RFPs - Writing to Win with Melina Cardenas

This episode of The Grow Fast Podcast featuring Melina Cardenas, a professional proposal writer and project manager, primarily focused on best practices for writing successful proposals, especially for government contracts. Melina shared her insights into the complex and often overlooked world of RFP (Request for Proposal) writing, emphasizing the importance of understanding the procurement process, creating structured responses, and building strong internal alliances. She explained that proposal writing is a team effort, requiring input from various departments to ensure compliance and meet technical requirements.

Melina also highlighted the critical decision-making process of whether to pursue an RFP, advising companies to assess their capacity and the RFP’s alignment with their expertise before committing. Another key discussion point was the role of tools and strategies for streamlining the proposal writing process. Melina discussed her experience using databases and AI tools to organize past proposals, allowing for quicker turnaround times on new submissions. She emphasized the importance of clear communication within the team and with RFP issuers, including maintaining consistency in writing style and leveraging graphics to enhance readability and engagement.

The conversation also covered strategies for building relationships with government entities and following up on RFPs, noting the value of seeking debriefs whether or not a proposal is successful.

 

You can find the video of this episode of The Grow Fast Podcast with Melina Cardenas here: 

‍YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pfDnWJjfb4&t=295s

 

The Grow Fast Podcast is brought to you by Breeze, the fastest, easiest, and lowest-cost way to process RFPs, RFIs, security questionnaires, and other important documents. 

Breeze 

https://www.breezedocs.ai/