Introduction to Presales Consulting & Proposal Authoring

Introduction to
Presales Consulting
& Proposal Authoring
Author: Sowmak Bardhan
Senior Presales Consultant, Capgemini

Table of Contents
What is Presales Consulting
Bid Management & Proposal Authoring
Pricing Models
Fundamentals of Sales
2
1
2
3
5
Introduction to Presales Consulting & Proposal Authoring | Sowmak Bardhan | Senior Presales Consultant
About Me6

What is
Presales Consulting
Presales Consulting is an exercise to lay the groundwork to
acquire customers and support clients throughout the sales
process.
Presales Consulting is primarily
comprises of Bid Management and
Proposal Authoring
Presales Consulting is the backbone
to the sales process of an
organizations, which empower Sales
to acquire and onboard Customer
Every organization must have robust
Presales Team who supports in the
process of responding to the
proposals of Customers
3Introduction to Presales Consulting & Proposal Authoring | Sowmak Bardhan | Senior Presales Consultant

Target Audience
Working in IT/Software Industry for
minimum of 2 years
Has complete understanding of
Software Development Life Cycle
Willing to pursue Presales Consulting
Role

Overall Presales Process
Prospecting and qualifying
Proposal
Data and customer
analysis
Customer research
Product research
Preparing call and meeting
scripts
Managing deal
qualification and
proposals
Crafting a unique selling
proposition
Identifying solutions to
customer pain points
The pre-sales process covers all the activities that take place before closing the sale. These include tasks such as:

Presales v/s Sales Activities
Prospecting & Lead qualification
Market Research
Proposal preparation and positioning
Sales calls and client meetings
Follow-ups with Customers & Contract
Negotiation
Closing & Relationship Building
6
Presales Activities Sales Activities

Proposal Preparation
Once a lead is qualified and the
validated, the pre-sales team
will draft a proposal outlining
the customer’s primary pain
points and a tailored solution.
At this stage, pre-sales will
collaborate with the sales team
to review and approve the bid
for presentation to the client.
This is a crucial step for both
pre-sales and sales. The goal is
to shape the conversation to
position their proposal as the
ideal solution. Much of that
success relies on pre-sales’
ability to understand the
customer and deliver a custom
proposal that hones in on their
needs.
Customer Discovery
Pre-sales typically handles discovery to find out exactly what the
customer is looking for and what their unique challenges are.
This information is crucial for the sales team to understand how
best to position their product or service solution and develop a
proposal that best addresses the customer’s problem.
A robust pre-sales team will have sales reps who are experts in
both their business’s solutions as well as the customers’
businesses.
Proposal qualification
Pre-sales teams are experts in customer data analysis and lead evaluation. They
use sales technology and customer insights to build profiles of ideal clients and
their patterns of behavior to identify opportunities that are most likely to close.
Proposal qualification ensures the sales team invests their time and resources on
the most valuable pursuits.
7
Master.. ..ing the Presales Process

Table of Contents
Pricing Models
1
2
3
5
About Me6

Bid Management
9
What is bid management?
For a variety of businesses, bidding for public or private sector contracts is how
they gain new clients and expand. Bid management involves overseeing the
entire tender process for a business.
In order to do this successfully, having someone in charge of bid management is
key - whether that is just one individual within a business or someone who
manages a large team of bid writers.
For SMEs and microbusinesses, the role of a bid manager is unlikely to be
someone’s main title and is more likely to be something they project manage as
and when potential opportunities arise. This can be anyone from directors
through to PAs, administrators or managers.
In larger businesses, however, a typical bidding team can include a bid director,
bid manager, bid writers, a bid coordinator. Both team sizes have their benefits -
larger teams definitely have their pros as each member can provide a unique
viewpoint.
What does a bid manager do?
A bid manager’s job is to oversee the entire bidding process, right from selecting
relevant bids through to managing the team who will be writing them. Bid
managers will also contribute to the bid where relevant.
It is essential that a bid manager has a deep understanding of the commercial and
operational aspects of a business. This supplies them with the knowledge they
need in order to write some parts of the bid and select the best-suited contributors
that can enhance the bid with their own knowledge and specific information.
Bid managers also need to understand what the tendering organization is looking
for in order to create a bid that will really prove why your company should be
successful in securing the tender project.

Organization
Communicati
on
Good people
skills
Attention to detail
Bid managers will be in charge of
organizing relevant contributors and
ensuring everything is complete on
time. With multiple bids at any one
time, bid managers will need to be on
the ball and know how each project is
progressing.
As a bid manager, the job is to
communicate to the buyer why you
are the best fit for their needs and
ultimately influence their decision.
You’ll be taking technical jargon and
translating this into layman’s terms.
You will also need to communicate
consistently with your team to make
sure everything is running smoothly.
As you’re likely to be dealing with a
lot of people, great interpersonal
skills are important. You’ll need to
chase up contributors without being
afraid of rejection, even if these are
senior members of management who
already have a large workload.
Thoroughly checking bids before
they are submitted can either
make or break your application!
Some teams may have a
designated proof-reader, but
most commonly bid managers
have the final sign off.
Bid Management Skills

Understanding a Proposal/Tender
Proposal/Tender is an invitation to proposal can be defined as the formal offer to bid for work/projects.
A tender document is a document that a supplier will submit in an attempt to win the work.
A tender document, sent out by an organization, will need to include:
 Description of goods and services to be procured
 Conditions of tender e.g. qualifications, experience, etc.
 Evaluation criteria
 Submission content and format
RFI
Request for Information
Customer ask for Generic information
about the Bidder and its capabilities
RFP
Request for Proposal
Customers ask for specific solution to
the problem/requirement asked in the
RFP proposal document
RFQ
Request for Quotation
Customer ask for Pricing of the
engagement from the bidder & finally
determines the award of the project
A Proposal/Tender can of three different types (majorly):

2 3 6 7 10
1 4 5 8 9
Opportunity
Pipelined
Initial
Qualification
Go/ No Go
Marketing
Strategy
Initiation of
Proposal Phase
Implementation
& Delivery
Customer
Requirement
Identified
Bid Resource
Allocation
Value
Proposition
Development
Award of Project
by Customer
Resource
Allocation and
Project Initiation
Key Milestones | Customer Requirement Identification to Win to Implementation
12
SeeNextSlidetoseethestepsin-between

7.2 7.3 7.6 7.6 8
7.1 7.4 7.5 7.8 7.9
Win Strategy
Story Boarding
& Proposal
Writing
Commercial
Strategy
Proposal
Submission
Award of Project
by Customer
Kick Off & Team
Mobilization
Solution Design
Review &
Approval
Presentation to
Customer/Orals
Clarifications &
Negotiations
Key Milestones | Proposal Phase

Proposal Life Cycle
3
1
5
7
• Kick-Off & Team Mobilization: Onboard the key
stakeholder who would be the part of the proposal
pursuit
2
4
6
• Win Strategy: Determine win strategies on the themes
based on which you will build the proposal
• Storyboarding & Proposal Writing: Jot down the key
Table of Contents in the proposal documents and then
start writing the proposal based on the inputs on the
solution team
• Solution Design: Discuss and brainstorm with the solution teams on
how you want to switch the solution in the proposal document
• Commercial Strategy: Determine the commercial strategy, for
example – where you want to provide cost based model on Fixed Bid or
Time and Material. (See subsequent slides to under the Time and
Material)
Review & Approvals: Get your solution and commercials reviewed from Practice head before submission
• Submission of Proposal: Submit your proposal to the customer on the
date mentioned by them. Do not miss out the deal of submission at any
cost
• Presentation to Customer/Orals: Create a nice PPT for your proposal
response and schedule a meeting with the customer to walk through the
entire proposal – mainly solution, assumptions and project delivery
approach
• Clarification & Negotiation: Clarify your doubts
on your solution with the customer, rewrite or
amend assumptions based on the inputs from
clients. Expedite on the project schedule and cost
and negotiate with your customer to the best price
that you can offer considering a optimal profit
margin
• Project Award by Customer: Upon successful
submission, clarification and Negotiation customer
may or may not award the project to your
organization. If customer finds your solution suits
their overall objectives, they will notify the sales
team about the award of the project and then
project rollout phase will take place and you have
to handover the entire solution to Delivery Team

Proposal Authoring
15
What is Proposal Authoring?
In Presales Consulting, the Proposal Authoring is an opportunity for the
consultant and sales team to present an idea or solution to the requirement
specified by the customer.
To begin planning a proposal, remember the basic definition: a proposal is an
offer or bid to complete a project for a customer.
Proposals will contain elements like technical background, recommendations,
results of surveys, information about feasibility, and so on. But what makes a
proposal a proposal is that it asks the audience to approve, fund, or grant
permission to do the proposed project.
A proposal should contain information that would enable the audience of that
proposal (read: client) to decide whether to approve the project, to approve or
hire your organization to do the work, or both.
What does a Proposal Author do?
• Prepares proposals in PPT or word by determining concept, gathering and formatting
information, writing drafts, and obtaining approvals.
• Determines proposal concept by identifying and clarifying opportunities and needs,
studying requests for proposal (RFIs, RFPs), and attending strategy meetings.
• Meets proposal deadline by establishing priorities and target dates for information
gathering, writing, review, approval, and transmittal.
• Coordinates requirements with contributors and contributes proposal status information
to review meetings.
• Gathers proposal information by identifying sources of information, coordinating
submissions and collections, and identifying and communicating risks associated with
proposals.
• Develops proposal by assembling information including project nature,
objectives/outcomes/deliverables, implementation, methods, timetable, staffing,
budget, standards of performance, and evaluation.
• Writes, revises, and edits drafts including executive summaries, conclusions, and
organization credentials.
• Prepares presentation by evaluating text, graphics, and binding and coordinating
printing.
• Maintains quality results by using templates; following proposal-writing standards
including readability, consistency, and tone; maintaining proposal support databases.
• Obtains approvals by reviewing proposal with key providers and project managers.
• Improves proposal-writing results by evaluating and re-designing processes, approach,
coordination, and boilerplate.

Sample Proposal
16
In the subsequent slides I will practically explain how to write a
proposal:
 Scenario: Consider yourself as a Proposal Author of an organization named as Softech Technologies and you have
been asked to draft a proposal. There are few slides where you need to get information from Solution Leads. I have
kept the placeholder for those slides citing what and from where you can get information
 Note: Please understand the structure of a proposal written in MS PowerPoint
 Customer Requirement: Develop a digital service to enable users to submit, view and comment on a Planning
Application
 RFP Link: https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/digital-outcomes-and-specialists/opportunities/6567
 Disclaimer: The name of the organization is for Demo purpose. No company name or any material is used for the
demo. All slides and materials are crafter and documented by the author.

Sample Proposal Deck Demo
17
<Start>
Sample Proposal

Planning Portal RFP
Softech Technologies Response to Hackney
Council’s Planning Portal RFP
19th Jul 2020 | Bangalore, India
Softech Technologies Pvt Ltd | 2020 Sample Copy | Not to used for any
commercial purpose | Only indented
for learning

Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Our Understanding
• Our Value Proposition
• Background and Scope
• Solution Approach
• Assumptions and Dependencies
• Risks and Mitigations
• Delivery Approach
• Engagement Model
• Project Timeline
• Project Team: Roles and Responsibilities
• Profiles
• Commericals
• Why Softech Technologies
• Capabilities Overview
• Case Studies
• Appendix
Sample Copy | Not to used for any
for learning

Executive Summary
for learning

Executive Summary
Softech Technologies wants to thank Hackney Council to allow us to respond to the Planning Application RFP.
We understand that Hackney Council has embarked on a mission of Digital Journey and therefore is looking to build
a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) of Planning Portal which will enable its users to digitally submit, view and amend
on the planning applications made on the portal.
Our proposed solution leveraging digital technologies, will help users of Hackney Council to view, amend and
validate the planning applications embracing mobility with seamless and real time tracking. The proposed MVP
will be user friendly and intuitive to find relevant information and involve in consultation processes. And our
solution also proposes mechanism which properly maps the national and regional policies of planning using
universally accessible and centralized database, thereby reducing the count of incomplete & inaccurate
applications in the portal.
Softech Technologies is pioneer in embracing Digital Technologies and Mobility to solve customer problems. In this
RFP Response, we will use Mobile, Web Technologies and Cloud Database to build the MVP and make the data
accessible across multiple devices and locations. We have dedicated team of Mobile & Web development and Cloud
Computing with software developers in Microsoft .NET, Android & IOS App developers with knowledge in Phone
Gap & Ionic Frameworks, UI/UX developers with Ruby on Rails Framework, HTML 5, JavaScript. JQuery and Cloud
Database Tool expertise with domain consultants in planning management.
We have successfully executed various projects in Digital Transformation projects across multiple clients from
various industries and we are committed enough to be a strategic partner for Hackney Council to make its digital
journey successful.
250+ software developers
15+ Domain Consultant
100+ Digital
Transformation Projects
Execution
50+ International Clients
10 Years+ of Experience in
the industry
Rank#22 in Fast Growing
Company as per Delloite
Key Highlights
for learning

Our Understanding
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Our Understanding
We understand that customer is facing 4 major problems which we want to solve through our proposed solution leveraging
Digital Technologies.
• Poor Application Tracking Mechanism in
the incumbent portal
• Inappropriate mapping of National and
Regional Policies in database resulting in
registration of inaccurate and
inappropriate application in the
incumbent portal.
• Existing Portal is not user friendly
therefore user facing problem in
retrieving information
• Lack of real-time application view
option in the incumbent portal (User
view the current stage of the application
by downloading the same in PDF)
• Browser and platform independent
Website and Mobile based Planning
Portal using Microsoft .NET framework,
UI/UX Technologies like Ruby on Rails,
HTML 5, CSS, JQuery etc.
• Cloud based database hosting properly
mapped National and Regional Policies
using Microsoft Azure SQL Database
• User intuitive Screens with mobile first
approach using Material.JS Framework
• Real-time Process & Application Stage
Visualization mechanism using Free
Open Source JavaScript Framework such
as D3.JS
• User can leverage real-time Tracking of
Application Progress in the Portal
• User can update, delete, change their
application which will save in the database
in draft mode and can be accessed later
for further amendment
• User can access the website from both
mobile and desktop. Responsive screens
enable users to access the portal from
any mobile or tablet devices of different
sizes, seamlessly
• User friendly Sign-up and Login
mechanism will enable privacy for the
users and restrict data theft
Customer Pain Points Solution Tenets Outcomes & Benifits
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Our Value Proposition
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Our Value Proposition
Extensive Project
Experience in Digital
Transformation &
Solution Engineering
Zero Cost Due
Diligence
3 weeks Free of Cost
HyperCare/Warranty
provided after go-live
Technically Strong
100+ Team of Digital
Technology expertise
Partnership with
Microsoft for App
Development and
Cloud computing
Usage of Free Open
Source Tools and
Frameworks
Adopting our unique
“Show and Take
Feedback” Hybrid
Agile process for
development
25
for learningIntroduction to Presales Consulting & Proposal Authoring | Sowmak Bardhan | Senior Presales Consultant

Background and
Scope
for learning

Background and Scope (1/2)
Background: Incumbent Planning Portal lacks the ability to show the application progress to the user and is not user
intuitive. Hence Hackney Council is intended to build a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) of Planning Portal which will
empower its users to submit, view and edit the applications on the portal through mobile and web interfaces
In Scope:
Project Scope: Planning Portal Development Scope: Integration Scope:
• Requirements Validation
• Design
• Build & Unit Test
• Show and Tell Sessions
• System Integration Test
• User Acceptance Testing
• Cutover and Go-Live
• Warranty Support
• Planning Portal Website Screen development
• Hybrid Mobile App development for Android and
IOS platform
• Application Tracking Development
• Social Login Integration with Facebook and
Google ID
• Session Management
• Cloud Database Development to store user
details, applications and policies and feeds data
to the Portal interfaces
• Planning Portal API development to integrate
with Legacy Applications
Planning Portal’s API and Database will be
integrated with legacy applications like –
• Idox
• Northgate's M3
to manage planning applications
27

Background and Scope (2/2)
Out of Scope:
• Application Support and Maintaince
• Security Testing
• Performance Testing
• UX Consultation
• Native App Development for Android or IOS platform
• Legacy Application development
• Any Code fix or change request made after Warranty Support
• User Training
• Any other requirements which are not prescribed in the given RFP
28

Solution Approach
for learning

Funcional Understanding of the Planning Portal
Planning Portal Functionalities
Applicant
Citizen
Consultee
Submit
Application
View
Application
Validate
Application
Comment on
Application
View existing
Application
Access the portal, create
& edit applications
Access the portal, to view
an applications
Access the portal, to view
an applications
DBinteractswiththe
LegacySystems
Users and Application
Information is stored and
retried through cloud
database
Users:
30

Solution Approach
To be updated by Technical
SMEs
31

Assumptions and
Dependencies
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Assumptions and Dependencies
Assumptions Dependencies
SMEs
33

Risks and
Mitigations
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Risks and Mitigations
Risks Mitigation Strategies
SMEs
35

Delivery Approach
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Delivery Approach
Softech Technologies proposes its unique Agile Methodology which consists on multiple iterations and Show and take
Feedback ceremonies during the development phase and facilitated by the onshore team. This helps in getting early buy-
in from the customer on the functionalities developed and incorporate feedbacks in the next iteration resulting in
minimal change requests during later phases.
We have successfully developed 40+ Digital Transformation Projects adopting Hybrid Agile Framework
Requirement Validation and
Design
Development Application Testing Deploy and Warranty
Functional Requirement
Analysis and Fitment
Show and take
Feedback - 1
Show and take
Feedback - 2
Show and take
Feedback - N
Functional/Unit Testing
System Integration Testing
UAT Testing
Deployment
Warranty Support
Functionality Development Iteration 1..N
- - - - - - - - - -
37

Engagement Model
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Engagement Model
Steering
Committee
PMO
Project Team
Customer
Head of Service
Onsite Offshore
Practice Director Delivery Director
Offshore
Project Manager
Delivery Manager Onsite
Project Manager
Functional SME
Technical Lead
.NET Developers
UI/UX Developers
Tester
Stake Holders
.NET Developer
User Researcher
39
Softech Technologies

Project Timeline
for learning

Project Timeline
March 20 April 20 May 20 Jun 20 July 20 Aug 20
Project Kick-off
Req. Validation
Design
Development
Iteration - 1
Iteration - 2
Iteration - 3
SIT
UAT
Cutover/Go Live
Warranty
Show and Take Feedback
Phases
Go Live
41

Project Team: Roles
& Responsibilities
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Project Team: Roles and Responsibilities
Role Location Roles and Responsibilities
Lead Architect
.NET Developer
Onsite
Offshore
Roles: XXXX
Responsibilities: XXXX
Roles: XXXXX
43

Project Team: Roles and Responsibilities
Role Location Roles and Responsibilities
UI/UX Developer
Test Engineer
Offshore
Offshore
Roles: XXXX
Roles: XXXXX
44

Profiles
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Profile | Sample Resume Structure
Photo
Name: XXXX
Brief Introduction:
Project Experiences:
Skillsets:
Training and Certifications:
46

Commericals
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Commericals
We have proposed a very competitive pricing structure based on your project needs.
Kindly find below the budgetary Commercial breakup based on the scope of work:
Implementation
XXX,XXX
Integration and
Testing
XX,XX
Post GoLive
Support
Visa &
Infrastructure
XX,XXX
Dream Orbit proposes a total price of
XXX,XXX for the entire scope of work
with Visa and Infrastructure cost
Pricing Assumptions
• All prices are in GBP
• All prices are exclusive of Taxes
• Travel cost to locations to other than the
customer based would be charged at actuals
XX,XX
48

Why Softech
Technologies
for learning

Why Softect Technologies
Softech Technologies is an innovation-driven software product engineering company. We help enterprises and software
companies (ISVs) build innovative solutions that are cross-platform enabled and work on cloud-based delivery model. We
collaborate with our customers to think, design and develop robust software with built-in quality, in an engagement model
that accelerates development speed and guarantees results.
Our expertise areas are:
• Software Innovation - Our expertise lies in software R&D, system architecture design for large enterprise applications,
deployment on production servers, load testing and performance management.
• Big Data and Cloud - Big Data Analytics is finding its way into the enterprise world in a big way. DreamOrbit helps
enterprises uncover the knowledge and latent information, to give the business a competitive advantage over rivals and
provide business intelligence
• Mobile Application Development - Building a mobile application comes with several challenges like getting the user
experience right, including the right set of features, integrating with backend cloud services, performance, cross-device
suitability and so on. DreamOrbit can help you in building a mobile strategy in alignment with your product goals.
Softect Technologies is awarded as Red Herring Top 100 Asia company. Red Herring"s Top 100 Asia list is a mark of
distinction for identifying promising new companies.
50

Capabilities Overview
for learning

52
Capabilities Overview
52
To be updated by Practice
Head or can be obtained from
Company’s intranet site

Case Studies
for learning

54
Case Studies | Success Stories #2
Retail Company | UNITED KINGDOM | Modernization Engagement
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Business Challenge Solution Benefits
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX • XXXXXXXXXXXX
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxx
54

55
Case Studies | Success Stories #1
TELECOM Company | NORTH AMERICA | Digital Transformation Engagement
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Business Challenge Benefits
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX • XXXXXXXXXXXX
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Solution
55

Appendix
for learning

57
Appendix
57
To keep a place holder for
storing and staring any ad-hoc
or supplementary slides

Thank you!

Sample Proposal Deck Demo
59
<End>
Sample Proposal

61
Pricing Models
When a customer awards a project to
software development company, they
sign a billing contract. The pricing
model used depends on the project
implementation.
The main models are Fixed-price,
Time & Materials, and Milestone
Based.
In the subsequent slides, we look at the
advantages and disadvantages of these
pricing models and tell you which is
best to use when.
Fixed Price
Time & Material
Milestone Based

62
Pricing Models | Fixed Bid
A fixed-price contract is based on an estimate of the amount of work that needs to be done. Project requirements need to be written to define
this scope of work. Wireframes also need to be created to help the development team figure out the hours necessary to implement all features.
With a fixed-price project, the service provider and the customer both carry some scope-related risk. Any extra work (when clients want to add
a totally new feature that was not specified in the documentation) usually goes under an additional agreement. In this case, the client must
pay extra.
In this model, it’s important to discuss everything before the actual development in order to estimate the cost of the software product. The
fixed-price model ensures that a project is done and delivered within a specific timeframe and budget.
Advantages
 Finalized pricing. After the contract is signed, the
client knows the budget. The company cannot
overcharge without notice.
 Strict deadlines. When the customer understands
what features they want in an app, the developers can
come up with a clear plan and definite deadlines.
Everybody knows what work will be done at any given
point in time.
 Predictability. When everything has been discussed
and planned beforehand, it’s easy to monitor the status
of software development and predict if the work will be
completed on time.
 Little to no management. All project details are
defined in the contract, so project management can be
passed down to the project manager.
Disadvantages
 Rigid terms. After the projects starts, it cannot be adjusted during the
course of implementation. If market conditions change and some planned
feature is no longer needed or a new feature is needed, it’s impossible to
accommodate that. Implementation of this new feature has to be
negotiated independently. With fixed-price projects, the paperwork and
approval of new features takes much longer and can potentially stall the
whole development process.
 Long planning. A fixed-price contract demands in-depth planning.
Developers need to discuss every detail and every action along with
possible pitfalls.
 Miscommunication risks. There’s always a risk that miscommunication
may lead to delivering a product that doesn’t exactly correspond with
what the client hoped for. Such misunderstandings can happen because
the project specifications aren’t clear. Lack of project monitoring can also
cause miscommunication, especially when developers need confirmation
or feedback on the work that must be done.

63
Pricing Models | Fixed Bid | When to use
The fixed-price model works best for small projects with limited features and clear requirements. It’s also good for MVPs and projects with
limited budgets and definite deadlines.

64
Pricing Models | Time & Material
The time & materials model involves regularly paying for work completed. With this model, the customer plays a greater role in the
development of the software solution and carries all risks related to the scope of work. The level of responsibility that the client carries for the
whole development process with time & materials is much higher than with fixed-price or milestone projects. The customer gets set up with a
team and is billed for the actual time spent on development.
Advantages
 Flexible requirements. Work is divided into short
sprints and results in an MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
To meet the customer’s expectations, features can be
added or removed.
 Hourly rates. Customers pay a stated hourly rate a
given company has.
 Product quality. The product is well-tested and
brought to near-perfection thanks to multiple iterations,
resulting in high-quality software.
 Transparency. The time & materials model allows
clients to monitor progress as developers present
reports on work accomplished.
Disadvantages
 Uncertain deadlines. Any adjustments to the project can postpone the
final release and the project can become overdue.
 Undefined budget. The price is approximate, so the client doesn’t know
for sure how much money they’ll spend since the timeframe for designing
and implementing features is flexible.
 Need to manage the process. The product owner needs to manage
every iteration as well as every step of development in the time &
materials model.
 Hard decisions. Since market conditions can change unpredictably, it
may become clear that some features or design elements that were
originally planned are no longer relevant. In this case, the product owner
must act immediately to adjust development to better meet market
conditions.

65
Pricing Models | Time & Material | When to use
The time & materials pricing model appeals to customers who want flexible procedures and agile project execution. This model works for
projects with changing requirements and fits long-term projects.
This type of contract is applied when there’s no set scope of work and when a lot of flexibility is required. The client must be willing to get
really involved in the project since their approval and vision is an important part of development.

66
Pricing Models | Milestone Based
With Milestone pricing, the customer is billed when a service provider has implemented a specific scope of work over a certain period of time,
achieving a predefined milestone. At that point, the client needs to pay the service provider an amount that depends on the time spent and the
things achieved for the given milestone.
Advantages
 Paying on achievement. The customer pays for actual
functionality delivered to them.
 Control the results. The client becomes the person
who approves each milestone.
 Criteria. Most IT companies will provide clients with a
checklist they need to use when they receive a piece of
work for approval. This checklist is supposed to guide
them to see if everything works as expected.
Disadvantages
 No fixed price. Each type of functionality will cost a different amount as
different amounts of time were spent to develop them. The customer has
to pay the total amount approved for each milestone.
 Long disputes. If a client finds something they don’t like or something
that doesn’t correspond to the functionality listed in the checklist, the
development team will have the right to dispute. This back-and-forth can
take a considerable amount of time as the two parties come to terms.
 No rigid timeframe. Since planning and project execution is iterative,
there’s no specific timeframe for when the project will be completed.
 Lack of trust. Some IT companies don’t trust this model and refuse to
work with clients who insist on it.

67
Pricing Models | Milestone Based | When to use
The milestone model is best when the service provider and client have a good relationship to eliminate the chance of fraud. If the two parties
trust each other, it’s less likely that a dispute will arise. The milestone model works best for business partners with established relationships so
there’s minimal downtime during acceptance and disputes.

69
What do the successful sales initiatives of multi-billion dollar enterprises, early-stage start-ups, tech and healthcare
companies all have in common?
Every time, the success of the sales effort often comes down to consistent execution of the fundamentals.
This shouldn’t be surprising. In baseball, especially the playoffs, experts often note how key games come down to
things as simple as catching and throwing the ball. Or running the bases. Fundamentals that are easy to overlook,
yet can make or break your success.
It’s no different in sales. There are no shortcuts, and the fundamentals that will drive success can just as easily be
forgotten, or ignored, or brushed aside when things get particularly busy.
Here are four sales fundamentals I find most important:
Sales Fundamentals
Essential for Proposal Presentation:
What do the successful sales initiatives of multi-billion dollar enterprises, early-stage start-ups, tech and healthcare companies all have in
common? Every time, the success of the sales effort often comes down to consistent execution of the fundamentals.
Here are 4 sales fundamentals I find most important:
69
Understanding
the customer and
their key drivers.
Engaging customers
quickly and
effectively -
Including what to
say and what not to
say and
understanding
impact of body
language, tone
Understanding
the buying
process by take
your customer on a
journey they will
want to come back
to experience again
with asking
intelligent questions
Objection
handling by
understanding and
managing
objections from
customer about the
solution approach
that you are
proposing for the
best outcome
Cross selling and
up selling the
solution that you
are proposing and
finally closing the
presentation with
confidence

Topics of Discussion
Pricing Models
1
2
3
5
About Me6

About Me
7.5+ Years of experience in IT/Software Industry working as the Senior Presales
Consultant in Capgemini India Limited, with knowledge of Bid Management,
RFI, RFP, RFQ response creation, SOW extensive Preparation, Sale Collateral
creation, Orals/Presentation, Commercial Pricing, Software Development Life
Cycle such as Waterfall Model, Agile, SAFe; Application Maintenance &
Support, User Experience Design, People Management and Knowledge
Management.
Have worked multiple pursuits related to Travel & Hospitality and Insurance
practices with experience of Digital Customer Experience, Project Delivery in
application development and support.
100+ Pursuits
Worked in a ton of Pursuits/Deals
Orals Presentations
Excellent in Preparing Orals
Presentations
Commercials
Experience in Fixed Bid/T&M
Pricing
Technical Solutions
Active Participation in Technical
Discussions
Tier-1 IT Companies
7.5+ yrs. work exp. in Infosys,
Cognizant and Capgemini
Mentoring & Coaching
Have mentored and coached in
Presales
MS Word and PPT
Excellent Response Deck Creation
Customer Presentation
Have actively participated in
Client meetings
Key Experience Highlights:
71

Company Services
Duration of Work: From Feb 2013 to April
2019
Duration of Work: From May 2019 to April
2020
Infosys Cognizant Technology Solutions
• Started my Career in Infosys Limited
as a Systems Engineer Trainee.
• Got Trained in MS Dot Net and
worked in various projects for 1st two
years of my tenure at Infosys
• Moved to Infosys Labs as a Presales
Analyst from 3rd year onwards and
worked in various pursuits for
Insurance Clients ranging from
Application Development and
Maintaince
• Joined Cognizant as a Lateral after
completing my tenure at Infosys, as a
Associate - Presales Consultant
• Started working as a bid manager in Travel
and Hospitality Vertical.
• Worked as Bid manager in various
pursuits of T&H customers ranging from
CRM Implementation, Microservices
Architecture Design, Application Security
Testing, Contact Center Support Services,
Data Migration etc.
Duration of Work: From April 2020 to till date
• Joined Capgemini after completing
service at Cognizant, as a Senior
Consultant in Presales
• Worked as Bid manager in various
pursuits customers in Digital Customer
Experience Department ranging from
proposals involving UI/UX, ERP tools like
CRM, E-commerce Management,
Microservices, etc.
• Also take part in proposal writing,
preparation of sales collaterals and
customer presentations
Capgemini
72

Thank
You!
Email: sowmakbardhan@gmail.com
Call: +91 7760189123 / 7003572434

Introduction to Presales Consulting & Proposal Authoring

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