Joe O'Neill

JoeONeill

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Joe O'Neill, CPP APMP Fellow (Class of 2010)

Proposal Consultant
Joe O'Neill, LLC

Bio

Joe has over 40 years of proposal experience, primarily DoD, with seven years of commercial experience. He has been a Proposal Manager for well over 100 major proposals and has also served as a Volume Leader, primary author, and Color Team Leader (Black Hats, Blue Team, Pink & Red Team Leader). He has delivered capture/proposal training workshops to functional groups and capture teams. Over the past ten years, this has included over 15 training sessions for over 500 students/practitioners.

Retired after 20+ years as a Business Capture Director from BAE Systems, he has provided proposal manager and consulting services through Shipley Associates and his LLC to BAE Systems and other defense organizations, including Raytheon, Harris, and others.

When not consulting, he enjoys traveling with his wife Faye to see their grandchildren in Indianapolis and Denver, and also international travel to enjoy the many 'bucket list trips' still to go. From his home in New Hampshire, he hopes for lots of winter snows to replenish the nearby downhill ski areas.

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

Recognition from my peers and recognition from the premier professional proposal organization in the world that I bring something special to the proposal table at large.

What's your best memory from attending an APMP event?

Savannah, GA - May 2007 - My first international conference (18th annual APMP International Conference & Exhibits, now called Bid & Proposal Con). I was blown away by the speakers and the content of the presentations. The Gov't-Industry task force presentation on the pre-proposal RFP Q&A process sold me on the value of attending as many future conferences as I could.

What advice do you have for a proposal professional entering our field?

Learn by doing - get onto a proposal, any role, no matter how small. First-hand experience trumps all. If you run into someone who knows what they're doing in the proposal world, stick to them, and learn all you can from them.

Anything else you would like to share?

APMP is a great organization, but it needs to keep its focus on captures & proposals - the things that caused its existence.

Acquiring the executive summary micro certification has helped to build my confidence in producing best practice Executive Summaries. I also benefit from the social media badge for my LinkedIn profile and certification to add to my resume. Both of these allow me to verify my Executive Summary capabilities.

Laura Rispin, CP ES-M APMP

APMP certification is the gold standard for the industry. For me, accreditation is formal recognition of my commitment to the profession, as well as an avenue for improving my performance and bid outcomes by training in APMP principles.

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Ailsa Tuck, CP APMP

Certification has enhanced my worth as a bid professional. It has validated the skills and experience I have and is proof of my bid management qualities and capabilities. It has given me a springboard to develop my career and aim for Professional certification.

Aynsley Davidson v2

Aynsley Davidson, CP APMP

APMP's techniques on proposal writing are meticulously engineered with real-life examples, and the extensive information available in their Body of Knowledge is a goldmine for bid & proposal professionals.

Anant Shukla, CF APMP

I never want to be complacent in my career, so it has been beneficial to have this group of peers who are going through similar trials and tribulations in the proposal world on a day-to-day basis.

Jill Zander, CF APMP

The Executive Summary is the key element of each proposal, literally the most important part of the response next to the price – this is why my focus was on this micro certification. Understanding the principles of Deal-Strategy, Win-Strategy, Competitor-Analysis, Ghosting, Persuasive Writing, Features/Benefits/Discriminators, and many more is essential and beneficial for so much more than just the Executive Summary.

Florian Lamisch, CF ES-M APMP

APMP has provided an incredible platform for seasoned individuals from the Proposal and Bid Management profession and young professionals who want to start their careers in this field.

Mayura Ravishankar, Proposal Associate

The certifications, starting from the foundation to the professional level, help individuals from diverse timeframes in their careers.

Mayura Ravishankar, Proposal Associate

This topic, Executive Summaries, is way underrated. The Executive Summary is the most eye-catching document, which almost everyone on the customer side reads. Yet, in most bid teams, we don’t dedicate the attention it deserves. I want to learn about something I can immediately put into practice at my workplace, which provides a “quick win” to the team and is a long-term benefit for the company.

Dénes Máthé, CF ES-M APMP

Receiving Practitioner-level certification boosted my confidence and validated my experiences and professional growth in the bid and proposal industry. The badge is something that I see each day, and it motivates and encourages me to keep networking, learning, and elevating others in our combined professional development goals.

Kim Ruff, CP APMP