Proposal Name Red Team InBriefing Presented by Red

[Proposal Name] Red Team In-Briefing Presented by: [Red Team Leader’s Name] [Organization] [Date]

In-Briefing Agenda § Red Team organization and assignments § Purposes of the Red Team § Proposal background § Red Team operations § Debriefing the Red Team review 2

Red Team Schedule Date Time Event Background reading for team members Red Team in-briefing Vertical and horizontal reviews Consolidate results and prepare Debriefing presentation to proposal team 3

Red Team Organization and Assignments The compressed Red Team schedule demands clear organization and division of labor. Each member must accomplish assigned tasks in the prescribed manner to ensure the entire proposal is effectively reviewed and comments can be acted upon efficiently. 4

Red Team Management Red Team Chairperson [Name] Management Lead [Name] Technical Lead [Name] Past Performance Lead [Name] Cost Lead [Name] • Mirrors anticipated evaluation team structure • Provides focal points to coordinate dual review coverage of all proposal sections 5

Red Team Assignments § Primary reviewers coordinate input on sections § Secondary reviewers furnish additional insight § Horizontal reviewers evaluate specific aspects of proposal 6

Purposes of the Red Team The Red Team evaluates the proposal from the customer’s perspective. Members come from outside the proposal team. 7

Purposes of the Red Team § Emulate source selection evaluation process to predict proposal scoring § Determine compliance to solicitation and responsiveness to customer hot buttons § Conduct independent assessment of proposal’s quality and effectiveness § Recommend detailed improvements 8

Red Team Performs Three Tasks 9

Proposal Background Information about the opportunity will help orient the Red Team and make the review more efficient. 10

Opportunity Description § [The capture manager should present a brief summary of the business opportunity] § [Information can be taken directly from the capture plan (if one was prepared) or kickoff briefing] 11

Review of Key Solicitation Sections § [Proposal manager discusses main features of solicitation] § [Include any unusual elements] § [Describe solicitation features that increase risk] § [Discuss discrepancies in solicitation; if federal RFP, between Sections L, M, and C] § [Inform team members where they can find applicable solicitation information (handouts, pre-populated review forms, or solicitation copies)] 12

Competitive Landscape § [Identify principal competitors] § [Introduce customer hot buttons] § [Reference a bidder comparison chart to explain origin of strategies] 13

Bidder Comparison Chart 14

Solution Overview § [Solution architect or program manager briefs technical solution] § [Keep simple] § [Make it clear reviewers must not factor this information into the review] § [Purpose is to inform Red Team what is being proposed, not justify or explain the solution] 15

Win Strategy § [Capture manager briefs overall strategy] § [Discuss price-to-win if doing so does not endanger proprietary information] § [Identify key discriminators and tie to bidder comparison chart] 16

Red Team Operations To maximize benefits to the proposal team, the Red Team will follow a proven, structured operational approach. This approach standardizes scoring, risk assessments, and feedback formats to increase utility of the critique. 17

Two Types of Review § Vertical • Section by section • Primary and secondary reviewers • Numerical scores • Proposal and performance risk assessments § Horizontal • Evaluates use of style and emphasis tools • Determines consistency across document 18

Red Team Member Responsibilities Responsibility Vertical Horizontal Review assigned section(s) ü ü Evaluate strengths and weaknesses ü Evaluate compliance and responsiveness ü Identify deficiencies ü Identify areas needing clarification ü ü Recommend specific improvements ü ü Provide numerical score and risk assessments ü Check for inter-volume compatibility Prepare debrief for proposal team 19 ü ü ü

The Vertical Review: Commenting on the Proposal § Fill out review form for each assigned section § Identify solicitation and/or proposal references § Identify and comment on strengths and weaknesses § Describe deficiencies or needed clarifications § Provide clear and concise recommendations for corrective actions § Score compliance and responsiveness on 0 -10 scale § Assess risks as high, moderate, or low § Obtain consensus and assign final numerical score and risk assessments (primary reviewer) 20

Form for Vertical Review § Reference information § Strengths and Weaknesses § Comments and Problems § Recommendations § Scoring § Disposition 21

Scoring Guidance for Compliance and Responsiveness 22

Scoring Guidance for Proposal and Performance Risk 23

Develop Your Personal Review Plan Suggested Process: 1. Based on the cross reference matrix, identify solicitation sections (including evaluation criteria) applicable to your review assignment. 2. Identify portions of the compliance/requirement checklist provided by the Red Team leader applicable to your assigned section. Use these in your review for compliance and responsiveness. 3. If no compliance/requirement checklist is provided, you must work from solicitation paragraph references applicable to your assigned proposal section. 24

Reviewer Guidelines Reviewers often read only within their “comfort zone, ” and edit details rather than reviewing for sound solutions, compliance, responsiveness, and reasons the customer should score this proposal highly. Don’t: § Edit for grammar; this is better left to the editor § Criticize writing style; look for accuracy § Recommend new ways to redesign pages § Revise material so it sounds better to you 25

Reviewer Guidelines (continued) Do: § Read your assignment with purpose of solicitation in mind § Review material that falls in your area of expertise § Consult with others if you need more information § Offer suggestions for presenting information § Review your comments with topic head § Consult with others who need your expertise 26

Hints for Red Team Members § Think like customer’s evaluation team § Limit evaluation to proposal content—nothing else § Insist that each volume: • Answer the question “Why Us? ” • Contain effective themes with well-defined benefits • Substantiate all claims • Contain easily-understood visuals with strong action captions • Incorporate easy-to-find discriminators • Contain short, concise sentences (active, not passive) • Avoid tutorial narrative and technical arrogance 27

The Horizontal Review: Checking for Consistency § Answer all questions on form for assigned review type (1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, or 4 th) § Make detailed comments referenced to questions § Proposal manager makes disposition 28

Form for Horizontal Review (p. 1) § Reference information § Questions • Theme statements • Visuals and action captions • Outline and section headings 29

Form for Horizontal Review (p. 2) § Questions (cont. ) • Outline and Section Headings (concluded) • Callouts § Comments and disposition 30

Debriefing the Red Team Review The Red Team must present its findings and recommendations to the proposal team, which then determines how to improve the proposal. A better review results when the Red Team knows the debriefing approach in advance. 31

The Red Team Debrief § Consolidate and present findings for each major section and volume § Identify strengths and weaknesses for each section § Present scores and accompanying rationale for each evaluation area § Make recommendations for quality improvements § Specify deficiencies § Recommend priorities for applying resources to address Red Team comments 32

The Red Team Debrief (continued) § Transfer review forms to proposal manager § Meet with volume leaders or authors to discuss recommendations § Be available for follow-up 33

Red Team Summary 34