For the past 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on complex aerospace programs, from multinational corporations to early-stage startups. A big part of that world involves government funding, SBIRs, and contracts that can make or break a company’s trajectory.
Government contracts can provide non-dilutive funding and early revenue pre-production, it can accelerate your innovation and development, and it can provide large-scale opportunities to test and sell your product when regulations in the commercial sector are too strict.
But winning these contracts requires patience and expertise on how to navigate the process.
The Gap
I’ve seen incredibly strong teams, with real innovation and real potential, decide not to pursue SBIRs or government opportunities at all. Not because they weren’t qualified, but because:
- The process felt overwhelming
- The requirements were unclear
- The time investment felt too risky without a clear path to success
I’ve also seen small businesses win government contracts but then get burned during execution because
- they didn’t understand all of the requirements upfront
- there was a lack of alignment between internal teams
- the contracts were structured poorly
This is why the upfront work and the proposal process is so important. There is a lot of structure, clarity, and strategy that goes into a competitive proposal behind the scenes, and there’s a real craft to it. Most early-stage or even mid-sized companies simply don’t have the internal resources or experience to do it well. And this is exactly why I started Proposal Arc.
About Proposal Arc
The goal is simple: Use my experience as an engineer and an aerospace executive to help companies win government funding. After spending years bidding on and executing government contracts, I have learned how to navigate the complexity and can help small businesses feel confident in putting together stronger, more competitive proposals for SBIRs and other government opportunities.
I provide services including:
- Architecting a strong response to an RFP
- Building a compliance matrix with clear requirements so nothing gets missed
- Translating technical ideas into strong technical proposals
- Creating a repeatable foundation companies can use across multiple opportunities
- Providing strategic guidance on when and what to bid
- Structuring manageable and realistic milestones
- Drafting a proposal and providing review support
A good proposal isn’t just about writing. It’s about clarity, structure, and understanding how decisions actually get made.
What’s Next
If you’re a startup or small business that has a strong technical idea and a clear use case, and you’re curious about government contracts or need help putting together your next winning proposal – let’s chat!
With this blog, I’ll be sharing more about SBIRs, government funding, and what actually goes into building competitive proposals.
And if you have an opportunity in mind or want to talk through some questions, I’m always happy to connect – amisha@proposalarc.com.
– Amisha Prakash, Proposal Architect
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