Preliminary Design 

The proposal team for project execution team comprises:

• Proposal manager / project manager
  
• Functional team members /Engineering
  
• Procurement
  
• Construction
  
• Project controls
  
• Contracts
  
• Marketing / Business Development
  
• Editing / Graphics
  

Prepare Engineering Inputs to the Technical Proposal – Conceptual Design

• Prepare a write-up of the execution strategy
  
• Develop conceptual process flow diagrams (PFDs)
  
• Develop ventilation flow diagrams (VFDs)
  
• Prepare preliminary plant / equipment layout drawings
  
• Prepare preliminary P&IDS
  
• Develop a preliminary mechanical equipment list
  
• Conceptual control systems architecture and single lines preliminary I/O list
  

Develop electrical equipment list

• The Engineering effort needed for this task requires:
  
• Development of a design basis
  
• Site investigation and visits (including geotechnical information and environmental requirements)
  

Preparation of Conceptual Design drawings

• Civil / structural / architecture disciplines:
  
• Site conditions and topography (drainage, rainfall, access)
  
• Conceptual plot plan
  
• Location of utilities
  
• Building sizes and volumes
  

Plant design / mechanical and electrical disciplines:

• Review of system design
  
• Preliminary locations for major mechanical, electrical, and HVAC equipment
  
• Physical design is optimized over several iterations
  

Following are the inputs that Engineering might make to proposal content.

• Statement of Work (big portion of your scope)
  
• Scope of Services
  
• Engineering Jobhours / Cost
  
• Execution Strategy
  
• Schedule / Budget
  
• List of Deliverables
  
• Conceptual Process Flow Diagrams
  
• Preliminary Plant / Equipment Layout Drawings
  
• Preliminary Piping and Instrument Diagrams (P&IDs)
  
• Conceptual Control Systems Architecture and Single-Lines
  
• Material Assignment Schedule
  
• Preliminary Input / Output (I/O) List
  
• Preliminary Equipment List
  
• Cost Estimate / Quantities
  
• Staffing Plan
  
• Automation Approach
  

Develop Input for Cost Proposal

• Develop a list of deliverables ( Engineering Deliverables to Construction and Startup)
  
• Number and scope of design studies
  
• Number of technical specifications
  
• Type and number of drawings per system
  
• Type and number of drawings per building
  
• Type and number of drawings for yard structures and utilities 
  
• Drawings to support estimating effort of material requisitions
  
• Develop a preliminary estimate of quantities
  
• Review cost estimate (prepared by Project Controls) 
  
• Develop a staffing plan and jobhour estimate
  
• Input to contingency analysis
  
• 80/20 rule – focus time on the 20 percent that drives 80 percent of the cost
  

Proposal Package

• Overview / qualifications: Typical qualifications package includes Company Overview,Project examples,Client list
  
• Technical scope description
  
• Budget / Pricing
  
• Commercial terms and conditions
  
• Project team
  
• Execution plan
  
• Options / alternate offers
  
• Exceptions and deviations to the RFP
  
• Inclusions and exclusions
  
• Assumptions
  

6-Writing the Proposal

Section plan
Forms roadmap for entire section.Sets win strategy.Reviews customer hot buttons.Analyzes competition.Forces analysis of discriminators.Backs up commitments with experience
Storyboards
Force authors to start thinking about graphics.Balance use of graphic and text space (target 
50:50 ratio).First compliance review for outline of section.Allows first look at page-by-page layout of entire proposal
Mockups
Hand-drawn graphics can be submitted to production crew.Bulleted text enables 
review for messages, discriminators, compliance.Forces authors to think through what should be said before they start to write.Forces text and graphics to work together to tell sales story
Text preparation
Approved to write text after mockups have been approved.Submit introductory paragraph to process manager for constructive criticism.Write to “column inches” to avoid turning engineers into word processors.

End of Preliminary Design Phase

• Proposal is submitted
  
• Await customer decision 
  
• Prepare for negotiation
  

Proposal reviews

• Screening (bid-no-bid)
  
• On-project review
  
• Functional review
  

7-Closing the Deal.
Close the deal with analyzing future prospects and effectiveness of the sales team. 

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