Page 251 - Writing Winning Business Proposals

242 Appendix A

experience for his managers, and so he gave his approval to proceed. Morrison’s
team overcame a number of problems (which he had anticipated) and success-
fully completed the project, although it took four months longer than expected.
“I should tell you,” Morrison confides, “that I recommended to Armstrong that
ABC also conduct the capacity expansion study in-house. But Armstrong believed
that I and my group were stretched too thin, that additional staff would have to
be hired, and that the division needed to address its capacity issues without delay.
Armstrong acknowledged that my group had proven capabilities for the study,
but he held firm to his decision to use outside consultants. At this point, I am only
interested in seeing the study done, done right, and completed expeditiously.”
He thinks the study will be complicated because there are many different alter-
natives, each with its own devotee. And yet these alternatives are being tossed
around without the knowledge of just how much additional capacity is needed.
“So let me repeat what I said last week: One of the initial major tasks of the
consultants will be to carefully define capacity requirements. Then, alternatives
for satisfying those requirements can be developed and evaluated. The develop-
ment of sound, agreed-upon evaluation criteria would be very important, too,
to overcome any built-in prejudices that people might have in favor of their own
ideas.” Gilmore tells Morrison that he completely agrees.
Gilmore mentions that he is meeting with Armstrong later that afternoon and
asks if Morrison can tell him a little about Armstrong’s background. Armstrong,
it turns out, was recruited from outside the company and has a marketing and
financial background. Armstrong became vice president of marketing at a large
manufacturing company and was recruited away from that position by a search
firm to fill a CEO spot at another company. A few years after that, Consolidated
recruited him to head ABC. Morrison doesn’t really have that much involvement
with Armstrong but thinks him open-minded, analytical, and firm in his deci-
sions once he has heard and thoroughly considered all sides of an issue.
Gupta’s office is near the conference room in which they had met last week. He
receives Gilmore very cordially and asks him about his interviews and plant tour.
They were very informative and helpful, Gilmore responds, and he is beginning
to get a good “feel” for ABC’s operation, its organization, and its manufacturing
capacity situation—background that will help Paramount prepare a responsive
proposal.
Gilmore adds it would be helpful if he knew something more about the vice
president’s background. After graduating with a degree in industrial engineer-
ing from Purdue, Gupta replies, he joined ABC’s I.E. Group. During his several
years in that group, he worked in many different manufacturing areas, includ-
ing plant layout, process engineering, equipment justification and selection, wage
incentives, and job evaluation, among others. When the incumbent plant man-
ager announced his retirement, he was offered the position, which he readily