Q&A Hero

Q: It is advisable to build relationship with in a client or partner organization.a. one individualb. several key peoplec. the top ranking officiald. the chief financial officer

Q: Sleeping on a contradictory issue and providing a thoughtful answer the next daya. reinforces that you cannot make quick decisions.b. reinforces your thoughtfulness and builds a positive perception of you by the customer.c. lets you get more information to prove the client was wrong.d. gives you time to find a comic strip to include that expresses your political point of view.

Q: A way to foster trust is toa. be reliable and responsive.b. only contact the customer when planned.c. ask about upcoming RFPs a company is planning.d. get insider information about a company then share it with a competitor.

Q: You are reading an article about butterfly migration and remember that John from XYZ Company studied lepidopterology. You decide toa. send John a copy of the article with a note saying you thought this might be of interest.b. not bother John thinking he probably already read the article.c. send John a copy of the article with a note expressing how displeased you are with the latest political elections.d. print out a copy of the article and put it in your files in case John comes to the office for a meeting.

Q: A good way to start a conversation with a potential customer at XYZ Company isa. How did your son's football team do this season?b. Did your sales increase this year?c. We are working on a project for ABC Company.d. I just finished a meeting with Grace from ABC. She told me about their new products.

Q: Contractors should get to know people in customer organizationsa. by talking all about themselves so the customers know them.b. by limiting contacts to once or twice a year for business.c. on a business level only.d. on personal and business levels.

Q: The most effective way to build a relationship is toa. talk on the phone regularly.b. send e-mails.c. meet face-to-face.d. maintain a blog so that readers know all about you.

Q: establish the foundation for successful funding.a. Research and recordsb. Relationshipsc. Public documentsd. Financial investments

Q: Customers and partner organizations prefer to work with people theya. know are very large with many employees.b. know and trust.c. know are lean companies with few employees.d. have read about.

Q: The total dollar value approach is the ratio of the total dollar value of proposals that the contractor won as a percentage of the total dollar value of all the proposals the contractor submitted to various customers during a specific time period. a. True b. False

Q: The win ratio is the percentage of the number of proposals a contractor won out of the total number of proposals the contractor submitted to various customers over a particular time period. a. True b. False

Q: Contractors measure the success of their proposal efforts by the number of times their proposals are selected by customers and/or by the total dollar value of their proposals that are selected. a. True b. False

Q: All changes must be documented and approved by the contractor's project team before they are incorporated into the project. a. True b. False

Q: Changes can be initiated by the customer or be proposed by the contractor. Some changes may necessitate a change in price (increase or decrease); others may not. a. True b. False

Q: The customer will pay the contractor a bonus if the project is completed ahead of schedule or exceeds other customer performance requirements. a. True b. False

Q: The customer will make payments to the contractor according to the payment schedule in the contract. a. True b. False

Q: The customer can terminate the contract according to requirements in the contract. a. True b. False

Q: Contracts for projects that are done for a foreign customer or are conducted in part in a foreign country do not require the contractor to make certain accommodations. a. True b. False

Q: One party is prohibited from disclosing confidential information, technologies, or processes utilized by the other party during the project to anyone else or using it for any purpose other than work on the project. a. True b. False

Q: At times, patents may result from performing the project. a. True b. False

Q: By having a customer supply schedule, the contractor is protected from incurring schedule slippage caused by customer delays in furnishing information, parts, or other items. a. True b. False

Q: The contractor needs to obtain advance approval from the customer before hiring a subcontractor to perform a project task. a. True b. False

Q: The contractor must notify the customer immediately of any actual or anticipated cost savings or schedule delays. a. True b. False

Q: It is illegal for the contractor to overstate the hours or costs. a. True b. False

Q: As soon as a contractor finds out it is the winner, it can start working on the project. a. True b. False

Q: Proposal evaluation scorecards are used in the decision making process to inform the final choice. a. True b. False

Q: Project proposals are evaluated with a standard set of criteria. a. True b. False

Q: For clarification on a specific proposal, a customer may send a list of questions to be answered. a. True b. False

Q: Responding to follow-up communications may be viewed as an unfair advantage for contractors. a. True b. False

Q: Contractors must continue to be proactive after submitting a proposal by contacting the customer to ensure the RFP has been received and answer any questions. a. True b. False

Q: The amount of profit on a project is adjusted depending upon the amount of competition for a project. a. True b. False

Q: By participating in pre-RFP meetings, a contractor may gain budget intelligence and be able to submit a project proposal with a more appropriate level of effort expected. a. True b. False

Q: If a customer has stated the budget in the RFP, the customer might reject proposals that have cost estimates greater than the budget without further review of the proposal. a. True b. False

Q: A contractor that is entering a similar but new field should plan a smaller profit to increase chances of winning the project. a. True b. False

Q: For projects that are new and have high risk, the contractor should include larger amounts of contingency. a. True b. False

Q: A ballpark estimate is acceptable for the proposal. There will be time to figure out the budget after the contract is won. a. True b. False

Q: Historical data can be used to guide estimating costs for a proposed project. a. True b. False

Q: It is good practice to have the person who will be responsible for the major work tasks estimate the associated costs. a. True b. False

Q: A desired profit is added after calculating all the direct and indirect costs for a project. a. True b. False

Q: Management reserves are the estimated costs to cover unexpected situations. a. True b. False

Q: Costs of escalation are costs associated with the increased costs for materials and wages in a long term project. a. True b. False

Q: Indirect costs of doing business are included in proposals where the customer permits the charging of indirect costs. a. True b. False

Q: Documentation deliverables are sometimes shown as separate costs in the project cost estimate. a. True b. False

Q: Local travel is usually not included in the project costs. a. True b. False

Q: Contractors may outsource some of the work to subcontractors or consultants to perform certain project tasks. a. True b. False

Q: Special facilities for a project are a project cost and should be included in the project cost estimates for the proposal. a. True b. False

Q: Equipment that is included in the project costs are those required by the project. a. True b. False

Q: Realistic estimated hours and hourly labor rate for each person or classification is included in the cost section. a. True b. False

Q: The objective of the cost section of the contractor proposal is to convince the customer that the contractor's price for the proposed project is realistic and reasonable. a. True b. False

Q: Inclusion of an organization chart or assigned responsibility is helpful for the customer to evaluate the expertise of the project staff. a. True b. False

Q: The schedule can include times for major tasks and key milestones to show sequence and interdependencies of the tasks. a. True b. False

Q: The proposal should include a lengthy, detailed list of activities to show planning has been well thought out by the contractor. a. True b. False

Q: Quantitative and qualitative benefits to the customer should be stated to help convince the customer of the value of the proposed result. a. True b. False

Q: Specific criteria listed in the RFP should be restated in the proposal to reinforce to the customer that the contractor understands the requirements. a. True b. False

Q: A specific proposed solution should be suggested for the customer's need. a. True b. False

Q: If the RFP format requirement states a page limit, the customer can reject a proposal that exceeds the page limit without any further review. a. True b. False

Q: Developing a large proposal is a project. a. True b. False

Q: A proposal manager is required to have a consistent, comprehensive proposal by the due date in the RFP. a. True b. False

Q: Proposals that promise too much or are overly optimistic may seem believable and support that the contractor understands what needs to be done and how to do it. a. True b. False

Q: Proposals must be realistic in terms of the proposed scope, cost, and schedule in the eyes of the customer. a. True b. False

Q: Including complicated graphics in a proposal demonstrates a contractor's advanced skill and shows specific technical expertise. a. True b. False

Q: Key partners and subcontractors can help win a project for a contractor by complementing the contractor's expertise. a. True b. False

Q: It is important to emphasize the unique features that differentiate the contractor from other contractors. a. True b. False

Q: A complex proposal is a technical report with charts and figures to explain the approach. a. True b. False

Q: An RFP may include the evaluation criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals from competing contractors. List at least three evaluation criteria that might be included in an RFP.

Q: List eight elements that could be included in a project charter. Describe why each element is valuable to the project charter.

Q: Describe the benefits and consequences of the project evaluation team reviewing each project against the project evaluation criteria before the committee meeting.

Q: James must gather information from a potential project's stakeholders for an upcoming meeting with management. The project would be to add 50 beds and an oncology center to the local hospital. List three stakeholders of the project and a possible way that James could gather information from the stakeholders.

Q: List methods for gathering information from a project's stakeholders.

Q: Housing Transitions, a local not-for-profit organization that provides temporary housing for people that are in transition (i.e., just moved into an area, lost their home due to an unexpected event, etc.), has noticed paint on the outside of the house is peeling. Describe a project that will advance their mission and solve the problem of the paint peeling.

Q: List at least three ways projects are identified.

Q: A bidders meeting may be held toa. clarify the RFP and answer any questions from potential bidders.b. provide additional information only to those that attend the meeting.c. provide an unfair advantage to those at the meeting.d. solicit feedback on the clarity of the RFP to change the project requirements.

Q: The new employees are expected to receive $13 million of Fast Start training that will be provided by a state workforce development grant. This is an example of the in a project charter.a. acceptance criteriab. key assumptionsc. project descriptiond. success criteria and expected benefits

Q: The building constructed will have at least R-38 insulation rating for the ceiling and R-28 for the walls. This is an example of the in a project charter.a. acceptance criteriab. project objectivec. project descriptiond. success criteria and expected benefits

Q: The implementation of the new procedure is expected to reduce costs of production by 10% over the next year. This is an example of the in a project charter.a. acceptance criteriab. project objectivec. project descriptiond. success criteria and expected benefits

Q: The project acceptance criteria shoulda. summarize the need and justification for the project.b. state the quantitative criteria expected for the products to be accomplished.c. state the major end products or items expected to be produced.d. be concise and create a vision for the end result of the project.

Q: The project objective shoulda. summarize the need and justification for the project.b. state what is expected to be accomplished.c. state the major end products or items expected to be produced.d. be concise and create a vision for the end result of the project.

Q: The project purpose shoulda. summarize the need and justification for the project.b. state what is expected to be accomplished.c. state the major end products or items expected to be produced.d. be concise and create a vision for the end result of the project.

Q: The project title shoulda. summarize the need and justification for the project.b. state what is expected to be accomplished.c. state the major end products or items expected to be produced.d. be concise and create a vision for the end result of the project.

Q: A project charter summarizesa. the project objective.b. the detailed description of the project.c. the key conditions and parameters of the project.d. the funding and contracting of the project.