400+ Assessments Analyzed. 20 Years of Data.
We Know Where Win Rates Break Down.
Shipley brings objective, benchmark-driven diagnosis to organizations ready to move their win rate to the next level.
Shipley evaluates proposals and capture operations against a codified best practices framework, which defines what winning organizations do differently. With over 400 assessments completed across sectors and geographies, that experience makes the evaluation precise. We know where organizations typically break down, and we know what closing those gaps actually requires.
Win Rate Diagnostic & Performance Benchmarking
Most leaders expect their win rate to be higher. Few can point to exactly what’s holding it back.
The proposals look good. They're compliant, professional, submitted on time. But they read like every other proposal in the stack. When BD performance lags, most teams move quickly to upgrading or creating new solutions. The harder work is diagnosing the root cause. Without objective evidence, organizations treat symptoms instead of causes. The result is predictable. Performance stalls because the real gap was never clearly defined.
The gap is usually one of three things, or often all three.
The gap is usually one of three things, or often all three.
The Proposal Gap
Teams often write to demonstrate capability instead of differentiation. The proposal proves the organization can do the work but gives the evaluator no compelling reason to choose it over the competition.
The Capture Gap
Teams that don’t differentiate from the competition often lack the customer and competitive intelligence needed to position effectively. Without that insight, even strong writers produce only well-read proposals that check boxes but don't differentiate.
The BD Gap
Teams lack the customer and competitive intelligence needed to position effectively. Without that insight, even strong writing produces generic proposals.
The Diagnosis
The difference between an opinion and a diagnosis is data. Shipley brings you diagnoses from your data. Drawing on over 400 assessments and 20+ years of BD maturity benchmarks, we score your proposals, capture practices, and BD pipeline discipline against what it actually takes to win at your level of competition.
The Path Forward - Design & Implement
The path depends on what the diagnosis reveals. It may include one or several of the following:
01
Expert Consultants
For organizations with an immediate need, Shipley embeds experienced BD professionals directly into your operations. Pursuits get stronger. Teams get better. Results compound over time.
02
Operational Design or Redesign
Some organizations may need structuring or restructuring processes to build in bid qualification standards, defined capture activities, and strategic differentiation as defined steps, not as afterthoughts.
03
Competitive Assessment and Price-to-Win
Competitive Assessment and PYou may need deep analysis of the competitor landscape, price benchmarking, and win probability modeling to sharpen positioning on critical pursuits.
04
Targeted Training
Equip your teams to write persuasively and capture actionable intelligence. Close the skills gap that turns capable writers into differentiated writers.
05
Orals Coaching
Prepare teams to deliver clear, confident presentations that win. Differentiation doesn't end at the written proposal but extends into all subsequent communication with the customer.
Objective Diagnosis Requires Data. Most Organizations are Working with Opinions.
Shipley benchmarks proposals and capture plans against a codified best practices framework to identify the few changes that will actually move results. Not a 50-item punch list. A focused path your teams can follow without heroics.
Shipley diagnoses the actual gap rather than selling a predetermined solution. That is why the path forward looks different for every client.
20+ years of maturity data: organizations that move from ad hoc to defined processes see win rates improve from below 35% to 51–80%, with 2x effectiveness at winning large, strategic programs.
Technology innovator client increased win rates to 80–85% in three years. Defense technology client doubled win rates by addressing the right issues.
outcomes
What Changes When you Diagnose Before you Prescribe:
Proposals that differentiate, not just comply.
A clear understanding of where the gaps are and why they exist.
Capture processes that generate the intelligence needed to position competitively.
Not just a higher win rate, but a higher share of the large, strategic programs that drive growth.
Case study
Global Aerospace Leader Standardizes Capture Excellence Across 15-Year Partnership
Since 2010, Shipley has partnered with this global aerospace and defense leader to standardize capture and proposal excellence across a complex, multi-division enterprise:
15 years
of continuous partnership
300+
personnel trained
Enterprise-wide
methodology deployed
BD-CMM
benchmarked pursuit maturity
Win rates don’t improve by accident. Let’s find out what’s really driving yours.
Other Strategic Services
Managed Services
When proposal demand has outpaced your team's ability to manage it, Shipley steps in as a fully embedded operation. Not a staffing solution. A delivery model.
BD Process Design & Refinement
If your team is talented but inconsistent, the problem is usually the process. Shipley builds the workflows, playbooks, and training your organization needs to compete the same way every time.
Global BD Expansion
Global competition requires more than a methodology. It requires an operation built for it. Shipley partners with global BD leaders to design the processes, build the teams, and develop the capability to win consistently across regions.
Frequently asked questions
About the Diagnostic
What does Shipley actually assess?
We review proposals, survey teams, and examine capture workflows. Everything is benchmarked against data from over 400 assessments to establish a fact-based baseline and identify where differentiation is breaking down.
What is the difference between a proposal gap and a capture gap?
A proposal gap means teams write to demonstrate capability instead of differentiation. The proposal proves you can do the work but gives the evaluator no compelling reason to choose you. A capture gap means teams lack the customer and competitive intelligence needed to position effectively. Without that insight, even strong writers produce generic proposals that check boxes but don’t differentiate. Most organizations have both.
How long does the diagnostic take?
Timeline depends on the scope and complexity of the engagement — the number of proposals reviewed, the size of the team, and how deeply we examine capture practices. For most organizations, the diagnostic runs 8 to 12 weeks. Shipley works with each client to move as efficiently as possible so that clear, actionable findings are in hand quickly.
How is this different from a proposal review or a color team?
A color team evaluates a single proposal in progress. This diagnostic evaluates your organization’s patterns across proposals and capture practices to identify systemic issues. It answers not just ‘is this proposal strong’ but ‘where is differentiation consistently falling short, and why?’
About the Benchmarking
What are Shipley’s benchmarks based on?
Over 400 proposal assessments and 20+ years of maturity data across sectors and geographies. This data shows clear patterns: organizations that move from ad hoc to defined processes see win rates improve from below 35% to 51–80%, with 2x win rate on large, strategic programs.
How do we compare to industry benchmarks?
The diagnostic benchmarks your proposals and capture practices against Shipley’s dataset. You see where you stand relative to industry norms and relative to top performers. The comparison is objective, not opinion-based.
About the Path Forward
Does Shipley prescribe a fixed solution?
No. Shipley diagnoses the actual gap rather than selling a predetermined solution. The path forward is tailored to what the diagnosis reveals. For some organizations, the primary need is targeted training. For others, it is operational redesign, competitive assessment, or embedded expertise. Often it is a combination.
What if the gap is more about capture than proposals?
That is common. Many organizations focus on improving proposal writing when the real issue is upstream: teams lack the customer and competitive intelligence needed to position effectively. If the diagnostic reveals a capture gap, the path forward may include competitive assessment, price-to-win analysis, and process changes that build intelligence gathering into the pursuit lifecycle.
What is price-to-win?
Price-to-win is an analytical approach that models the competitor landscape, benchmarks pricing, and estimates win probability at different price points. It gives pursuit teams an informed basis for pricing decisions on competitive bids rather than relying on gut feel or historical margins.
What does orals coaching involve?
Shipley prepares teams to deliver clear, confident oral presentations that reinforce the differentiation established in the written proposal. Differentiation doesn’t end at the page.
For many competitive pursuits, the final presentation is where the deal is won or lost. A strong written proposal gets you to the table. What happens in the room determines the outcome. Shipley works directly with the people who will be presenting — through mock sessions, structured feedback, and individual coaching — to make sure the differentiation built into the proposal carries through clearly and confidently when it matters most.
About Results
What kind of results can we expect?
Results depend on where the gaps are and how decisively they are addressed. Shipley’s data shows that organizations moving from ad hoc to defined processes see win rates improve from below 35% to 51–80%. A technology innovator client increased win rates to 80–85% in three years. A defense technology client doubled win rates. The common factor is accurate diagnosis followed by focused action.
How quickly do results show?
It depends on what the diagnosis reveals and how decisively the organization acts on the findings. A team that addresses a specific proposal gap with focused training may see improvement within a pursuit cycle or two. Closing a deeper capture gap — one that requires process change and new intelligence-gathering disciplines — takes longer. What Shipley can say with confidence is that organizations that act on an accurate diagnosis move faster than those still debating the root cause.
About Fit
What types of organizations is this for?
Any organization responsible for delivering revenue through competitive proposals that knows its win rate should be higher. The typical buyer is an executive who wants an objective view of what is actually holding performance back, not another round of opinions.
Do we need to commit to a full engagement, or can we start with just the diagnostic?
The diagnostic stands on its own. It delivers a clear picture of where the gaps are and why, benchmarked against industry data. Many organizations start there and then decide how to act on the findings. There is no obligation to engage Shipley beyond the diagnostic.
Can this be done for a single business unit or division?
Yes. The diagnostic can be scoped to a single business unit, division, or the enterprise as a whole. Some organizations start with a single unit to establish a baseline and build the case for broader change. Others come in at the enterprise level from the start. Shipley works with each client to define the right scope based on where the performance pressure is greatest.