Proposal metrics (statistics) are predominately used by proposal managers to estimate the time necessary to produce an RFP or RFT.

Measures

It is generally accepted that pages per hour is the most appropriate measure of a proposal writer’s performance.

Under normal circumstances a writer will produce between 1.25 and 2.25 pages per hour. The main factor influencing the number of pages produced per hour is the amount of boilerplate text used in a proposal. 

What is Boilerplate Text?

The never-changed heavy iron plates used to print unmodifiable newspaper text such as advertisements in the 19th century were nicknamed boilerplates because they resembled the plates used to make boilers. Eventually any part of a newspaper that rarely changed such as the masthead came to be known as boilerplate text. Proposal boilerplate text refers to existing written material, which is included in client submissions with little or no modification. 

The affect of Boilerplate Text on Page Production Statistics

The frequent use of boilerplate text throughout a proposal will normally increase a writer’s page output rate by half a page an hour. Writers producing around 2.25 pages an hour, will normally be using a substantial amount of boilerplate text.

Other Factors affecting Page Output Rates

Boilerplate text is not the only factor influencing page output rates. Other factors include:

• The experience level of the writer

• Technical versus non-technical material

• Substantial versus minimal research requirements

When estimating the writing effort required to produce an RFP/RFT response you should carefully consider all factors, rather than relying too heavily on analogous proposals.