Proposal Specialist

Position Overview: 

The Proposal Specialist is responsible for managing RFP responses through the RFP lifecycle. The Proposal Specialist will lead team calls with stakeholders and manage the bid process end-to-end using Follett’s proposal management software. They are responsible for the preparation, support, and submission of high-quality proposals in compliance with all requirements and deadlines. They are expected to work cross-functionally with various departments such as sales, marketing, legal, customer service, and product management to ensure proposals accurately depict the features and capabilities of Follett products and services, as well as meet all RFP requirements and align to Follett standards and policies. Often serves as a liaison with clients. Operates with supervision on complex bid projects, and under minimal supervision on simple bid projects.

Responsibilities:

The Job: 

• Manages RFP response/proposal life cycle:
  • Provides project management for bid responses, including bid planning, identifying resources requirements, developing response timeline, and successful submission.
  • Writes and edits proposal narrative while working collaboratively with other departments and bid team members.
  • Responsible for ensuring proposals have professional appearance and align to Follett standards and policies, meet the RFP requirements, and accurately depict Follett product and services.
  • Responsible for risk management; develops plan for overcoming problems.
  • Work cross-functionally with internal teams (e.g. Sales, Customer Service, Marketing, Legal/Finance/Insurance, etc.) to develop bid response template documents. Contribute to and help maintain records/content in the proposal management software library.
  • Manage and process vendor forms and other documentation requests as needed.
  • Collaborate and cross-train with other Bid Team members.
  • Attend product trainings and have a strong understanding of the Follett product portfolio.
  • Leverage AI to drive efficiency and improve capacity to complete high quality bid responses, including:
  • Experience curating and managing AI-powered content libraries
  • Familiarity with prompt engineering for generative AI tools
  • Ability to review and refine AI-generated drafts to ensure alignment with brand voice and compliance standards
  • Enthusiasm for exploring and implementing emerging AI technologies in content development

Qualifications:

Desired Skill Set: 

• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Excellent project management and time management skills.
• Excellent knowledge of bid planning and writing.
• Strong critical thinking and decision-making skills are essential
• Strong problem-solving skills are necessary
• Ability to work under very tight deadlines.
• Strong knowledge of the procurement process and rules, especially in the education market.
• Strong proficiency with MS Word, MS Excel, Adobe.
• Familiarity with proposal management software (Qvidian, RFPio, etc.).
• Familiarity with Salesforce.
• Experience using AI
• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent
• Years of Experience: 4 plus years

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