April 19, 2023

We are pleased to present this proposal...

Flattery

We are pleased to present this proposal…I've spent many exhausting years changing this opening sentence to cover letters in proposals. It started when I attended a roundtable discussion with selection committee members and one of them said that if he read one more cover letter that started this way he would scream.

I concur. This sentence makes me want to scream as well. In fact, I'm so against it, that I teach an entire workshop on how to write an effective cover letter that begins with cautioning attendees against using this sentence. Ever. This is the kind of feedback people need to hear.

What grabs a selection committee and what turns them off? What sets one firm apart from another? How important are layout, graphics, and photography? Do selection committees notice when firms use boiler plate information?

To answer these questions and more, I interviewed three people who have played an active role in proposal shortlisting for many years — Susan Steinbrenner the former executive director (retired this month) of Evergreen Public Schools (EPS), Rob Fix, the executive director of Port of Bellingham (POB) and Libby Ramirez, the university architect/director, Capital Resources for Oregon State University (OSU). As public entities, all these people and their organizations must participate in an equitable selection process.

Rendering by Haven Design Workshop [enlarge]

In August the POB selected The BoardMill Group LLC to redevelop a waterfront parcel, that includes a historic papermill plant, into a new mixed-use area. A hotel, meeting space, residential units and commercial and retail space are planned for the site.

So, let's start with that cover letter I mentioned...

Both Mr. Fix and Ms. Ramirez agree that firms should steer clear of openings that sound more like a cold call than a customized letter. Instead, they encourage firms to use this space as an opportunity to show an understanding of their organization, the project the firm is pursuing, and how it fits into the community. Passion for the project is also valued.

“I want to hear what's exciting about our project and what first intrigued you. When someone says they have been dying for this project to be posted for years, that's the kind of thing we appreciate,” Ms. Ramirez said.

This kind of writing customization extends beyond the cover letter and all three directors agree that they can spot boilerplate writing from miles away. “The teams who understand our priorities and have done the kind of work and have the kind of enthusiasm we're looking for are apparent. We can tell what proposals are custom-made to respond to the RFP and which ones are cut and pasted from another proposal,” Mr. Fix said.

OTHER PROPOSAL WRITING

Everyone involved in the proposal process has, at one time or another, wondered if anyone reads them. All three directors said that they do. “I read every word,” Ms. Steinbrenner said adding that she appreciates conciseness. It's important to note this. Selection committees can receive numerous responses to RFP/Q's and it's important for proposers to respect their time. Ms. Ramirez reported receiving 24 proposals for one project.

Photo © PeteEckert [enlarge]

GBD Architects submitted the winning proposal to design Evergreen Public Schools new admin building in Vancouver, Wash.

For Ms. Ramirez, the most successful proposals are those specifically crafted toward the RFP/Q. “When you see a firm give a fresh take that is directed to OSU — they've looked at a different project on our campus or maybe they've looked at some other work that we've done in the past and they incorporate that information into their response, it really stands out.” All three directors mention how easy it is to go to their websites and find out who they are, what their goals and guiding principles are and what their strategic plans are.

GRAPHICS, LAYOUT & PHOTOGRAPHY

The selection committees for all three organizations value how a proposal is put together visually. When asked what stands out most as an excellent proposal each director said that a clean, well-organized proposal is key. Part of this is based on the experience of selection committee members. There are often several people on these committees who have never participated in a proposal process and it's helpful when the proposal is in the same order as the RFP/Q criteria.

Relevant, quality photos are also appreciated. “We were doing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) accelerator project that was a renovation of an existing 10,000-square-foot school. One firm put in all these CTE (Career and Technical Education) photos. I give them credit because they were trying to relate to our project, but it was really kind of a miss,” Ms. Steinbrenner said.

The group also said that while photos don't have to be professionally taken, it's a good idea to do so, or at least have someone in the firm who knows what they're doing take them. “When photographs of projects are well-lit and uniform, so that they give us some context, it really helps,” Ms. Ramirez said.

For both architecture firms and non-architecture firms, Ms. Ramirez added that graphs and charts demonstrating the process are also valuable. “Show us examples of how you organize your cost estimate or what kind of information you share as a commissioning agent, or even a project schedule,” she said.

RESUMES & TEAM EXPERIENCE

Photo ©PeteEckert [enlarge]

OSU selected SERA Architects to design the Portland Center, which opened in 2019.

Ms. Steinbrenner cautions against what has become known as the bait and switch. “I want to see a proposal that includes the people who are really going to work on the project. We're more interested in people who are good designers and not polished presenters, and we caution our selection committee members to be on the lookout for that.”

Many, but not all POB RFP/Q's are developer-driven and a bit of a different animal than your typical proposal team. According to Mr. Fix, a great design and a team that demonstrates they can execute on the development goes a long way with the Port.

“Anytime someone comes together with a team that looks like they're a well-oiled machine, and they present a concept that's obviously been well thought out, we're going to be respectful of that and we're going to make sure they at least get an interview.”

For OSU, seeing teams who have worked together before, including subconsultants, is important. “If we get a firm with really great experience, but the team hasn't worked together, that isn't as strong as proposals from teams who have,” Ms. Ramirez said.

In addition, both Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Steinbrenner prefer to see that the team has relevant experience. OSU is an R1 research institution, (an institution that offers at least 20 research or scholarship-based doctoral degrees and spends at least $5 million on research each year) and having direct experience with this kind of lab design is essential to the university.

“If I look at a resume and it says that a person has eight years of laboratory design experience, and then they list out the labs that they've worked on and they're all high school labs or all their lab experience was a community college or private industry, that's a different experience. It's good experience, but it's different,” Ms. Ramirez said.

THE DEI (DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION) RESPONSE

Numerous firms scratch their heads when presented with questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion and how best to respond to them.

OSU typically asks firms to discuss how they design for inclusive excellence and for a narrative description of a firm's Workforce Diversity Plan.

“These sections are extremely important to us,” Ms. Ramirez said, adding that the response is a quick way for the selection committee to discern if someone is “really interested or phoning it in.”

What OSU isn't looking for is a response about how a firm has 40% women and a policy of being an equal opportunity employer. “That's all well and good, but what I want to hear is what you're doing to help lift up the contractors, architects and others in the industry who qualify as MWESB (minority, women, and emerging small businesses) or DSV (disabled service veterans) firms.” Responses should focus on what firms are doing to create opportunities for these businesses by providing mentorship or bringing more diversity into project teams.

In addition, the university wants to understand how firms design for, and consider, the viewpoints of a diverse audience. The word “diverse” covers a broad base that includes race, gender, LGBTQ+, students that come from different cultures, students who may have food insecurities, people who require universal access — there are myriad groups, and firms responding to these questions need to understand who the user groups are and demonstrate that understanding within their proposal.

According to Ms. Steinbrenner, EPS also has a robust DEI initiative. The district is looking for responses that discuss how firms engage with a variety of stakeholders to get more participation. Do firms understand the barriers that might prevent inclusion?

“I think it's become a white culture thing to check a box and say that they have an MWESB partner when they didn't actually engage with them and learn more about their culture or what they can bring to the design, or talk about what opportunities they provided them,” she said. EPS is asking people to demonstrate in proposals how they would work with those stakeholder groups to make them feel included and how that would translate into the design of the project. They want to see experience or even representative projects that speak to that.

FINAL WORDS

Ms. Steinbrenner, Mr. Fix, and Ms. Ramirez emphasized a keen understanding of the time and money that goes into each proposal. All are appreciative that people show interest in working with their organizations and design the incredible facilities and buildings that enhance the user experience.

“We would be nowhere without the interest of all these designers and construction firms that invest the time and money into putting these proposals and interviews together — or even just showing up for a 30-minute pre-proposal conference. So, I want to express my thanks to anyone that opens our advertisement for bid opportunities and shows interest,” Ms. Ramirez said.

Julie Flattery has worked in the AEC profession for 30 years and uses this knowledge to help firms improve their verbal and visual communication. She also teaches workshops on the Art of Proposal Creation through a co-owned business, Deconstructed Workshops.

contact: jflatteryco@gmail.com, info: https://www.deconstructedworkshops.com/