SBIR Proposal Writing Basics

SBIR Proposal Writing Basics: Smart Schmoozing with the Dept of Defense

Gail & Jim Greenwood, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc.

Anyone who has attended one of our SBIR/STTR workshops knows that we strongly encourage schmoozing with technical points of contact (TPOCs)and topic authors before submitting Phase 1 proposals to the Dept of Defense (DOD). Schmoozing here means taking time to better understand the topic (and the person behind it) before writing a proposal on a Phase 1 DOD topic, because the one page topic description in the solicitation probably does not contain all of the relevant information you need to submit a credible proposal.

Unfortunately, the opportunity to schmooze with DOD topic authors/TPOCs is in jeopardy. There is a strong possibility that DOD will either eliminate the “pre-release period” (the time between when the tentative topics are available in the solicitation and when DOD begins accepting proposals, the latter date generally being 30 days before the proposal deadline) or greatly shortening it. One reason is that DOD topic authors/TPOCs are apparently being inundated with silly schmoozing. The purpose of this article is to help you do smart schmoozing, with the hopes that it will help you and keep DOD from disallowing schmoozing during the “pre-release period.”

We understand there are several problems with the schmoozing some DOD TPOCs/topic authors have been receiving. First, they are being asked questions that are clearly answered within the DOD solicitation. Second, they are being subjected to sales pitches. Third, they are being tied up by long winded phone/email conversations with potential SBIR/STTR proposers.

To overcome these problems, we suggest you consider the following:

Be considerate. Maybe you think the “public servant” on the other end of the phone works for you, the taxpayer, and darn better spend as much time as you demand and answer any question you can think up. If this is your attitude, then look in the mirror in terms of seeing your own worst enemy. Many topic authors/TPOCs feel primary allegiance to their agency/component/war fighter, and not to the proposer. You are seen as a potential supplier and as such are expected to treat them respectfully. Therefore, don’t demand and don’t think they owe you answers or significant chunks of their time—be considerate.
Do your homework. No one likes to be asked questions to which the answer is readily available to the asker. Therefore, make sure you have downloaded, read, and even studied the most recent DOD solicitation to answer some of your questions, rather than posing them to the TPOC/topic author.
Plan for 10 minutes. One of the DOD SBIR/STTR program managers told us that this the time frame that a typical topic author/TPOC can spend on the phone or respond to an email from a potential proposal submitter. This demands that you be prepared and focused before you pick up the phone to call the topic author/TPOC; if you’re sending email instead, then you need to ask questions that can be thought about and responded to in that brief time period (one suggestion is to ask questions with short answers; don’t ask essay questions unless absolutely necessary).
Write down your questions ahead of time, in priority order. Given you only have 10 minutes, you need to have a clear list of questions before you pick up the phone or peck out an email. Make the list, then go back and reorder it based on priorities—of course, you want to put the highest priority questions at the top. If you plan to provide some background on your approach to see if it is consistent with what DOD wants, then have it written down, keep it short, and rehearse it ahead of time since it also becomes part of your 10 minutes.
Avoid a sales pitch. You don’t like being interrupted at work by a telemarketer, and neither does the DOD topic author/TPOC. Carefully craft your background statement so it gives the topic author/TPOC a quick sense of your approach and your qualifications, but does not come across like a used car sales pitch.

We strongly disagree with the movement within DOD to eliminate or further restrict the communication between SBIR/STTR proposers and the DOD topic authors/TPOCs (we think it will not only hurt proposers but also the DOD because they’ll get more proposals that miss the target, so-to-speak). And reliance on SITIS (an Internet Q&A site where you can ask DOD topic-related questions, and where the answers are posted later) is not a suitable substitute, since your competitors can see and benefit from your intelligent and insightful questions. But we do understand the frustration within DOD about their topic authors/TPOCs being subjected to silly schmoozing. Therefore, start practicing smart schmoozing with DOD topic authors/TPOCs before we lose this important tool in the SBIR/STTR proposal writer’s tool box.