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Michele Davis wondered: <<I have to write a white paper proposal for a
military contract grant.>>
The most important thing you need to know is that the RFP (request for
proposals) that accomanies the grant application provides all the
instructions you need for creating the proposal. (Haven't done this for
military contracts, but have done it for many government contracts over
the years, so I speak with some knowledge of the process.)
If you deviate from these instructions to the smallest degree, a
proposal reviewer is well within their rights to reject your proposal
out of hand. If the proposal is otherwise solid and they don't have
many proposals, they're unlikely to do this, but I've heard many horror
stories. Sometimes they just use it as a screening criterion to
minimize their workload: if you can't follow instructions for a simple
proposal, how can you follow them for a complex contract? Sometimes
they use the criteria to award a contract to their friends or the guy
who provided the best bribe. (No, I'm not being cynical; I have
firsthand evidence of this from a government purchasing officer.)
Think of it as sending a resume containing typos: If you're the only
one who applies, they may have to swallow their distaste and hire you
anyway. If you're one of thousands, your resume is trashed.
<<The answer I received regarding this last month was that I should
employ "good writing technique" and simply create a narrative that
includes a beginning, middle and end.>>
Guess you didn't see my response (summarized above)? No, you're not
trapped in a Seinfeld epiosde: write clearly, persuasively, and
_concisely_. Answer all the reader's questions in a way that persuades
them you can do the job. That's really all that's required. If the
proposal review process is fair (not something to be taken for granted,
particularly if you're writing for U.S. military contracts in Iraq),
you'll be reviewed solely on the merits of your proposal: the only way
they'll know your proposal is meritorious is by reading something so
well written they can ignore your writing style and concentrate on the
facts.
Isn't that "good writing technique"?
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
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