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August 13, 2004

BWIA?

When I was working in the Caribbean, I frequently flew on BWIA, which (Ithink) is or was an acronym for British West Indies Airlines. But everyone joked that BWIA really stood for "But Will It Arrive?"

Talk to anyone who has done a number of government proposals and you'll probably find a horror story about proposals that don't or almost don't arrive. I've had clients who have shipped their proposals via overnight courier services (e.g., FedEx, UPS) and the packages got lost in the system or arrived at the government agency after the specified deadline. I've heard of companies whose personnel have gotten stuck in traffic jams while on their way to deliver a proposal. Then there are those who have made airline reservations so that they can hand-carry their proposals to an agency in another city, and have found their flights delayed. A couple of years ago, one of my clients was up all night trying to submit their proposal via an online system that didn't work properly. And then I had a client whose printer broke down in the middle of the night and they had hundreds of pages to print and assemble before the due date the following morning. Think it couldn't happen to you? Think again.

I always advise my clients to have a back-up plan for proposal delivery in the event they will be working very close to the deadline. Back-up arrangements can include:

  • Sending your proposal (via an overnight service) two days before the proposal is due, and having a second set on hand to send the day before if the first set doesn't arrive. Or making an airline reservation in advance in case the overnight package gets lost and you have to jump on a plane.

  • Using a second car and driver in case of an accident or traffic jam, if you're delivering the proposal by car. Some organizations have one car follow behind the other in case the first car breaks down. Others have the second driver take a different route.

  • Making reservations on two different airlines.

  • Finding out in advance what the procedures would be if the government's online submission system breaks down.

  • Making an advance reservation for printing at a place like Kinko's, which is open 24-hours a day. You can always cancel it.


  • Anything else you can think of that will ensure your proposal arrives on time.


    • Sure, making these plans may involve some time, trouble and expense. But just think how you would feel if all the time, trouble and expense that went into preparing your proposal turned out to be a total waste because it didn't arrive on time.

    Posted by Deborah at August 13, 2004 05:20 PM





    Debra,
    I love your sight, it is TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL!!!! I am fairly new to the international development field (helping a client set up shop in the Ukraine, and also being an outsourcing recruitment provider for nurses, and your site is assisting me greatly. I was wondering though about charging, how do you determine your charges? Oh, and by the way, I am from Trinindad and Tobago (the twin island republic where BWIA originates) and the acronym stands for British West Indian Airways! (smile)

    Posted by: Gerard at March 23, 2005 07:56 PM

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