Building a first proposal department that won $7M in new business

The challenge

A small EAM consulting and technology firm wanted to compete for public-sector work, where most contracts are won through formal RFPs. It had no proposal function at all. Every response was a scramble, and the firm had no consistent process or content to compete with larger, more established bidders.

The approach

Kady created the firm's proposal management department from the ground up.

• A capture process: put a capture process in place to track opportunities before RFPs were released, so the firm could position itself early with airports and transportation agencies and focus on the bids it was most likely to win

• A bid pursuit process: managed the full RFP process, from finding and qualifying opportunities to final submission

• A proposal content library: developed a library of 150 approved Q&A pairs so each response started from a strong foundation instead of a blank page

• Public-sector focus: built responses around what state and local government evaluators look for, with an emphasis on airports and other transportation agencies

• Expansion into adjacent markets: applied the same process to other transportation clients, including railroads

The results

• 70% win rate on the bids the team pursued

• $7M in new business won in 18 months

• The firm's first proposal management department, built to last beyond any single bid

• Wins across state and local government, mostly airports, plus other transportation clients like railroads

• A reusable library of 150+ Q&A pairs that made each new response faster and stronger

• A repeatable capture and proposal process that took the firm from scrambling on each RFP to pursuing the right opportunities early

Why it matters for consulting and technology firms

For smaller firms, public-sector RFPs are one of the most reliable ways to win large contracts, but only with a real capture and proposal process behind them. A dedicated proposal function and a strong content library let a small firm compete with much bigger names.

Ready to win more of the RFPs you pursue? Let's talk.