Initially, SI considered building a custom database application that could track the changes made to draft RFPs in the proposal review process. However, SI International's CIO, Steve Hunt, recommended that the company use pre-built applications wherever possible. Having already begun using Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and SharePoint Portal Server (SPS) to deploy its corporate intranet, the decision was made to try to leverage the SharePoint platform more broadly to create a proposal management solution.

The Hunt for a Proposal Management Solution Turns into the Capture of a SharePoint-based Integrated Workplace
In looking for packaged applications SI could leverage to deploy a proposal management solution on SharePoint, David Shaw, manager of capture and proposal operations, IT support, at SI International was introduced to CorasWorks by a colleague in another SI International division. David attended a free one-day workshop event that CorasWorks offered to determine if CorasWorks software could meet SI's proposal management requirements. At the workshop, David went "hands-on" with the company's flagship product for the SharePoint platform, the CorasWorks Workplace Suite. He learned that the wide range of capabilities, Web parts, templates, and pre-built solutions the software offered for extending SharePoint could be a great asset to SI's overall development efforts.

The Workplace Suite offered much more potential than simply managing the review process of RFPs. With the software, SI could build an integrated workplace to handle the entire proposal management effort and seamlessly connect the workplace with its SharePoint portal site.
Using CorasWorks software, SI International designed, configured, tested, and deployed its entire proposal management solution in less than three weeks, a fraction of the time that it would have taken without CorasWorks. Today, SI has 17 projects using their proposal management workplace. As a result of SI's impressive ability to turn requests for proposals into winning bids, the company enjoys a significant backlog of consulting projects.

SI's workplace capitalizes on the key capabilities available in the Workplace Suite that extend native SharePoint capabilities. These include enhancements in the areas of navigation, data aggregation through the use of CorasWorks roll-up displays, charting, and Microsoft InfoPath integration.

Extending SharePoint Navigation
Using CorasWorks navigation capabilities, SI is able to structure its workplace in a logical and organized manner providing users with an easy-to-use interface to access the information they need, when they need it. Since CorasWorks navigation is customizable and dynamic, the site administrator can easily change content or reorder. Administrators can also hide navigation that they don't want to make visible to users, as in a situation where a site is still under development.

Leveraging SharePoint Data Enterprise-wide
SI uses CorasWorks roll-up displays for SharePoint to pull proposal milestones up to a centralized corporate calendar. Now key dates are effectively communicated across the entire organization, eliminating the need for managing duplicate data in multiple locations. SI can also actively share system messages and frequently asked questions (FAQs) by more easily copying information from a single central location to other sites.

CorasWorks charting capabilities for SharePoint are used to add visual representation for more rapid decision-making. For instance, besides displaying key business metrics, SI International can use CorasWorks charts to display other necessary business information such as a six-week view of what inventory items are needed to deliver RFPs.

A Microsoft InfoPath form is used to calculate inventory, such as how many binders are needed to complete a proposal. The numbers returned from the inventory "ordering" process are rolled up in a single calendar view that displays the items needed, quantity, and due dates, enabling the staff to plan ahead and ensure enough inventory is available to meet proposal deadlines.

Tremendous IT Cost Savings
SI chose the CorasWorks Workplace Suite because it's a cost-effective product that's easy-to-use and implement without needing custom development. Shaw explained, "An effective and efficient proposal management system allows us to deliver superior quality RFPs in record time, enabling us to win more projects and continue our corporate success. With CorasWorks, we were able to take a set of unconnected Web sites and transform them into an integrated workplace to solve one of our most critical business problems. The CorasWorks Workplace Suite has allowed us to design a proposal management workplace our staff can effectively use and actually enjoys using."

Shaw was able to create custom roll-ups his first day using the CorasWorks software. Since the Workplace Suite ships with ready-to-run Web parts and templates, it now only takes SI 15 minutes to launch a new site with the necessary information and resources to start a proposal.

Shaw said, "With CorasWorks, we were able to take our successful implementation of SharePoint and transform it into a planning and delivery platform." The SI solution now enables 300 users spread across several offices to work together at anytime from any place.
Even subcontractors outside SI can efficiently collaborate with SI staff by connecting to the portal from external offices. As Shaw notes, "A subcontractor who evacuated its offices during a hurricane was able to relocate to a safer location and continue to work on a proposal without interruption and without missing the deadline." This effort has been so successful, external contractors who used the proposal management solution plan to license the product for their own proposals. If you have comments or questions please e-mail the author at lroshfeld@corasworks.net.

CorasWorks (www.corasworks.com) is a provider of software for developing collaborative applications on Microsoft SharePoint Customers use CorasWorks products to build Web-based solutions such as portals, intranets, extranets, dashboards, and other business applications all providng a comprehensive framework on top of SharePoint. CorasWorks makes it fast and easy to build solutions without custom programming while connecting to back-end data and enterprise applications. SharePoint solutions built with CorasWorks are more flexible and more maintainable, and allow users to adapt easily to changing business needs. See Figure 1
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