APMP Capture Strategy and Client Intelligence 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a competitive matrix in proposal development?
- To compare your solution against competitors across key evaluation criteria (Correct answer)
- To track internal deadlines and milestones
- To format pricing tables for submission
- To assign writing responsibilities to team members
Correct answer: To compare your solution against competitors across key evaluation criteria
A competitive matrix visually compares your organization's strengths and weaknesses against key competitors across evaluation criteria.
Question 2: Early engagement with a prospective customer before RFP release is valuable primarily because it allows you to do what?
- Shape requirements and build relationships that favor your solution (Correct answer)
- Receive a copy of the RFP before other bidders
- Bypass the official solicitation process
- Reduce the required page count of your proposal
Correct answer: Shape requirements and build relationships that favor your solution
Early customer engagement allows you to understand their needs deeply, build trust, and potentially influence requirements in your favor.
Question 3: What does 'ghosting the competition' mean in proposal strategy?
- Describing competitor weaknesses indirectly without naming them (Correct answer)
- Declining to submit a proposal on purpose
- Copying a competitor's proposal format
- Ignoring competitor intelligence entirely
Correct answer: Describing competitor weaknesses indirectly without naming them
Ghosting the competition means indirectly highlighting competitor weaknesses in your proposal without explicitly naming the competitor.
Question 4: Which document is typically developed during capture to summarize the opportunity's strategic value?
- Opportunity assessment or bid/no-bid analysis (Correct answer)
- Color review schedule
- Compliance matrix
- Proposal style guide
Correct answer: Opportunity assessment or bid/no-bid analysis
An opportunity assessment (or bid/no-bid analysis) evaluates the strategic and financial value of pursuing an opportunity during the capture phase.
Question 5: Customer intimacy in capture strategy refers to which activity?
- Building deep knowledge of customer priorities, culture, and decision-makers (Correct answer)
- Sharing internal pricing data with the customer
- Allowing the customer to write sections of your proposal
- Hosting customer teams at your office during proposal writing
Correct answer: Building deep knowledge of customer priorities, culture, and decision-makers
Customer intimacy involves developing deep understanding of a customer's priorities, organizational culture, and key decision-makers to tailor your approach.
Question 6: A strength, as defined in proposal evaluation, is best described as what?
- A feature that exceeds a requirement and provides benefit to the government (Correct answer)
- Any positive statement in the proposal
- Meeting the minimum requirement exactly
- A graphic or chart that improves readability
Correct answer: A feature that exceeds a requirement and provides benefit to the government
In government proposal evaluation, a strength is a feature that exceeds a stated requirement and provides measurable benefit to the customer.
APMP Capture Strategy and Client Intelligence 2
What is the purpose of a competitive matrix in proposal development?