Over the past couple of years, generative AI tools have been taking the world by storm. While chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Claude are still the most popular tools, there’s been a recent influx of gen AI products built specifically for proposal-writing professionals. These new tools promise to streamline bid processes and help teams submit more RFPs in less time. But when should bid professionals leverage these tools, and when should they rely on human expertise?
In this blog we’ll explore the best use cases for generative AI in the proposal process, when to avoid using it, and how to strike the optimal balance.
How Gen AI Can Streamline Proposal Writing
When prompted effectively and used with care, generative AI can be a valuable asset in several aspects of the proposal writing process.
First and foremost, AI can be a helpful brainstorming partner for generating ideas around your proposal win theme. While the output will need validation and refinement (as it will across the board), it can provide a useful starting point. Using the requirements outlined in the RFP, matched with a description of your firm’s core competencies, the AI can produce some interesting angles that can form the basis of your proposal.
Generative AI can also be useful when drafting initial texts, especially for more generic sections. For content like your general capability statements, AI can reference your company's marketing collateral or past proposals, to generate a first draft. While not always perfect, this provides a solid starting point for further refinement and personalization.
AI also shines when it comes to repurposing existing content. If you need to adapt a previous proposal section for a new bid, AI can help rewrite and restructure the content to fit the new context. For example, you might ask it to rewrite your cybersecurity services description for a healthcare client, putting more emphasis on your HIPAA compliance. Or you might ask it to shorten a section to fit the proposal word count. Since most of the content is already created, AI is typically able to maintain your meaning and tone while making the subtle changes required.
Lastly, AI excels at proofreading content and making it more readable. It can catch grammatical errors, suggest more succinct phrasing, and help ensure consistency across your proposal. When most proposals are rushed out the door, this can be a quick way of identifying any unprofessional mistakes. An example of how this works in our product is shown below:
When to Be Cautious Using Generative AI
While you should always exercise caution when using AI (hallucinations are an ongoing challenge), there are certain parts of the proposal writing process where you should be extra careful.
When outlining your unique approach to solving a client's specific challenges, it's best to rely on human expertise. No matter how well you prompt AI, it lacks the nuanced understanding of client relationships and industry-specific insights that make these sections truly compelling. For example, your bid team might want to reference something discussed in a conversation you’ve already had with the client. This serves to humanize the proposal and shows the prospective client you’ve heard their pains; this is something AI can’t replicate.
Likewise, for highly specialized or technical proposals (or proposal sections), human expertise is invaluable. AI might not grasp the intricacies of complex technical solutions or industry-specific methodologies, leading to inaccuracies or oversimplifications. Here it is best to get your subject matter experts to impart their wisdom.
Tailoring full CVs or resumes using AI is another move that should be approached with caution. While AI can be useful for refining specific sections, entrusting it with the entire document can lead to significant issues. AI-generated content often lacks the nuanced understanding of individual experiences and skills, which can result in generic or misaligned representations. In some cases, it may even exaggerate or fabricate achievements, which a bid manager might overlook, potentially damaging professional credibility. Moreover, because employee experiences are continually evolving, relying on AI to repurpose a full CV or resume assumes it has the most current information, which is often not the case.
Additionally, as an overarching rule, it's crucial to consider privacy. Unless the tool you are using guarantees data privacy, you should never share confidential information about your company or the client when using AI tools. This is because AI tools may use data for retraining, and therefore your prompts are stored for future use. Here at Flowcase we never use client data for any retraining, nor share it between customers, and all AI functionality is opt-in only.
Striking the Balance Between AI and Human Input
Ultimately, the key to successful AI-assisted proposal writing lies in finding the right balance between leveraging AI's efficiency and maintaining human input. It's important to remember that AI is a tool to augment your skills, not replace them. Sure, you can use it to handle time-consuming tasks like initial drafts and boilerplate content creation, but you should still rely on professional insight for strategy, personalization, and final quality control.
At Flowcase, we advocate for this balanced approach, integrating AI features that enhance rather than replace human insights. For example, our text reduction feature uses AI to suggest more concise phrasing, but it's the user who decides whether to accept these suggestions. Similarly, our AI Translations and AI Proofreading tools both require human review and approval before changes are implemented.
Learn about Flowcase's Generative AI Features here →
If you're interested in learning more about Flowcase, book a demo with us today.
