Carl Dickson

Welcome I have spent my entire career in business and proposal development. I like to write and I like to teach. My favorite projects have involved getting proposal departments started by acting as a coach for the staff. I am founder of CapturePlanning.com and currently the Editor/Publisher. While I am available for speaking and training engagements, I do very little consulting these days. I am very comfortable talking about business development, proposal writing, government contracting, starting a business, web-based business, and more. Instead of open enrollment one-size-fits-all sessions, I like to provide highly tailored sessions that meet the specific needs of the audience I am presenting to. I have presented to groups of just a few people, as well as to rooms with hundreds of people. Areas of Interest Improving win rates through better processes Proposal writing and responding to RFPs Training people to help them improve their skills Helping business and proposal development groups to get started Reviewing proposals and providing feedback, guidance, coaching, and facilitation Proposal automation and tools Samples Here are some excerpts from a presentation that I gave at the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) National Conference in Phoenix, Arizona (June 2005). The presentation was titled "How to Do Proposals the Wrong Way." It was an hour-long tongue-in-cheek presentation of "worst practices" for real-world proposals that was delivered to over a hundred people and got a lot of laughs from a serious subject. Carl describes how easy it is to lose time at the start of a proposal The importance of achieving RFP compliance, choosing staff, making decisions, and settling control dramas. Advice on scheduling, proposal reviews, and concluding with what to do if all else fails. I also do best practice presentations, but they are not nearly as much fun ;-) Here is a video excerpt  from a presentation given to the proposal group of a $2.5 Billion engineering firm. Inquiries You can use these forms to seek my help: Training and Public Speaking Coaching Review Facilitation and Participation Contact Preferences The best way to contact me is through the CapturePlanning.com web site by clicking on the feedback link at the bottom of every page. Want to know more? Here is a list of organizations that I have submitted proposals to: Department of Agriculture (1990, 2005), Department of Commerce (1990), Department of Education (1990), Department of Health and Human Services (2005), National Institutes of Health (1995, 1996, 1998, 2002), Social Security Administration (1995), Department of Interior (1999, 2005), Immigration and Naturalization Service (1993), Department of Justice, (1994, 1996), Department of State (1994, 1995, 2002, 2003), Department of Transportation (1990, 2003), Coast Guard (1991, 2003), Federal Aviation Administration (1990), Department of Veterans Affairs (1993, 2003), Environmental Protection Agency (1992, 1993, 2005), Federal Energy Regulation Commission (1990), Federal Home Mortgage Association (1994), General Services Administration (1990, 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), Library of Congress (1990), NASA (1996), National Academy of Sciences (1994), Postal Service (1990), Resolution Trust Corporation (1990). Military: Army (1990, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006), Army Corps of Engineers (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994), Air Force (1990, 2005, 2006), Navy (1990, 1993), Marine Corps (1989, 1990), Department of Defense (1990, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006). Companies: Ernst and Young (1998), Interliant (1999), Oracle (1998) And here is a list of companies that I have supported: Access Systems, Allied Signal, Automated Sciences Group, Autometric, Boeing, CBSI, Concorde, CSC, Decision Systems Technologies, Dimensions International, Dynamac, Dyncorp, Holiday International Security, ISS, L-3 Communications, Metters Industries, NCI Information Systems, The Orkand Corporation, Oracle, Parsons Corporation, Raytheon, Severn, WPI, and Xerox.

My Story In 1989, while I was still in college majoring in "Information Systems Management," I got a job doing desktop publishing because I thought it would be cool. It was with Automated Sciences Group, a government contractor participating in the SBA 8(a) program. I didn't even know what an "8(a)" was. Since I was working in the marketing department of a government contractor doing publishing, I ended up working on proposals and found that I liked it. I learned a little about the process, got to work with all parts and levels of the company, and found that I could make a major contribution, simply by filling voids. From there I went on to manage a production department, manage proposals for a small firm, and then manage them for a mid-sized firm. Somewhere along the way I discovered that I can write. In the early days of the web, even before there was a Netscape and well before Microsoft even had a browser, I started playing around with HTML. I started a mailing list called proposal-l and was amazed when it grew to a couple thousand members. More than 10 years later, I still run into people who know me from the list. I also started a web site called GovSolutions.com, which was one of the first web sites offering information for government contractors. Some of those early articles can still be found on CapturePlanning.com. GovSolutions.com gave me some exposure and I joined a consulting firm called Optym Professional Services as the Vice President of Electronic Commerce and one of four partners. The business was a struggle, most of the time just barely managing to pay the bills. When our lease came up for renewal, we disbanded and went our separate ways. While still at Optym, I became active in the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP). I was elected President of the National Capital Area chapter for two terms. I started attending conferences and gained some experience in public speaking. Also while I was at Optym, I developed a web-based application for proposal developed called TeamSuite. TeamSuite enabled geographically dispersed proposal groups to collaborate remotely, and had document management features such as check in/check out, version control, and access controls. After Optym disbanded, I developed a new proposal software application called PropLIBRARY.com. PropLIBRARY had more advanced features, including assignment tracking, RFP cross-referencing, and online storyboarding. It drew a lot of attention, but not enough paying customers. While I was doing some business development consulting for a subsidiary of Big-5 accounting firm Ernst & Young, I started CapturePlanning.com. I hoped that it could supplement my income as a consultant and flatten out some of the peaks and valleys that go along with it. Today I turn away consulting work to focus on CapturePlanning.com. Its success has exceeded even my optimistic projections and shows no signs of abating. The number of subscribers to the CapturePlanning.com newsletter is easily 20 times that of the proposal-l mailing list that helped establish my reputation. For that I need to thank you, because if you are reading this, there is a good chance that you are a subscriber. If you are not and are interested in business or proposal development, I encourage you to visit CapturePlanning.com where you can sign up free of charge. As CapturePlanning.com has grown, so has my family. I have a wonderful wife and six kids: Amanda, Jenifer, Heather, Arielle, Tre, and Erika. They have taught me as much, if not more, about management and leadership than I have learned in my professional life.