Making the Most of Vantagepoint Custom Proposals: A Practical Approach

If you’re in the AEC industry and use Vantagepoint, you may have heard of the Custom Proposals hub in the system. While it may not be the perfect solution for creating final proposal documents, there’s a smarter way to leverage this tool that can streamline your proposal process and maintain valuable data integrity.

The Challenge with Custom Proposals

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Vantagepoint’s Custom Proposals aren’t going to replace InDesign or Word for creating polished, final documents. The web-based layout editor is admittedly basic compared to these professional publishing tools. However, moving your entire proposal process outside your CRM creates significant challenges:

• Data Access: Copying project and employee information from Vantagepoint becomes a time-consuming exercise in hunt-and-peck
• Content Management: Teams often resort to storing proposal elements in external file systems, making them difficult to maintain and locate
• Data Loss: Valuable new content created for proposals often fails to make it back into the CRM, effectively disappearing into the void

A Better Approach: Content-First Workflow

Instead of viewing Custom Proposals as a replacement for your publishing tools, think of it as your content development platform. Here’s why this approach makes sense:

1. Focus on Core Content Elements

The most time-intensive aspects of proposal generation are typically resumes and case studies. These components:

• Follow consistent patterns
• Require accurate, up-to-date information
• Are frequently reused across multiple proposals

Using Custom Proposals to manage this content keeps it organized and accessible within your CRM.

2. Streamlined Export Process

Once your content is structured in Vantagepoint, you can quickly export it to Word or PDF format. This makes it simple to copy and paste into your preferred publishing tool while maintaining data integrity.

3. Improved Project Integration

Custom Proposals can be directly associated with projects in the Projects Hub, creating a clear one-to-one relationship. This makes it infinitely easier to:

• Locate historical proposal information
• Reference past work for new proposals
• Maintain a clear record of proposal content

Best Practices for Implementation

To make the most of this approach:

1. Start with Content: Begin your proposal process in Vantagepoint, focusing on getting the content right before worrying about formatting
2. Capture Technical Review Changes: When technical staff review and edit descriptions, awards, and stats, make these updates directly in Vantagepoint
3. Export for Final Formatting: Once content is approved, export to your preferred publishing tool for final formatting
4. Maintain Single Source of Truth: Use Vantagepoint as your primary data repository, ensuring information stays current and accessible

The Bottom Line

While Custom Proposals might not be your final publishing solution, it serves as an excellent content development and management system. This approach:

• Maintains valuable proposal data within your CRM
• Saves time on future proposals
• Promotes good database practices
• Ensures content accuracy and consistency

By treating Custom Proposals as your content hub rather than your publishing platform, you can create a more efficient, organized, and reliable proposal development process.

Remember: the goal isn’t to create the perfect-looking proposal within Vantagepoint, but to manage your content effectively so it can be easily formatted in your preferred publishing tool while maintaining valuable data within your CRM.