What are the key factors that affect proposal delivery quality and efficiency?

I would add that getting a go/no-go decision as quickly as possible is also a key factor of proposal delivery quality and efficiency. When go decisions are delayed, it reduces the amount of time proposal teams have to respond. This affects the quality of the response as teams must rush to gather the information, tailor it to the requirements, review drafts, and deliver the final response. When you are working on multiple proposals concurrently, these delays can impact not just the quality of the delayed response but all other responses being worked on. A delayed go decision made at the last moment requires a large effort to meet deadlines without the benefit of Q&A's if there are questions or issues with the request.

Managing and completing successful RFPs requires active participation AND the input, collaboration and support of a group of people (not just the proposal manager/writer). There will often be subject matter experts from various departments depending on your industry (i.e. sales, IT, legal, finance, implementation etc.) that must contribute to the RFP process to bring it to completion. We also need to remember that our collaborators have other priorities in addition to supporting with the RFP, and the proposal manager/writer needs to manage their expectations and time commitment to the project.

I believe to answer your question, processes and tools should be the first key factor for delivery and efficiency. If processes are not in place and tools not available, companies are not prepared to respond to proposals. Tools don't need to be expensive; quality proposal professionals have learned to work with what's available. Microsoft Office or Google products can be used with effectiveness and are typically cost effective for large or small businesses. Processes can be developed prior to reviewing an RFx, just like there are processes in operations, finance, and human resources. Without a plan in place how do you even know what RFx to pursue?

Customize your layout to appeal to your prospect. That may involve using their brand colours, logo (if permission is granted to use in the RFP response), use their terminology and stay within the requirements of the RFP. Some RFPs ask for specific instructions: i.e. provide a 300 word or character response, use 1" margins, 10 pt font Arial etc., don't attach marketing materials unless absolutely necessary to support your answer etc. If you're working in Excel, you're much more limited but can be creative in offering more information if possible (i.e. attach appendices as a PDF doc). If Word, you have more flexibility to be creative and show off your design skills!

The biggest factor by far is the unique client insights you can use as an advantage. If you know the client better than anyone, that will show in everything you do to prepare the proposal. Work with your sales reps!

Beginning to end, you have to thoroughly understand what value your company can provide AND you must clearly understand your clients' needs and pain points. Bringing those together where the customer is the hero and benefactor really drives success and quality in the SRM world!