No matter what your business is, you may have the right skill set within your company to complete a research project for the federal government. Though the journey is arduous, just about any company will benefit from going through the process of writing a proposal for federal research money. You can find current Request for Proposals (RFP) for the federal government at www.fedbizopps.gov. Each RFP has its own steps to completion, so I decided to give eight things that should be on the “front burner” when you are preparing a proposal.

1. Be creative.  Just because the process is stodgy doesn’t mean you can’t do some selling.  Treat the proposal like you would when writing to a private client.  Sure, the government cares that all the boxes are checked, but at the end of the line it is a group of people that make the decision.  These people are going to need to be sold that you can do the job better than any other company.
2. Your books have to be clean.  In the financial section, you need to provide a budget including how many hours the project will take you.  Beyond that, they want to know details about your overhead rate, profit, and multiplying factor.  If you don’t know much about bookkeeping, hire a professional or at least a knowledgeable friend to assist you in preparation of this section.  The financial section can come back to bite you if the panel accepts your proposal and the contracting department finds errors.  Also, keep in mind that you could be audited at any point during the project, so keep good records.  This is one of those sections that will greatly benefit your company just by completing it.  Knowing the details about your company’s finances will greatly improve your money management.
3. Every resume counts.  Don’t just focus on the project leader.  Work equally hard on crafting excellent resumes for the entire research team.  Don’t lie, and don’t exaggerate the truth.  Look over exactly what the team member has done the last few years.  Find creative ways to connect the past work with the job to be done.  If you have a hole in the team, try to fill it with someone from another company- a subcontractor.
4. Every section counts.  If you read your finished proposal and find it to be a little weak in one area, the panel will likely say the same thing.  You need to find away to gain strength in your weak areas.  This can be done through independent consultants, or hiring an entire company with expertise in this area.  Make sure they help you write the content for this section so you come through as strong as possible.  Do not turn in a proposal with a weak section assuming the panel will focus on your strengths.
5. Some of the panel members already have a winner in mind.  This is a cold, hard truth.  The fact is, the panel is made up of experts in whatever industry you’re in.  They know people in the industry!  Some of those relationships go back a long way, and it will be tough to break through.  The good news, however, is that if your idea and presentation is good enough, you can still win the panel over.  As long as you catch the attention of at least one panel member, you will be in the mix.  Also, if you have made some good contacts, some of the panel members might already know you and your company.
6. Some of the panel members already have an idea of how to complete the research.  Despite how cryptic the RFP is, they usually already know what they want.  They are just looking for the company that is going to tell them what they want to hear.  To make matters worse, the larger companies may already have some inside information as to what that winning way is.  My advice:  ignore all that and present your idea in the best way possible.  When you're writing, pretend you are trying to convince someone that is trying to go in a different direction rather than convincing a neutral party.
7. Preparing the final copies is a pain.  Government agencies have all sorts of requirements for how the proposal is prepared.  Binding, section separations, fonts, margins, two sided/one sided prints, are all important.  Make no mistake; if your layout is wrong, your proposal will be thrown out.  It reminds me of those dog tags you could order with GI Joe UPCs in the 80’s.  If you didn’t follow directions exactly, no dog tags for you!
8. There is a chance you could win.  If you do the proposal well, be prepared to win.  Make sure all your ducks are in a row so you can get started on the project right away.  It does take a while to start getting paychecks, so its like you're working for free the first couple of months.   Make sure you have other jobs in the queue.  In contrast, there is a good chance you wont win, so don’t pin all of your hopes and dreams on a government proposal.

These are eight things I have learned by doing numerous government proposals.  Some of them I have learned the hard way, and some just by reading directions closely.  Don’t be intimidated by the large companies with entire research departments.  If you have a good idea, you just might be able to get it funded.