Proposals for procurement

A procurement proposal is read by evaluators with a score sheet, not by a client falling in love with an idea. Learn to structure a proposal around the evaluation criteria, prove every claim, present a price that scores well and avoid the errors that get bids disqualified.

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Proposals for procurement.

A wedding proposal is read by two people on a sofa who want to feel something.

A procurement proposal is read by three to five evaluators, separately, with a score sheet beside them, often late in the day and alongside six other bids.

How evaluators read.

In a formal process, each evaluator usually scores every proposal against the published criteria, then the panel meets to agree on consensus scores.

Price is often scored separately, sometimes by someone who never sees the rest of the bid.

Mirror the structure of the request.

The single most effective thing you can do is organize your proposal exactly as the request is organized.

Use the buyer's section numbers and headings, in the buyer's order, and answer each requirement under its own heading.

Answer with claim, evidence and benefit.

Most weak proposals are full of claims: experienced, creative, detail-oriented, passionate.

Evaluators cannot score adjectives.

The executive summary.

Many evaluators, and almost every senior decision maker, read the executive summary first and sometimes only that.

Keep it to one page and write it last.

Worked example: how price and quality combine.

Many RFPs publish a scoring split.

Suppose technical quality is worth 70 points and price 30, and price is scored with a common formula: the lowest price divided by your price, multiplied by 30.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Structure a proposal that mirrors the buyer's evaluation criteria and is easy to score
• Write answers that pair each claim with evidence and a benefit to the buyer
• Calculate how price and technical scores combine, and decide where to invest effort

A wedding proposal is read by two people on a sofa who want to feel something. A procurement proposal is read by three to five evaluators, separately, with a score sheet beside them, often late in the day and alongside six other bids. They are not looking for reasons to love you. They are looking for the evidence that lets them award you points. Make that evidence easy to find.

How evaluators read

In a formal process, each evaluator usually scores every proposal against the published criteria, then the panel meets to agree on consensus scores. Price is often scored separately, sometimes by someone who never sees the rest of the bid. Three things follow from that:

• Evaluators score what they can find. A brilliant answer buried on page 14 under the wrong heading may earn nothing.
• Evaluators cannot assume. If the criterion asks for three references and you supply two with a note that a third is available, you lose points, or fail a mandatory requirement.
• Evaluators compare. Your answer is read next to the others. Specific beats general every time.

Mirror the structure of the request

The single most effective thing you can do is organize your proposal exactly as the request is organized. Use the buyer’s section numbers and headings, in the buyer’s order, and answer each requirement under its own heading. Then add a compliance matrix at the front: a table that lists every requirement and shows where you answered it.

The matrix helps evaluators, and it helps you. If you cannot put “Yes” in a row, you have found a problem while there is still time to fix it.

Answer with claim, evidence and benefit

Most weak proposals are full of claims: experienced, creative, detail-oriented, passionate. Evaluators cannot score adjectives. Use a three-part pattern for every scored answer.

1. Claim: what you will do, in one plain sentence.
2. Evidence: proof that you can, such as a past event of similar size, a named reference, a process document, a certification or a number.
3. Benefit: what it means for this buyer and this event.

An example. Weak: “Our experienced team ensures smooth guest flow.” Strong: “We will manage arrival for 350 guests in under 20 minutes using three check-in stations and a pre-printed name badge system. We used the same plan for a 320-guest awards dinner at a downtown hotel last spring, where the last guest was seated 17 minutes after doors opened; the client’s events manager is listed as reference 2. Your speakers will start on time, and your sponsors will not be waiting in a queue.”

The executive summary

Many evaluators, and almost every senior decision maker, read the executive summary first and sometimes only that. Keep it to one page and write it last. A formula you can copy:

• The buyer’s goal, in their words, showing you understood the request.
• Your approach, in three sentences.
• Why you, with your two or three strongest pieces of evidence.
• The price, or a pointer to the pricing form if price must be submitted separately.
• One sentence on what happens next if you are selected.

Worked example: how price and quality combine

Many RFPs publish a scoring split. Suppose technical quality is worth 70 points and price 30, and price is scored with a common formula: the lowest price divided by your price, multiplied by 30. Lantern & Lane, the illustrative west-end Toronto studio, bid $42,000 for a 350-guest association awards dinner. These numbers are illustrative.

Lantern & Lane’s price score is 36,000 divided by 42,000, times 30, or about 25.7. It won despite being the most expensive, because it earned 13 more technical points than the cheapest bidder. Now test the alternative. If Marco had cut the price to $38,000, the price score would rise to about 28.4, a gain of 2.7 points, at a cost of $4,000 in revenue. Losing just three technical points through a weak answer would have cancelled that out. In most quality-weighted bids, technical points are cheaper to win than price points.

Price it so it can be compared

Use the buyer’s pricing form exactly as provided. Do not add rows, change units or bury costs in notes. State what is included, list your assumptions, such as guest count, hours and venue access times, and price options separately so they do not inflate your base price. Show HST as the form asks. A price the evaluator cannot compare like for like is a risk, and evaluators score risk down.

Build a proposal library

Writing every proposal from a blank page is how small businesses burn out on bids. Keep a library of approved building blocks and adapt them each time: a company overview in 150 and 500 words, team biographies, three event stories with guest counts, timelines and results, standard answers on safety, accessibility, privacy, insurance and sustainability, and a list of references with their permission and preferred contact times. Update the library after every bid, adding the answers that scored well in the debrief. Then spend your writing time where it earns points: on the parts of each request that are specific to this buyer.

A pre-submission checklist

• Every mandatory requirement met and shown in the compliance matrix
• Every scored criterion answered under its own heading, with evidence
• Page limits, file formats and naming rules followed
• All forms signed by an authorized person
• References contacted and willing to take a call
• Pricing form complete, consistent with the proposal and arithmetic checked twice
• The client’s name spelled correctly everywhere, with no text left from another bid
• Submitted at least a day before closing, with a confirmation saved

In Canada and the GTA

Your proposal becomes your contract. In most procurements, the winning proposal is incorporated into the contract or relied on when it is negotiated. Every claim you make, about staff, response times, accessibility or past events, can become an obligation. Promise what you will deliver, not what sounds best. Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act protects consumers, not businesses buying services, so corporate and public-sector buyers rely on the contract instead, and they read it closely.

Price forms and HST. Ontario’s HST rate is 13%. Pricing forms usually ask for prices before tax, with HST shown separately or noted as extra. Follow the form exactly. If the buyer is planning a staff social event, remember the CRA’s administrative policy that an in-person event available to all employees is generally not a taxable benefit if it costs $150 or less per person including taxes, with spouses and partners counted as persons. Showing that your price fits within that limit, including HST, can be a strong point in a corporate bid. If you publish rate cards or price lists elsewhere, the Competition Act’s drip pricing rules require advertised prices to include every mandatory fee, with only government-imposed charges such as HST added on top.

Accessibility plans. Ontario public-sector and many corporate RFPs ask how you will serve attendees with disabilities. Under the AODA’s customer service standard, every Ontario organization with at least one employee must welcome service animals and support persons, allow assistive devices, give notice of temporary disruptions, provide accessible ways to give feedback, train staff and volunteers, and provide information in accessible formats on request. Build your answer from those duties and add event specifics: step-free routes, reserved seating near the stage, accessible washrooms, captioning or assistive listening where the venue can supply it, and a named contact for accommodation requests. See Ontario’s accessibility rules for businesses.

Privacy answers. If you will handle registration lists, dietary needs or accessibility requests, expect a question on privacy. Answer it with PIPEDA’s principles: you collect only what the event needs, identify the purpose, protect it with appropriate safeguards, limit who can see it, and delete it after the event. The OPC also requires businesses to keep records of all privacy breaches for 24 months and to report breaches that pose a real risk of significant harm. Read the OPC’s summary of PIPEDA.

Debriefs. Under Ontario’s Broader Public Sector Procurement Directive, unsuccessful suppliers in larger open procurements must be told they are entitled to a debriefing, and have 60 calendar days after the award notification to request one. Use it to learn how your bid was scored. This is general information, not legal advice.

Local practice

In Toronto, corporate requests for galas, conferences and holiday parties can arrive with short response windows, and they cluster ahead of the busy seasons, so keep your proposal library current through the summer and the winter. Toronto evaluators often know the city’s venues well, so be precise about rooms, capacities, load-in times and transit access, and confirm that the venue you propose is actually available on the date before you submit. If the request asks for a certificate of insurance with a specific limit, ask your broker for it during the bid period rather than after the award, because a missing certificate can turn a winning score into a failed mandatory requirement. National firms and organizations with offices in Quebec may ask for French-language materials or bilingual delivery; if you cannot provide it, say so plainly rather than leaving the evaluator to guess. Any sustainability claim you make, such as waste diversion or local sourcing, must be accurate and backed by records, because the Competition Act requires adequate and proper substantiation for claims about a business’s environmental benefits.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet and complete it for your own business, using Lantern & Lane as the model where it helps. Keep it with your marketing plan. It takes about 10 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)