Standard 5: Early engagement with donor to inform design.

• Primary responsible: Capture planning managerThis role is often, though not always, filled by the individual who later assumes the proposal coordinator role. Country program business development staff, where they exist, or the business development “point person” in countries without a business development position, typically take on the capture planning manager role.
  • The capture planning manager develops the capture plan and coordinates the capture process.

• Others involved: Country representative (CR) or CR’s delegate (often the country program business development [BD] staff, if the position exists); regional BD staff; head of programming (HoP); project managers/chiefs of party (PM/CoP); IDEA staff; country program senior management team (SMT); technical advisors; human resources manager (HR manager); headquarters (HQ) human resources staff as needed.
  • The CR and regional BD staff identify funding opportunities where capture planning is appropriate; the CR or delegate designates a capture planning manager;
  • The HoP, PMs, and technical advisors as well as IDEA staff and the SMT contribute to the capture analysis and support specific capture actions;
  • The HR manager and HQ human resources staff (for international staff positions) support capture planning recruitment activities.

Country programs pursuing global and multi-country opportunities and contracts should work closely with regional business development, HQ Global Opportunities staff, and IDEA staff.

• When CRS has determined a prospective funding opportunity is of interest.

This key action builds on prior strategic efforts by country program leadership, BD staff, technical programming staff, and others to engage donors to create or influence funding opportunities. This key action presumes that the country program has made a preliminary "go" decision for a specific opportunityA “go/no-go decision” is the decision of whether to pursue a specific funding opportunity. Go/no-go decisions may be made at multiple points; a preliminary go/no-go decision may be made based on a draft solicitation or intelligence such as information in a forecast of upcoming funding opportunities. The go/no-go decision is often revisited after the formal release of a solicitation.  following fit analysisSee CRS’ capture planning flowchart for the steps leading to the preliminary “go” decision. and, in consultation with the region and HQ as appropriate, has decided to prime (i.e., submit a proposal as the lead applicant – see “When CRS is a sub-recipient”, below, for guidance in those cases). In such situations, follow these steps to ensure that CRS’ approach to capture planning increases the chances of both a successful proposal and a well-designed, high-impact project:

Capture planning “bare minimum”: Capture planning varies widely depending on the type of opportunity—from select activities for small opportunities to intense efforts for large opportunities. Telescope the capture planning process accordingly. If capture planning time or resources are limited, focus on three actions:

1. Confirming a proposal development team and resources, and orienting the team to the opportunity, their responsibilities, and donor priorities and requirements (step 4 below);
2. Identifying and formalizing appropriate project partnerships (step 6 below); and
3. Initiating recruitment for key staff (step 7 below).

Internally focused capture planning actions

1. After discussing with regional BD staff the appropriate intensity for capture planning, the CR identifies a capture planning manager (often, but not always, the person in the country program responsible for business development). If the estimated value of the opportunity is $20 million or more, the country program also notifies IDEA.
2. The capture planning manager convenes a discussion involving the CR, HoP, regional BD staff, appropriate IDEA staff, and technical programming staff, as well as anyone else who will be involved in proposal development efforts. The team collaborates to complete the capture planning for primes tool, section 1, which:

• Guides CRS through an analysis of what is known about the donor’s hot button issuesA “hot button” is something the donor cares a lot about and is likely to influence their funding decisions.  For example: cost-efficiency, integration with government, gender mainstreaming.... A good place to find donor “hot buttons” is in their strategy documents.  and perceptions of CRS, as well as how CRS fares against competitors.
• Helps CRS consider partners and teaming options.
• Increases CRS’ understanding of the donor and its priorities.

3. If CRS is among the three likely top bidders, or there is strategic value in CRS applying despite a low estimated win probability, the capture planning manager convenes a discussion with the same group to collaboratively review the capture planning for primes tool, section II. This part of the tool helps CRS to:

• Action plan around influencing the design of the call for proposals and improving CRS’ profile or reputation.
• Develop potential project staffing options and recruitment actions that can be completed during capture, based on intelligence about anticipated donor requirements and analysis of current CRS and partner strengths and gaps in operations, programming, and financial management.

4. The CR or delegate forms a proposal development team, which may be updated throughout the capture process as CRS learns more about donor priorities and requirements. Capture planning is an iterative and dynamic process, with each action potentially changing the overall context and, therefore, the proposal development strategy as well as proposal development team.
5. The team undertakes additional proposal preparation actions, which may include:

• Conducting stakeholder analysis and secondary data reviews or rapid assessments (see ProPack I for guidance).
• Organizing pre-design meetings and consultations with CRS and external technical experts.
• Arranging field visits for the technical lead.
• Beginning to compile relevant information from past projects (including budget information).
• Identifying early ideas for technical design.
• Refining preliminary ideas about project staffing levels, profiles, and management plans.

The capture planning-project management connection. Capture planning deepens CRS’ understanding of: our own strengths and weaknesses; donor aims; our competitors and potential collaborators; and the operating environment for a specific project. Such early analysis contributes to a winning proposal and leads to a well-designed project, with appropriate capacities within the project team, and a realistic project scope, schedule, and budget.  It also promotes good project management which, in turn, strengthens CRS’ reputation and positioning. 

Externally focused capture planning actions

6. Based on the analysis in step 2 above, the capture planning manager along with the CR begins outreach to potential partners.

• Form strategic partnerships that complement CRS’ programming and operations expertise, and expand our capacities.
• Formalize partnerships through teaming agreements, using the teaming agreement template.

7. After the capture planning team identifies likely "key personnel" or other project leadership positionsKey personnel is a specific term used by the USG. Many RFAs and RFPs require that the applicant identify key personnel for the project; some require that the applicant propose specific individuals for key personnel positions and submit CVs for key personnel candidates. The key personnel candidates themselves must be approved by the donor and any changes to key personnel during project implementation must have prior approval from the donor. Note that other donors may use different terms. (see step 3), the capture planning manager works with the hiring manager and HR staff to develop job descriptions and begin recruitment (see Standard 4, key action 3 for additional guidance).

• Country program staff lead the process for recruitment of national staff.
• Coordinate with HQ HR for recruitment of anticipated international staff positions and leverage CRS' Talent PoolTalent Pool is a CRS database that gathers information on external candidates interested in future positions with CRS. Talent Pool is specifically focused on the following key personnel positions: Chief of Party, Technical Director, Finance & Administration Director, Monitoring & Evaluation Director or Operations & Logistics Director.  database for key personnel recruitment.

8. Building on the analysis in step 3, the CR and others take actions to further influence the donor regarding the funding opportunity and build CRS’ reputation, or mitigate weaknesses identified through the capture analysis process.

• Influence actions at this stage often center around meetings and both formal and informal feedback.
• Issues to discuss with the donor may include funding opportunity timing, content or form (e.g., grant versus contract). This is particularly important if CRS knows a draft Request for Applications (RFA) or Request for Proposals (RFP) is forthcoming (see Standard 5, key action 3, on influencing donor priorities).

Leverage capture planning investments: When considering capture planning activities with significant human and financial resource requirements, prioritize investing in activities that may benefit multiple projects and opportunities (e.g., a consultancy that benefits both the anticipated funding opportunity and the country program’s work generally).