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Writer's pictureIdeas at Dawn

Color reviews for proposals and roadtips?

Updated: Feb 3

The piece shares insights into managing proposal reviews using a color-coded system - Pink, Red, and Gold - aiming for a smooth journey to the process’s finish line.


two women at laptops

“Are we there yet?”


It’s a phrase I’m all too familiar with, given the amount of travel I do with my husband and our two boys.


But I often echo their sentiments in my business when working on a proposal…


While it sometimes feels like we don’t have enough time and that time is flying by, it can also feel like a long way to the finish line.


This is why my pink, red, and gold team reviews are down to a science. So that we’re efficient and on the right track from the early stages.


The pink team is usually the quickest review. We often still have a working document and keep writing while it’s being reviewed. After all, the goal here is mostly to ensure we’re consistent from a compliance point of view and following the outline. So pink team review isn’t really a “pens down” type of situation.


The gold team is fairly easy too. By that point, the document is nearly 100% complete. So we’re just looking for fatal flaws and making sure the technical proposal agrees with the estimate.


But the red team is what trips up a lot of proposal teams. This is where many slowdowns, major pivots, and massive rewrites can ensue if you’re not careful. My Red Team Rules to help alleviate some of the pain that can accompany a red team review are:


  • Define expectations for reviewers

  • Show respect for the effort put forth by the team so far

  • Focus the discussion from the owner’s perspective

  • Review in order of scoring weight/evaluation factors


Hopefully, if you keep these things in mind as you approach the red team review, you’ll find the ride smoother.

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