It took some time to come up with our business name but when the thought came to me one night out walking my dog, I immediately called Richard lest I forgot it. We had kicked around options for some time without success and frankly it was now frustrating us both. Instantly we both liked the name “Red Team. There were a number of reasons for this not least that personally my favourite EPL soccer team are known as the Red’s. However the standout reason was the direct relevance and importance of Red Team to our core business. A Red Team review is a critical process in procurement opportunity response. Essentially it is a review of the final proposal draft from the customer’s perspective in an effort to predict how the customer will score the proposal and it is recognised as a leading practice approach. The key to the review process is the involvement by people other than those who wrote it.
We are regularly asked by our clients to manage or participate in their proposal Red Team reviews. We are proponents of this process and we have been involved in Red Team reviews ranging from 3 person teams to a team of over 100 participants in a recent major proposal which incidentally the client won.
Based on our experience Red Team review success is founded on the following:
- Appoint an experienced Coach: Using a team analogy the appointment of an experienced coach with a track record of success is a vital first step. A Red Team needs someone to provide instructions, direct activities, manage all review logistics and oversight, and be responsible for results. It is vital that the occupant of this role has the experience and capability to create the right team culture – winning. Ideally this person is not the Bid Manager who should remain independent to the process.
- Assemble the team: As in any team sport it is important to assemble a well balanced and experienced independent Red Team. The team should consist of a blend of strategic, technical, commercial, and financial and businesses development skillsets with the necessary expertise to understand and assess the proposal and convey to the proposal team what is required to win. In many cases an investment in external subject matter expertise to operate as part of the Red Team can pay huge dividends. The Red Team members must give a commitment to devote all of their energy, skills and resources to the Red Team review – other day-to-day distractions will impact on what they can offer to the process and should be eliminated.
- Create a winning team culture. The Red Team is about winning and is not about finding problems. If a Red Team is to make a positive difference, they must provide solutions from the customer’s perspective that will help you win. In practice this is highly challenging to achieve particularly for larger proposals with many Red Team participants.
- Set clear Red Team Objectives: The Red Team objectives should be clearly set out upfront in the proposal response. They may vary from proposal to proposal but what really matters is that objectives are set, monitored and seen through to execution. This gives the process and the team direction.
- Hold a briefing session: The Red Team participants should be briefed prior to the review kick-off to clearly set expectations and accountabilities, walk the team through the process and to get feedback and ideas from the team. It may also serve as an opportunity to provide training if required. For example, larger proposal Red Team reviews may be conducted on-line so training may be required to ensure the participants are familiar with the tool.
- Peaking at the right time (timing): Getting the Red Team review timing correct is vital to its success and ultimately to the chances of proposal success. Schedule the Red Team too early and the key risk is that the proposal will not be of a standard that enables an effective review, resulting in a low value outcome form the review process. At the other extreme if the Red Team review is scheduled close to the proposal due date the Red Team review recommendations may not be incorporated into the final proposal submission. In practice the process generally will involve trade-offs. For example, for larger proposal it may be best to breakdown the Red Team review into discrete phases – compliance, technical, pricing.
- Allow sufficient time: The effectiveness of Red Team reviews can be severely impacted by not allowing sufficient review time. This should be agreed in advance and effective supporting processes, templates and communication could have a real positive impact in ensuring the time allocated is optimised.
- Proposal Team Debrief: Effective proposal team debrief is critical. Red Team participants should meet prior to this debrief to seek agreement on the debrief messaging and communication. Sufficient proposal team debrief time should be scheduled to ensure they leave the process with a clear direction on what they need to achieve to deliver a winning response.
Right then, time to walk the dog again…