An oral proposal is simply a proposal or part of a proposal that is delivered orally in place of or in addition to a written proposal. That’s it. Don’t overthink it or try to make it too hard. It’s the difference between either reading a book in print or on an e-reader or listening to it as an audiobook. Same story, same characters, same plot twists, same words—different medium.

INSIGHT:

 

What I’ve not yet seen but expect to? Virtual or augmented reality incorporated into oral proposals. The technology is already out there and improving daily. When that happens, look for a scramble to rename oral proposals as something else, but most of the techniques provided here will still apply.

The oral proposal may include demonstrations, video clips, and simulations as part of the presentation, which is particularly useful for certain acquisitions where showing works better than telling. For example, I have seen a vendor use a simulation to show a large piece of hardware being expanded/dismantled to show the parts, then coming back together to show it working to provide a solution to the government’s requirement. Drawings and fancy explanations could not have gotten the point across to the evaluators as effectively as a simulation.