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The Educational Institute for Buying Legal Services & Legal Technology Education | Insights | Best Practices



Responding effectively to RFPs is an essential part of keeping and winning business - but making the most of the opportunities continues to be a challenge for many firms. In a crowded marketplace, how can providers differentiate themselves from the competition? What do proposal writers need to do to achieve the best scores in the technical evaluation? And how can they ensure they get the pricing right?

Join Winning Proposals author John de Forte and RFP expert Matt Prinn to learn how you can improve your chances of winning the next proposal.

THE EVENT

In this highly interactive workshop, participants will gain new perspectives on:


  • How clients choose – critical factors in winning proposals 
  • Latest trends and developments in RFPs – how the procurement landscape is changing
  • Responding to the opportunity - navigating internal politics and influencing key participants; fact-finding and intelligence
  • Developing win themes, key messages and the pricing strategy
  • Managing the bid function – getting the firm to apply best practice; improving return on investment
  • Drafting winning proposal responses
  • Making presentations memorable – managing rehearsals and coaching speakers
  • What others do best – learning from best practice

              In addition to course notes, each participant will receive a free copy of the book Winning Proposals – The Essential Guide for Law Firms and Legal Services Providers, priced at $49. Attendees are able to purchase additional copies of the book at a discount.

              YOUR PRESENTERS

              The course leaders are two of the leading practitioners in the field of responding to legal services RFPs:

              UK-based John de Forte is author of Winning Proposals – The Essential Guide for Law Firms and Legal Services Providers. The Winning Proposals Workshop is based on this definitive guide.

              John brings to the workshop his experience of helping firms to win proposals over a 30-year period. In addition to working with a wide range of law practices, this has included major accountancy, property consultancy, engineering & construction and financial services firms. He is therefore able to provide detailed insights into how other sectors are dealing with the challenges presented by proposals.

              John’s involvement includes training on all aspects of proposals practice; helping fee earners to enhance their presentation skills; providing input on how to maximise evaluation scores; reviewing internal proposal processes and advising on how the can be improved; developing win themes and key messages on a wide range of individual proposals; and co-ordinating and editing responses to requests for global services.

              Matthew Prinn is Principal of RFP Advisory Group, a Boston-based consulting firm that helps corporate counsel and law firms to respond effectively to proposal opportunities. Matt spent the last 12 years at K&L Gates, the last six as a global Director of Business Development covering nine practice areas and 40 practice groups. In this role he devised and implemented the firm’s RFP process, responding to nearly 200 RFPs a year.

              Matt has extensive hands-on experience of all aspects of the proposal response, including qualifying the opportunity on receipt of the RFP, drafting the document, coaching the presenters and eliciting feedback on the outcome. His role has involved frequent collaborations with members of the legal pricing, operations and procurement trade associations, enabling him to gain a holistic view of the proposal landscape. In all Matt has twenty years’ experience of working in legal business development departments, for firms including Latham & Watkins, Goulston & Storrs and Robinson & Cole.

              WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

              This workshop has been designed to be highly relevant to and actively involve business development professionals and everyone involved in responding to RFPs.

              AGENDA

              9:00  How clients choose

              • The user's perspective
              • Procurement trends
              • Tender models
              • Critical factors

              9:30  Responding to the opportunity

              • Guidelines
              • Focusing on the right bids

              10:45 Morning break

              11:00 Developing the bid response

              • Issues and solutions            
              • Win themes
              • Fee strategy

              12:15  Managing the proposal function

              • Embedding good practice
              • Debriefing and measuring return on investment
              • Training fee earners

              12:45  Lunch

              1:30  Drafting the document

              • The free form document
              • Responding to questionnaires
                • Layout and visual style
                • Editing and improving the document

              2:30 Afternoon Break

              3:15 RFP do’s and don’ts: The view from procurement

              4:00 The presentation

              • Structure and content
              • Delivery
              • Team cohesion
              • Preparation and rehearsals 

              5:30 Conclusions & Close

              DATES AND LOCATIONS

              • June 24, 2019 in Boston (hosted by: Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C., 600 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02210)
              • June 25, 2019 in New York (hosted by: Greenberg Traurig, LLP, MetLife Building, 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166)2
              • June 26, 2019 in Chicago (hosted by: Husch Blackwell, 120 S Riverside Plaza #2200, Chicago, IL 60606)
              • June 28, 2019 in Los Angeles (hosted by: Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, 2029 Century Park East Los Angeles, CA 90067)


              REGISTRATION


               


              Please email Silvia if you have any questions about the program. For billing inquires, please email Doria.


              Cancellation & Refund Policy: Written requests for registration refunds must be received via email (silvia@buyinglegal.com) by 24 May 2019. All conference cancellations received on or before that date will receive a full refund less an administrative fee of US$100. No refunds for membership or friendships. No refunds will be made after that date (name substitutions only). Refunds are not given for no-shows.