Your team just got an RFP, and it’s due in 10 days. Everyone’s juggling other priorities. Your go-to coworker is on the road. The security questionnaire is 150 questions long. Someone suggests splitting it up “like last time,” but you remember last time… the long days, the confusion, the scramble to fill gaps hours before submission. You’ve been here before—and you know it’s not sustainable.
If you think a proposal manager is only for Fortune 500 giants with dedicated RFP teams, think again. Whether you’re a scrappy startup or a lean mid-market sales org, the complexity of RFPs, security questionnaires, and due diligence requests has crept into your world. And without someone (or something) orchestrating the process, you’re leaving deals (and your sanity) on the table.
The Reality for Small & Mid-Sized Teams
Even in small companies, proposals rarely happen in isolation. The average RFP involves nine contributors, even for SMBs. That’s sales reps, technical SMEs, legal, finance, and leadership—all juggling other priorities.
Without a clear owner, common issues pile up:
Missed deadlines due to scattered ownership and unclear next steps.
Inconsistent messaging when answers are pulled from old docs or memory.
SME burnout from repeatedly answering the same questions.
Security delays, average review times can stretch to 3 weeks, stalling deals.
Lost opportunities because your fastest competitor responded more cleanly and completely.
And here’s the kicker: RFPs aren’t niche anymore. Across industries, 30–40% of total revenue comes from RFP-influenced deals.
Quick Refresher: What is a Proposal Manager?
A proposal manager is the person (or team) who owns the RFP process from intake to submission. Their role blends project management, content strategy, and sales enablement. They ensure your proposal is accurate, persuasive, compliant, and delivered on time without burning out the team.
Typical responsibilities include:
Coordinating contributors and deadlines.
Maintaining an up-to-date answer library for common questions.
Managing reviews for compliance, branding, and accuracy.
Applying a go/no-go framework so you only pursue the right opportunities.
Ensuring a consistent, compelling narrative across the entire response.
In the past, this meant a full-time hire, if not a whole proposal team. Today, AI-powered proposal platforms make it possible to get similar functions (with better speed and accuracy) without adding additional headcount.
Why Small Teams Can’t Afford to “Wing It” Anymore
The “just get it done” approach costs more than you think:
Time waste adds up. If each SME spends 2 hours re-answering a question they’ve answered 10 times before, multiply that across dozens of RFPs.
Lower win rates. SMBs average shorter response times, but also have lower win rates than mature teams that invest more hours in quality.
Lost credibility. Inconsistent, incomplete, or off-brand responses signal disorganization to evaluators.
Missed pipeline. Without centralized knowledge, you can’t scale RFP volume without overloading your team.
When deals hinge on trust and precision, “good enough” isn’t enough.
Best Practices for Running a Proposal Function (Without Adding Headcount)
If you’re not ready for a full-time proposal manager/team, you can still bring structure to the process.
1. Build (and maintain) a living answer library Store and tag your best answers in a central repository—security info, product specs, case studies. Keep it updated quarterly.
2. Standardize your intake Use a short intake form for every RFP: due date, requirements, key contacts, must-have deliverables. This ensures nothing slips through the cracks.
3. Implement a go/no-go decision gate Not every RFP is worth pursuing. Set criteria (fit, likelihood to win, resource cost) to prioritize the right opportunities.
4. Assign a single point of coordination Even if it’s not their full-time role, one person should own timelines, reminders, and version control.
5. Use automation for first drafts AI tools can draft 70–80% of responses from your answer library, freeing SMEs to focus on tailoring content.
6. Integrate reviews into the process early Don’t wait until the night before submission to get legal, security, or branding review.
How AI is Changing Proposal Management
AI isn’t just a faster search bar, it’s reshaping how proposals get done.
Here’s what’s happening right now:
From answering to strategizing. AI can pull relevant content, adapt tone, and flag compliance risks, letting humans focus on persuasion and differentiation.
Knowledge decay prevention. AI-powered libraries surface outdated or inconsistent answers automatically.
Real-time collaboration. Contributors can work in parallel with AI merging inputs into a cohesive draft.
Security & compliance automation. AI can cross-check answers against compliance checklists or regulatory standards.
Looking ahead, expect AI to become a proactive deal partner, suggesting content that aligns with a client’s industry trends, RFP language, and even evaluator biases.
The Settle Approach
At Settle, we built our AI Proposal Manager for this scenario—teams who need the benefits of a proposal function but can’t justify a full-time hire.
Here’s how Settle helps you punch above your weight:
Centralized answer library. Your single source of truth for RFP, security, and DDQ responses, always up to date.
AI-driven draft generation. Turn unstructured notes or past answers into tailored first drafts in seconds.
Smart search & tagging. Find the right answer instantly, even if you can’t remember the exact phrasing.
Collaboration built in. Assign tasks, track progress, and manage reviews without endless email chains.
Scalable for your team size. Start with one user, grow as needed—no heavy implementation required.
We’re not here to replace human judgment, just to give you the tools to deliver better proposals, faster, without burning out your best people.
Final Word
You don’t have to be a big company to act like one where it counts.
A proposal manager—whether a person, a function, or an AI platform—turns chaotic, last-minute scrambles into repeatable, high-quality wins. And in a market where RFPs touch a third of your potential revenue, that’s not a luxury. It’s a competitive edge.
If your team is ready to respond faster, win more, and stay sane in the process, book a demo with Settle today.