The Business of Architecture Event Series: From Opportunity to Interview: Strategies for Stronger Proposals
Business of Architecture is intended to help AIA members and the greater Cleveland design community to enhance their business acumen through expert presentations or moderated panel discussion, interactive peer discussions, and the exchange of practical tools, all centered around topic-specific facets of the design practice. Winning a project starts before the proposal is written. How does a firm decide which opportunities are worth pursuing? What makes a team credible to a client? And when a firm reaches the interview stage, what helps it stand out? This Business of Architecture session brings together AEC pursuit professionals and client perspectives to examine how firms compete for private, public, and federal work. Panelists will discuss how firms need to assess an opportunity, develop “GO/NO-GO” strategies, assemble a team around the project’s needs, and turn their experience into a clear response that speaks to the client’s priorities and selection criteria. We will also explore the time and resources firms invest in pursuing work, and how thoughtful decisions can protect firm’s financial resources. The conversation will follow from early positioning through proposal and interview. Attendees will hear what selection teams look for, where proposals commonly fall short, and how interview teams can demonstrate that they understand the client and are ready to deliver. A small group discussion will give participants a chance to compare approaches and identify one change to bring back to their firms.
Learning Objectives
Assess project opportunities based on project and client fit, capacity, pursuit cost to inform a go or no go decision.
Identify the experience and partners needed to assemble a team that responds to the project’s requirements
Connect your team’s qualifications to the client’s priorities and selection criteria in a proposal.
Prepare an interview approach that demonstrates the team’s understanding of the project and ability to deliver.
AIA CEU: 1 LU (pending approval)