Introduction
GovDash’s tools empower you to refine proposals efficiently while ensuring compliance, collaboration, and strategic alignment. This guide dives deep into each feature, providing actionable steps and best practices to maximize output quality.
Core Four Principles for Proposal Refinement
The Core Four Principles in GovDash’s proposal refinement process are designed to transform complex, time-intensive tasks into streamlined, strategic workflows.
The Solution Data Tab ensures your proposal’s foundation is built on structured, reusable inputs—like win themes, approach, and risks—by leveraging your organization’s historical data and team expertise. This eliminates redundant work and maintains consistency across proposals.
The Compliance Tab automates alignment with solicitation requirements, cross-referencing every section of your draft with RFP instructions to minimize compliance risks and ensure no critical detail is overlooked.
Meanwhile, the Writing Plan empowers you to guide GovDash’s AI with tailored instructions, shaping the narrative to reflect your unique voice and strategy.
Finally, Focus Documents prioritize high-impact content—such partner capabilities, technical specs, customer needs, or technical whitepapers—ensuring the system emphasizes your strongest material first.
Together, these principles create a cohesive, repeatable process that balances automation with human oversight, enabling teams to craft compliant, compelling proposals faster while maintaining full control over quality and strategic direction.
1. Solution Data Tab
Build a robust proposal foundation by inputting strategic data.
Step 1: Navigate to the Solution Tab within your GovDash proposal
Tip: Access this tab early in the process to ensure all critical data is captured.
Step 2: Complete Key Sections
Win Themes: Highlight your competitive differentiators (e.g., “20+ years of federal IT experience”).
Approach: Describe your methodology (e.g., “Agile development with bi-weekly client check-ins”).
Features & Benefits: Link product/service features to client outcomes (e.g., “Cloud-based platform reduces deployment time by 30%”).
Risks: Identify internal/external risks and mitigation strategies (e.g., “Supply chain delays addressed via dual-vendor partnerships”).
Step 3: Use the Suggest Answer Feature
How it works: GovDash scans your Data Library (past proposals, RFPs, and uploaded documents) to auto-generate answers.
Refinement options:
Insert Directly: Click the Insert button to accept the suggestion.
Iterate via Chat: Use the “Ask Anything” chat box to refine responses (e.g., “Make this benefit more client-centric”).
Step 4: Collaborate with Your Team
Send a Data Call request to your team for missing information from stakeholders.
2. Compliance Tab
Ensure strict adherence to solicitation requirements.
Step 1: Review the Auto-Generated Compliance Matrix
After generating a proposal, GovDash creates a Compliance Matrix and Annotated Outline mirroring the solicitation’s structure.
Cross-Reference in Review Mode:
Click any section to view solicitation requirements side-by-side with your draft.
Use the dropdown to toggle between solicitation documents (e.g., RFP, Scope of Work).
Step 2: Modify Compliance Boundaries
Add/Remove Citations:
Under each section’s Citations, check/uncheck requirements to include/exclude them.
Example: Uncheck “Section L.3.2” if it’s irrelevant to your response within that section.
Adjust the Outline:
Delete Sections: Remove unnecessary sections (e.g., redundant appendices).
Add Custom Sections: Click “+ Add Section” for unique requirements (e.g., “Cybersecurity Compliance Plan”), and utilize the Auto-cite feature to automatically map instructions and task areas from the solicitation package.
Step 3: Set Page Limits & Targets
Page Limit: Enter the RFP’s strict page cap (e.g., “10 pages”).
Page Target: Define your ideal length (e.g., “8 pages”) to guide GovDash’s drafting.
Tip: Hover over the
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icon for explanations of section types (e.g., Narrative vs. Form Field).
3. Writing Plan
Direct GovDash’s AI to align with your narrative strategy.
Step 1: Edit Pre-Generated Writing Plans
After the first draft, GovDash surfaces default writing plans. Customize these to:
Emphasize Key Themes: Add instructions like, “Highlight our ISO 9001 certification in the Quality Assurance section.”
Structure Content: Specify formatting (e.g., “Use bulleted lists for deliverables”).
Step 2: Assign & Collaborate with Reviewers
Assign Section Reviewers:
Select a reviewer from your team within the dropdown. They’ll receive an email with a direct link to the section to begin collaborating.
Track Edits:
Reviewers edit text directly in the section content. Changes auto-save and appear in the downloaded Word doc.
Regenerate Sections:
After outline/compliance changes, click Regenerate on specific sections to update content.
4. Focus Documents
Prioritize high-impact content sources.
Step 1: Upload Focus Documents
Examples: Partner capabilities, technical specs, customer needs, technical whitepapers, or client testimonials.
How to Upload: Drag-and-drop files into the Focus Documents section of your outline section, or click “Browse.”
Step 2: Guide Content Integration
Add instructions to the writing plan like:
“Use the timeline from ProjectX_FinalReport.pdf in the Project Approach section.”
“Reference our Case Study #4 for risk mitigation examples.”
Note: GovDash prioritizes focus documents over general Data Library content.
Generating & Exporting Your Proposal
Step 1: Select a Template
Navigate to Actions > Select Template.
Choose between:
Default Template: GovDash’s pre-formatted Word doc.
Custom Template: Your organization’s branded template (uploaded by admins).
Step 2: Finalize Inputs
Review the Generate Proposal checklist:
Outline completeness
Past performance selections
Key personnel bios
Solutioning data progress (aim for 100% completion).
Step 3: Generate & Download
Click Generate Proposal. Processing time depends on document length.
Once ready, download the Word doc from the Versions tab.
Advanced Refinement with the Word Assistant
Polish content directly in Microsoft Word.
Step 1: Open the Word Assistant
Click the GovDash logo (Open GovDash) in the top-right corner of your Word doc.
Step 2: Use Power Actions
Substantiate:
Highlight a claim (e.g., “Reduced costs by 25%”), click Substantiate, and GovDash pulls evidence from your Data Library (e.g., past performance metrics).
Shorten Text:
Highlight verbose text, click Shorten, and choose between AI-suggested truncations.
Convert to Graphics:
Turn processes into visuals: Select text, click Create Graphic, and choose “Process Cycle” or “Hierarchy Diagram.”
Active Voice Conversion:
Fix passive language: Highlight text, click Active Voice, and review/edit suggestions.
Step 3: Add External Context
Click Upload Documents in the Word Assistant to reference non-GovDash files (e.g., client emails, internal memos).
Best Practices for Maximum Impact
Leverage the Data Library: Regularly update it with new proposals, RFPs, and case studies to improve Suggest Answer accuracy.
Pre-Validate Compliance: Use Review Mode to catch missing requirements before submission.
Collaborate Early: Assign reviewers during the drafting phase to avoid last-minute edits.
Use Focus Documents Strategically: Upload only mission-critical files to avoid overwhelming the AI.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Issue: Edits in the outline aren’t reflected in the proposal.
Fix: Regenerate the affected section(s) under Writing Plan > Regenerate.
Issue: Word Assistant isn’t linking to the correct proposal.
Fix: Reopen the Word doc and ensure the proposal is selected in the Assistant’s dropdown.
FAQ: Can I recover deleted sections?
Answer: Yes! Navigate to the Versions tab and restore a previous draft.
Need More Help?
Explore video tutorials on our YouTube channel, or contact [email protected] for assistance.