Starting a proposal from an opportunity
This article walks you through starting a real proposal draft from any opportunity, in about 15 minutes.
Steps
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Open the opportunity from your watchlist or from Find Opportunities.
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Click Draft a Proposal.
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The proposal workspace opens. On the Overview tab, confirm that the solicitation has been imported. If not, upload the PDF.
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Set your win themes. Three or four big ideas you want every section of your proposal to repeat. RFI Hawk suggests themes based on the solicitation; edit or replace them.
[screenshot of the win themes panel]
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Click into the Sections tab. The system has already laid out the section structure based on the solicitation.
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Click into the first section. Click Draft This Section. The system drafts in your voice using your past work.
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Read the draft. Edit. Save.
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Repeat for each section.
How long it takes
A typical small-business proposal takes: - Setup (steps 1 to 4): 15 to 30 minutes - Drafting all sections: 4 to 8 hours, spread over several days - Editing and review: another 4 to 8 hours - Final review and export: 1 to 2 hours
This is a fraction of the four to twelve weeks a traditional proposal takes.
What to do if it does not work
If "Draft This Section" returns a generic draft, the system does not have enough of your past work. Upload two or three old proposals or capability statements from your Past Performance library and try again.
If the system runs out of tokens, you can buy a token pack from your Billing page or wait until your plan refills.