But I’m a subconsultant

If your firm typically serves as a subconsultant, the proposal process may be less involved and take less coordination because the prime firm will be leading the assembly and submittal of the full proposal. Your firm will be responsible for supplying the requested content only. Within the subconsultants category are primary (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Structural engineering firms) and specialty consultants (Elevator, Sustainability, and Accessibility) as specified in Module 1 – Lesson 2. Primary Consultants with a larger scope of work may engage more deeply with the prime firm, strategizing and supporting the overall response.

Be Prepared

• Commonly requested information includes your Firm Profile, Resumes, and Relevant Project Experience. Tailor these for the specific pursuit.

• More and more primes are supplying their own InDesign templates that you must fill out or request that you format documents in specific ways. Putting all your firm’s information into their templates can be more time-consuming than you think.

• You may receive requests from multiple prime firms. Be sure to ask if your firm’s participation needs to be exclusive. Each firm has its own policy regarding exclusivity, and some solicitations forbid exclusive teaming. Inform primes that you are on multiple teams.

• Fee Proposals and Project Approach sections will usually be tackled by your firm’s technical lead. Ensure they are well-informed of deadlines and have all the necessary documents. Primes may provide a spreadsheet for you to fill out regarding fees. These can be complex, so allocate sufficient time for them. Primes should be available to answer questions regarding fees and negotiations.

• Primes may not provide much notice for submissions. Some may only give you a 12 to 24-hour window to respond. It is always OK to say no to an impossible deadline. Politely decline the invitation while keeping the door open for future pursuits.