mike at 703-642-5153.

About the author: Mike Berger's specialties are business development, training for corporate and government personnel, and collecting and analyzing information. He also supports clients wishing to obtain or make better use of their GSA Schedules and handles issues relating to corporate security. Mr. Berger completed 27 years service with the Federal government, and also retired as a Colonel from a parallel 31-year career in the Active Army and the Reserve Components. He holds a BA from Syracuse University did post-graduate study at the Syracuse University School of Social Work, and holds an MA in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University. He is a graduate of the US Army War College, and published author in field of Military History and Occupational Analysis. He has edited and published numerous works including biographies and historical texts.