LEAN INTO LEAN
As with all Lean processes, the A3 approach to procurement is simple and reduces waste. Proposals, qualifications, letters of interest, and other deliverables contain only the most salient information necessary for professional selections. Proposers are encouraged to be terse and creative, presenting their offerings in a concise and visually-pleasing way.
HERE’S HOW WE CAN HELP OWNERS WITH THE A3 PROCESS…
UNDERSTAND THE A3 RFP PROCESS—WHAT TO ASK FOR, HOW TO REVIEW
DESIGN AN A3-BASED PROCESS FOR HIRING AEC FIRMS
EXPLORE OTHER A3 USES (PROJECT UPDATES, DECISION-MAKING, ETC.)
SHARE BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM OTHER OWNERS
DEVELOP A3 TEMPLATES FOR INTERNAL USE AND REPORTING
Among the many benefits to project owners, the A3 format provides:
- A more succinct, readable deliverable, allowing for easier evaluation of the offering.
- Easier side-by-side comparisons of competitor’s A3’s.
- A mandate for proposers to quickly make their case for selection based on owner goals and requirements, without the usual “marketing speak.
READY TO LEARN MORE?
Stacey & Associates has been helping our owner clients develop Lean A3 procurement processes for years. Often proposal responses are intellectual property and we’re unable to publish them. Instead, let us show you some samples of how we can help your team as well.
DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT: MAJOR PLAYERS ARE USING A3s
A3s IN ACTION: CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES
FIRST A3 PROPOSAL RESULTS IN FIRST PSU WIN
We provided LF Driscoll with strategic messaging and design of A3 proposals for long-list then short-list submissions for Penn State University. S&A also prepared their team for the interview that landed Driscoll their first ever CM project for Penn State! Driscoll continues to use S&A to create winning A3 proposal responses for Penn State and other owners and has recommended us to industry leaders.
SUCCESSFUL A3 HEALTHCARE PROPOSAL
When a major healthcare client required proposals in an A3 format, Ausley turned to S&A for help. We created a concise, powerful response to the detailed RFP in four A3 pages that won them the job! In addition to using S&A for all their A3 proposals, Ausley engaged us to create a series of A3 quals to set them apart from their competition.
USING A3s TO REIMAGINE QUALS
Hoffman Leakey Architects engaged S&A for a complete rebranding of their marketing materials. We introduced A3 thinking to their proposals and quals packages and developed A3s to educate clients on topics like Feasibility Studies. A3s are a great way to break down complex processes and make them easier to understand! See their feasibility study A3 above.
What People Are Saying:
Stacey & Associates has helped our firm on a variety of projects, including updating marketing materials, proposals, social media, presentation decks, and email marketing. Through these efforts, we have seen our win rate dramatically increase. Most importantly, they have helped us do what we had not been able to do by ourselves— find our firm’s unique voice and tell our story.
The proposal looks FANTASTIC! The final work product and the process to get there was all handled very professionally by your team, especially with the short timeframe we all had to work with.
Ann is a bright, energetic and talented business development professional. She is able to evaluate markets, view opportunities and develop client relationships better than most I have worked with in the A&E industry and especially appreciates the value of long term outcomes and shared successes. Are you seeking creative reads on issues? Want straight talk about what will work and why? Do you want to take your firm to a new market area? Seek Ann's talents and she will deliver sharp insight, real research and get you moving out of the comfort zone toward new opportunities that can add value to your organization.
I respect Ann both personally and professionally. She is incredibly skilled in all aspects of business, marketing, client management and client development. Ann is a person who "makes things happen". I have no doubt she will succeed in any endeavor she pursues and is someone I always want on my team.
When Ann challenged us to be truly different and not just vanilla, it made me look at everything we do with marketing and business development. We need to know whether we are just another clanging cymbal in the din or are we a virtuoso whose performance demands attention? Her insight and friendship have eased my mind.
The team at Stacey & Associates works closely with our principals and professional staff to pursue new business opportunities. Responsive and capable, we know we can call upon them to advance our mission and business interests and they will be there to get it done.
Ann and her team were a pleasure to work and delivered a top-notch product! Because of their knowledge of the design industry, they were able to quickly distill the most important ideas from our conversations and develop an effective and thorough A3 marketing document custom tailored to our needs. We look forward to the next opportunity to work with Stacey & Associates.
Ann and I have worked together successfully for over a decade in the A/E field, and we have a great time helping people achieve their dreams. We have developed a powerful network of friends and associates, that like working together to create healthy, sustainable and vibrant communities. She has taught me a lot, and I hope I have in exchange.
Ann’s ability to plug into a marketing or business development effort at any point is a tribute to her deep understanding of how business happens in our industry. She assists in all of PAC’s processes, including market research, strategic planning, marketing materials, trade show representation, client meetings, and crafting of deliverables. She is a problem solver, and always conducts her business ethically and responsibly. She is well-respected in the industry, and is known as consummate connector.
When we began working with Stacey & Associates, our marketing materials were comparable with others’ in the industry. Their keen insights transformed our materials so that they now stand out in a truly distinctive way.
Using visual content to tell a story is critical in today’s marketplace. We’ve found no one better to help us do that than Stacey & Associates. They are simply the best at collaborating with our team and then quickly and efficiently creating amazing content. They have been an indispensable partner in our firm’s rapid growth over the past decade.
Stacey & Associates have been instrumental in the professional development of our RFP response program. Their keen eye for detail, and expert guidance on content, flow, and display enabled Dynamic US to prepare and submit a comprehensive RFP response resulting in $130M in contract awards. We could not have realized such results without their expert counsel.
Stacey & Associates helped us structure our business development efforts. Through facilitation of regular meetings and creation of a CRM software system, Ann has created momentum to our corporate business development activities. Her experience and extensive network of business associates has helped us to identify prospective clients and capture new opportunities.
We have nothing but positive things to say about working with Stacey & Associates. Carrie is leading the redesign of several of our printed corporate marketing pieces for us at Modjeski and Masters. For my connections in the AEC industry, I would highly recommend this team!
Stacey & Associates gives us on-demand access to industry experts in business development, marketing, proposal writing and graphics. They know our firm so well that they operate like part of our internal team and are truly invested in our success.
Stacey & Associates provided a dynamic training program for our over 25 structural engineering professionals, which was designed to inspire their increased role in business development.
When we reached out to Stacey & Associates for our new logo, we were nervous we would not communicate our vision well enough to capture what we were looking for. Carrie calmed our nerves with her ability to listen, ask pointed questions, and express genuine care for our success. She was extremely patient and produced a logo beyond our expectations. We will partner with her for future needs because her skills are an asset to our team - we can’t do it without her!
Stacey & Associates provided part time, temporary help on market-specific proposals during a staff member's extended leave of absence. They hit the ground running as an adjunct member of our staff working within our processes and software immediately. Stacey & Associates worked with our project engineers, sub-consultants and other marketing staff from the Go/No Go process through team development and proposal production.