APMP Proposal Review and Quality Assurance 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Red Team review in proposal development?
- To finalize pricing and cost volumes before submission
- To assess the proposal from a competitor's perspective
- To evaluate the proposal draft against customer requirements and evaluation criteria (Correct answer)
- To approve the executive summary for senior leadership sign-off
Correct answer: To evaluate the proposal draft against customer requirements and evaluation criteria
A Red Team review evaluates the proposal draft through the customer's eyes, scoring it against the stated evaluation criteria to identify gaps and weaknesses before submission.
Question 2: Which color team review is typically conducted earliest in the proposal development process?
- Red Team
- Gold Team
- Green Team
- Pink Team (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Pink Team
The Pink Team (also called a Draft Review) occurs early in the process to evaluate outlines, section structure, and initial strategy before significant writing investment is made.
Question 3: A Black Hat review in proposal management is best described as:
- A final proofreading review conducted immediately before proposal submission
- An evaluation that analyzes the proposal from a competitor's perspective (Correct answer)
- A pricing validation review conducted by finance executives
- A compliance check against all mandatory RFP requirements
Correct answer: An evaluation that analyzes the proposal from a competitor's perspective
A Black Hat review involves team members role-playing as competitors to identify how rivals might attack your proposal and what their likely strengths are.
Question 4: What is the primary focus of a Gold Team review?
- Checking grammar, formatting, and overall production quality
- Verifying compliance with all RFP section instructions
- Evaluating the overall technical solution design
- Reviewing executive-level business decisions and pricing strategy (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Reviewing executive-level business decisions and pricing strategy
The Gold Team review is an executive-level review focused on business strategy, pricing decisions, terms and conditions, and senior leadership commitment to the proposal.
Question 5: A compliance matrix is used primarily to:
- Track team member task assignments and proposal deadlines
- Cross-reference every RFP requirement against proposal sections to ensure full coverage (Correct answer)
- Document win themes and discriminators assigned to each section
- Record all reviewer comments from color team reviews
Correct answer: Cross-reference every RFP requirement against proposal sections to ensure full coverage
A compliance matrix maps each RFP requirement to the specific proposal section that addresses it, ensuring evaluators can find every required element and nothing is missed.
Question 6: In proposal development, a 'storyboard' is primarily used to:
- Plan graphic design layouts and visual design elements
- Track the proposal production schedule and printing deadlines
- Outline section content, win themes, and discriminators before full writing begins (Correct answer)
- Document competitive intelligence gathered during the capture phase
Correct answer: Outline section content, win themes, and discriminators before full writing begins
Storyboards are pre-writing planning tools that define the message, win themes, graphics, and discriminators for each section so writers have clear direction before drafting.
Question 7: The Green Team review in proposal development is primarily focused on:
- Environmental compliance requirements addressed within the proposal
- Writing quality, narrative flow, and grammar consistency
- Pricing strategy and cost volume development (Correct answer)
- Past performance documentation and reference verification
Correct answer: Pricing strategy and cost volume development
The Green Team review concentrates on the price-to-win strategy, cost volume structure, and pricing competitiveness to ensure the financial offer is sound and competitive.
APMP Proposal Review and Quality Assurance 1
What is the primary purpose of a Red Team review in proposal development?