Shipley method

01What it prescribes

Shipley's process runs from identifying markets and opportunities through capture planning, proposal planning, writing, reviews and submission, with decision gates where leadership decides whether to keep investing. Its guides cover, among other things:

• a qualification and bid decision with explicit criteria (see go/no-go);
• capture plans built around the customer's needs and concerns (see capture planning);
• a proposal kickoff with a schedule, an outline, a compliance matrix and writing assignments;
• storyboards or mock-ups that plan each section's message, themes and graphics before prose is written;
• color team reviews at set points (see color team reviews);
• customer-focused writing: benefits tied to features, proof for every claim, and an executive summary drafted early.

Shipley Associates publishes the Shipley Proposal Guide and the Shipley Capture Guide and trains teams in the method.

02Why teams adopt it

The method gives a team a shared vocabulary and schedule, which matters when writers, subject matter experts, pricing staff and executives all contribute under a deadline. Many federal contractors use it or a variant, and proposal professionals often learn it alongside the body of knowledge and certifications of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP).

03How teams adapt it

The full process assumes a dedicated capture manager, a proposal manager and weeks of lead time. Smaller firms and short-turnaround bids usually keep the parts with the largest effect: a real bid decision, a compliance matrix from the first day, an outline before writing, and one scored review of the full draft. The parts most often dropped are the extra review cycles, not the planning.