A Framework for Optimizing the Use of Systems Engineering on Proposals

Organizations that execute contracts must capture them to survive. Systems engineering often leads the technical activities in the proposal process. Therefore, it is important that systems engineering be applied effectively on proposals. This paper introduces a framework for developing models to find an optimal use of systems engineering on proposals. Optimization models developed using the framework can maximize an objective function of interest such as the probability of contract award on a proposal by leveraging data from previous proposal efforts. These optimization models provide recommendations as to how much budget to invest in systems engineering on proposals and how to allocate that budget across various systems engineering activities and to contributors with various skill levels. This paper describes the framework and provides guidance for how to develop an optimization model using the framework that is customized for a particular proposal effort of interest. The validation of the framework is also described.