From Proposal Chaos to Winning Clarity: Why I Wrote My First Book

Ideas at Dawn
Jun 25
3 min read

The email notification pings: another RFP has just arrived, and your stomach drops in response. You know what follows all too well—the familiar chaos of proposal development. Frantic calls to subject matter experts, late nights piecing together technical sections, last-minute scrambles for graphics and formatting. You’re left wondering whether you’re submitting your best work or just a desperate attempt to meet the deadline.

After 21 years in the AEC industry—17 of those spent at firms like Kiewit, HDR, and MWH—I’ve witnessed this scenario countless times. I’ve lived through it, managed it, and ultimately learned how to transform it.

That’s why I wrote From Chaos to Clarity: Unlock the Proven Process to Boost Your Win Rates.

The Problem: Proposal Chaos is Costing You More Than You Think

Let’s be honest about the true costs of proposal chaos for your firm:

Time and Resources: Teams are working nights and weekends, burning out talented professionals who could be focusing on billable work or business development.
Opportunity Cost: When you’re scrambling to meet one deadline, you miss out on opportunities to pursue other profitable projects.
Win Rate Impact: Rushed proposals rarely showcase your firm's best capabilities. They become survival documents instead of winning ones.
Team Morale: Operating in crisis mode can significantly dampen enthusiasm.

I’ve watched firms with incredible technical capabilities submit mediocre proposals simply because they lacked a structured approach to the process.

The Solution: A Framework Built for AEC Realities

This book isn’t about adding complexity to your process; it’s about creating clarity that drives results. The 6-step framework I share has been tested in the real world of AEC proposals. It has helped firms win tens of billions of dollars in new work—not through luck or lowball pricing, but by consistently delivering compelling, well-organized proposals that evaluators want to read.

What Makes This Framework Different?

Industry-Specific: Generic proposal advice doesn’t work for AEC firms. Our industry faces unique challenges such as complex technical requirements, lengthy evaluation processes, and the necessity to demonstrate both technical competence and project understanding.
Scalable: Whether you’re a 50-person firm or a Fortune 500 company, these processes can adapt to your size and structure.
Practical: Every strategy in this book has been implemented in real proposal situations under actual deadline pressure—with real results.

The Power of Clarity in Proposal Development

From managing hundreds of proposals, I’ve learned that clarity drives results. When your team operates with clarity instead of chaos, several positive outcomes emerge:

Clear Roles and Responsibilities: Everyone knows what they are responsible for before the RFP arrives, not after.
Improved Quality: Without the rush, you can focus on crafting compelling narratives and showcasing your best work.
Reduced Stress: Structured processes mitigate the unknown variables that create anxiety.
Increased Win Rates: Consistent execution of a proven process leads to better proposals.

Why I Finally Wrote This Book

For years, I’ve shared these strategies through training sessions and consulting engagements. Firms would implement the framework and immediately see improvements in their win rates and team satisfaction. However, I realized that not every firm could access this kind of hands-on training. Some needed to build these capabilities internally before they were ready for external support.

This book is intended for those firms—and for proposal professionals who are tired of fighting the same battles repeatedly.

What You’ll Find Inside

From Chaos to Clarity isn’t a theoretical exploration of proposal management; it’s a practical guide you can implement immediately:

The 6-Step Framework: A proven process for managing proposals, from pursuit decision to submission.
Real-World Examples: Case studies from actual AEC proposals that demonstrate these principles in action.
Tools and Templates: Resources you can customize to meet your firm's specific needs.
Implementation Strategies: How to introduce these changes without disrupting your current operations.

Ready to Transform Your Proposal Process?

If you’re tired of the proposal rollercoaster—the highs of winning and the lows of wondering what went wrong—it’s time to build a system that consistently delivers results. This book is your roadmap from chaos to clarity, from frantic scrambling to confident execution.