Project Staff Recruitment

Quite a few of my clients bid on projects that require them to identify and recruit personnel who will be proposed as project staff. Some of these individuals may be designated as Key Personnel; others may hold other important positions on the proposed project. Whether or not you need to recruit proposed staff for a bid may depend on several factors: (1) the staffing requirements that are specifically stated in the RFP/RFA; (2) the number and type of personnel who are already employed by your company/organization and their qualifications and availability for the proposed project; and (3) your proposal strategy, whereby your objective may be to exceed the stated RFP requirements by providing the names and resumes of additional personnel to fill project staffing requirements.

Depending upon the number of personnel to be named in your proposal, staff recruitment can become a major proposal task in inself. You may have to utilize members of your own staff or HR Department to handle the many aspects of recruitment, or you may need to bring in temporary staff to do it. But no matter how you approach it, it's a good idea to have a process in place and a perhaps a few checklists to help you organize your recruitment efforts. Here are some of the things that I've put together when I've had to recruit staff:

• A telephone "script" with reminders of what you want to say to prospective candidates when you contact them for a position.
• A standard e-mail letter if you are going to be contacting individuals by e-mail.
• An RFP Package consisting of at least the project background, scope-of-work, position description, and information about your company/organization including employee benefits information. This can be mailed or e-mailed to candidates who want more detailed information than what you provide in an initial phone call or e-mail.
• A standard acceptance letter or letter of intent that can be signed by individuals who have agreed to be proposed for your project, should the RFA/RFA require such letters.
• A checklist of items that you require each proposed individual to provide, e.g., resume, letter of intent, copies of professional certifications and licenses, any signed forms required by the RFP, etc. The checklist helps you to immediately identify any items that are missing so that you can follow-up with your candidates.

Recruitment can be difficult and tedious, but you can make it a bit easier by getting organized before you begin.