Get the Most Out of Your Pink Team Reviews

Traditional proposal management uses a color review process to advance drafts toward completion. The Pink Team is typically the first proposal draft and the first review in the process. It’s important for proposal managers to set expectations from the start to ensure the Pink Team Review produces quality feedback.

At OST, our Pink Team expectations include:

• The proposal draft is 60 percent ready for submission, with all key content present in rough form.
• The draft is fully compliant with the RFP.
• All key graphics concepts are included (at least in rough form).
• Technical and management approaches are clearly formed.
• The resume template is compliant.
• The past performance template is compliant.
• The outline is compliant, organized for ease of evaluation, and can be “frozen” after the review.

The overall focus of the Pink Team Review should be making sure you have the right content to show the customer why you should be awarded this contract. Explain to your reviewers that you want feedback on the content, approach, value proposition, outline, and compliance. Ask them specifically, are there great ideas and clear themes that show what makes this offer better, faster, cheaper, and less risky in the proposal?

Additionally, there should be sufficient inputs to decide the following:

• Is this the right corporate experience for the whole team?
• Are the right key and supporting personnel proposed?
• Are these the right past performance references?

It is important to note that misspellings, page count problems, art numbers out of sequence, and faulty grammar are normal at a Pink Team stage and should be ignored. Be sure to explain to your reviewers that these comments are not welcome, and they should not waste their time redlining the document.

You can also include specific questions to reviewers about elements you want them to check for and give them the list of win themes to find reflected in the draft. Especially for larger volumes, ask your reviewers to review content that matches their subject matter expertise. Usually, the Pink Team takes place at the 40 percent time mark relative to the overall proposal duration. If the proposal duration is more than 45 days, writers can rest on the review day and listen to the draft debriefing.

By setting expectations correctly, you can get the most out of your Pink Team Reviews and capture important feedback or ideas on how to make the proposal better.

OST Global Solutions is a professional business development consulting firm. We provide capture and proposal teams to develop winning proposals. Or we can provide consultants on a case-by-case basis to fill gaps on your business development team, including running your color team reviews. Our services consist of capture management, proposal management, orals coaching, proposal writing, graphics support, editing, desktop publishing, and cost volume development.

Reach out to us to discuss how we can help you develop a winning proposal.

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(301) 384-3350

WinMore BD: The companies that succeed in Government contracting sustain growth by identifying and pursuing opportunities systematically and aggressively submitting proposals. If you’re looking for help in building a robust pipeline, take our upcoming training in Foundations of Business Development and learn how to take the guesswork out of bidding on federal opportunities. Or, if you want to jumpstart your pipeline, our consultants can help you create a Business Development Strategy, perform a Market Analysis to determine where to focus your contracting pursuits, and help you line up the right opportunities in your pipeline.

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