Open Line Bid Team Simplifies Proposal Creation

The Challenge

Netherlands-based cloud solution provider Open Line operates in a complex sales environment. Serving clients in the healthcare, government, industry and enterprise business sectors, QBT had no ‘one-stop-shop’ solution that fits all the RFP requests it receives; instead, it must tailor each proposal.

Since every customer has different needs and requirements, the Bid Desk team tackles each proposal individually no matter how time-consuming. In this way, the team ensures RFP requirements are fully met. This process required Bid Desk consultants to oversee their own bids, leading them to create their own “personal” databases with usable content not easily accessible by others. Scattered content also created layout issues, since the company didn’t have one uniform layout or proposal document. With the expansion of the bid team in 2018, Open Line realized it needed to upgrade its proposal process.

The Solution

Defining a set of “must haves” and “should haves,” Open Line researched and received demos with several different proposal software vendors before selecting Expedience Software as their provider.

Expedience created five different structured documents for Open Line in its “Assembler” tool, giving bid writers instant access to fully approved, preformatted content. This provided a number of advantages:

• Team can create proactive proposals through guided checkboxes
• Proposal administrators can easily roll out solution to other depts
• Proposals are created in moments, not days, with rapid automated assembly

Another plus: the tool runs on Open Line’s own platform, which is secured and managed in-house.

Expedience’s tailored training met Open Line’s needs and time schedule, with many opportunities to ask questions and discuss individual topics. Several sessions via video conference allowed bid consultants to learn how to use the tool. According to Ms. van de Mortel, Bid Desk manager, the training was to the point and educational. Because of the straightforward and constructive nature of the course and the materials, Open Line consultants were able to quickly begin implementation and add their own content.

Different proposal consultants begin with different proposal structures depending on the opportunity, enabling Open Line’s proposal team to save time and enjoy uniformity in both their proposal process and proposal presentation.

According to van de Mortel, the fact that Expedience is integrated within Microsoft Word assures that the tool will be easy to use and “future proofs our investment.”

The company is now considering implementing the tool in other departments, automating the basic and standard aspects of the documents they create so consultants can focus even more on their customers’ needs.

About Expedience Software

Expedience Software creates fast, accurate, and beautiful proposals directly from Microsoft Word! Automate RFP & RFI responses (even Excel RFPs!), FAQs, DDQs, SOWs, Questionnaires, PowerPoint presentations, and more! With more than 20 years of proposal automation experience, Expedience is the premier solution for sales and proposal professionals in financial and asset management, healthcare, legal, manufacturing, and technology organizations.