Deborah's Proposal Writing Blog

So what's a blurb? In a proposal, a blurb is a short summary of the experience and qualifications of the key (and sometimes other) personnel that you are proposing for your project. Blurbs don't usually take the place of resumes -- rather, they summarize and possibly elaborate on them, highlighting the important information that you want to convey about your proposed candidates. When you are writing up your blurbs, it's critical that you look at the personnel evaluation criteria that are set forth in the RFP/RFA. These criteria often indicate the desired levels and types of education, training, background, and experience that each of your key personnel should have. So you will want to incorporate some of this info in your write-ups.

There is no set length for a blurb, although the blurb for the Project Director is often a bit longer than the others because he/she is the leader of the project team. The blurbs that I have worked on range from a quarter of a page to a page and a half, but are frequently about 1/3 to 1/2 of a page. The total number of pages and the amount of space you allocate for each blurb are often a function of proposal page limits and the number of evaluation points given to the personnel section of your proposal.