January 7, 2025 1:30 am

Peter Bonney

ProposalTech automation may not be the foremost thought on your mind, but if you’re responding to RFPs on ProposalTech, you know how time-consuming the process can be. Each proposal feels like a race against the clock. The platform’s rigid structure and repetitive tasks add hours to an already demanding workload.

Most proposal managers spend the majority of their time on manual work: copying and pasting answers, searching for old responses, and reformatting content to meet ProposalTech’s strict requirements. It’s frustrating. Worse, it’s unnecessary.

A study by McKinsey found that knowledge workers, including proposal teams, spend an average of 19% of their workweek searching for information. That’s nearly a full day lost every week. Combine that with ProposalTech’s tight deadlines, and you’ve got a recipe for stress, late nights, and rushed submissions.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

AI-driven automation is changing how proposal teams work. By eliminating repetitive tasks and reducing human error, AI tools can help you respond faster, submit with confidence, and free up time for higher-value activities. This isn’t just about saving time—it’s about improving the quality of your proposals and winning more business.

In this post, we’ll explore how AI-driven automation can:

  1. Speed up repetitive tasks like finding and formatting responses.
  2. Reduce errors and catch problems before submission.
  3. Help you hit ProposalTech deadlines without the stress.

If your team feels like it’s always rushing to the finish line, it’s time to rethink your process.

The Challenges of Manual ProposalTech Submissions

ProposalTech is a useful platform, but it wasn’t designed with your workflow in mind. For proposal managers, responding to a ProposalTech RFP often feels like an uphill battle. The platform is rigid, repetitive, and leaves little room for error.

Here are the most common challenges teams face:

  1. Repetitive Work
    Many of the questions you encounter are the same across RFPs. Questions about compliance, plan details, and pricing show up over and over. Yet ProposalTech doesn’t offer tools to reuse answers efficiently. You’re left copying and pasting from old documents or retyping the same information. It’s tedious and wastes hours.
  2. Formatting Frustrations
    ProposalTech enforces strict character limits and formatting requirements. If your answer is even a few characters too long, you’ll get an error. Fixing these issues often means rewriting or trimming responses at the last minute, which adds stress and increases the risk of mistakes.
  3. Risk of Human Error
    When everything is done manually, errors are inevitable. A small typo or outdated response can impact how your proposal is scored. Miss a key detail, and you risk losing the opportunity altogether. These mistakes aren’t always easy to catch, especially when you’re rushing to meet a deadline.
  4. Time Pressure
    ProposalTech’s submission deadlines are strict. The system locks you out if you’re even one minute late. That pressure can lead to rushed submissions, incomplete responses, or skipped reviews. It’s a constant source of stress for proposal teams.
  5. Limited Visibility into Progress
    ProposalTech doesn’t give you tools to track your team’s progress. Without a clear view of who’s completed what, it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks. Teams often rely on spreadsheets or email updates, which creates even more work.

Why These Challenges Matter
Manual processes slow you down and increase the risk of errors. When you’re spending hours on repetitive tasks or fixing formatting issues, you have less time to focus on crafting compelling, high-quality responses. Over time, these inefficiencies add up, costing your team both time and opportunities.

But these challenges aren’t unavoidable. AI-driven ProposalTech automation offers practical solutions that make responding to RFPs faster, easier, and less error-prone.

What AI-Driven ProposalTech Automation Can Do for RFPs & RFIs

AI for RFP response is transforming how proposal teams work, and it’s especially useful for platforms like ProposalTech. By automating repetitive tasks, ensuring consistency, and reducing errors, AI helps you respond faster and with greater confidence. Here’s what it can do for your team:

1. Automate Repetitive Tasks
One of the biggest time sinks in ProposalTech is answering the same questions repeatedly. AI tools can:

  • Identify recurring questions in RFPs.
  • Suggest pre-approved answers from your content library.
  • Automatically insert responses into ProposalTech fields, saving you from manual copy-pasting.

This alone can cut hours off your response time. For example, if an RFP asks about HIPAA compliance, AI will immediately find and insert your most up-to-date response.

2. Optimize Formatting
ProposalTech’s strict formatting requirements—character limits, alignment rules, and specific input fields—can create endless headaches. AI tools solve this by:

  • Automatically trimming responses to fit within character limits without losing key information.
  • Formatting answers to meet ProposalTech’s guidelines, including bullet points, spacing, and line breaks.
  • Flagging formatting errors before submission so you can fix them early.

This reduces the risk of last-minute scrambling to meet the platform’s demands.

3. Reduce Human Error
Mistakes happen, especially when you’re working under pressure. AI tools can catch errors before they become problems. They can:

  • Flag placeholders or incomplete answers (e.g., “[Insert Plan Name Here]”).
  • Ensure consistency across responses, like using the same terminology throughout.
  • Double-check for missing attachments or required supporting documents.

By handling these quality checks automatically, AI helps your team avoid common pitfalls.

4. Accelerate Content Retrieval
Finding the right answers to ProposalTech questions can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. AI tools make this faster by:

  • Scanning your content library for the best-fit response, even if the wording in the question is slightly different.
  • Adapting stored answers to align with the specific language of the RFP.

For example, if a question about telehealth uses new terminology, AI can identify and adjust your existing response to match.

5. Help You Meet Deadlines Without the Stress
ProposalTech’s hard submission deadlines can cause unnecessary anxiety. AI tools reduce that stress by speeding up the entire process. With faster content retrieval, automated formatting, and pre-submission checks, you’ll have more time to focus on refining your proposal instead of racing against the clock.

Why AI Matters for ProposalTech Submissions
AI isn’t just about saving time—it’s about improving the quality and consistency of your work. By automating repetitive tasks and reducing errors, AI gives you more time to focus on what really matters: crafting strong, persuasive responses that win business.

Practical Use Cases of AI in ProposalTech Submissions

AI is already helping proposal teams solve real problems on ProposalTech and other RFP portals. By automating tedious tasks and optimizing workflows, AI tools can make your team faster, more accurate, and less stressed. Here are some practical examples of how AI can transform your ProposalTech submissions:

1. Handling Repeated Questions
Many ProposalTech RFPs ask the same questions over and over. AI tools can:

  • Automatically identify recurring questions.
  • Suggest pre-approved answers from your content library.
  • Insert those responses directly into ProposalTech fields, saving you hours of manual effort.

For example, if an RFP includes a section on HIPAA compliance, the AI can pull the most up-to-date response and apply it instantly. No need to search through old documents or reformat your answers.

2. Aligning Responses with Character Limits
ProposalTech enforces strict character limits, and fixing this manually is time-consuming. AI tools can:

  • Summarize long responses to fit within character limits while keeping the key details intact.
  • Reformat text to align with ProposalTech’s input fields, like converting paragraphs to bullet points or trimming unnecessary words.

This ensures your responses meet the platform’s requirements without last-minute rewriting.

3. Ensuring Completeness Before Submission
Incomplete responses are one of the easiest ways to lose points on an RFP. AI tools help by:

  • Scanning your responses for missing sections, placeholders, or incomplete information (e.g., “[Insert Plan Name Here]”).
  • Flagging required attachments or supporting documents that haven’t been uploaded.
  • Verifying that every question has been addressed.

This automated review acts as a second set of eyes, reducing the risk of errors slipping through.

4. Faster Content Searches
Manually searching for the right answer to a ProposalTech question can waste hours. AI tools can:

  • Scan your content library for the best-fit response based on the question’s context and keywords.
  • Adapt answers to match the language and requirements of the specific RFP.

For example, if the RFP asks about provider network access in a way that’s slightly different from previous RFPs, AI can still find and adjust a stored response to fit seamlessly.

5. Simplifying Multi-Part Questions
ProposalTech often includes complex, multi-part questions that require detailed answers. AI tools can:

  • Break these questions into smaller components.
  • Match each part of the question with relevant content from your library.
  • Generate a structured, complete response that addresses every requirement.

This reduces the risk of overlooking key details and helps evaluators quickly find the information they need.

Why These Use Cases Matter
These examples aren’t just hypothetical—they’re real solutions to everyday problems on ProposalTech. By automating repetitive work and streamlining complex tasks, AI gives your team more time to focus on crafting compelling proposals. To dive deeper on this topic, check out our library of RFP response examples

Steps to Implement AI-Driven ProposalTech Automation

Adopting AI-driven automation can feel overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be. By taking a step-by-step approach, you can integrate AI into your ProposalTech process without disrupting your team’s workflow. Here’s how to get started:

1. Build a Centralized, AI-Compatible Content Library
AI tools are only as effective as the content they have access to. Start by organizing your answers in a way that’s easy for AI to search and retrieve.

Steps to take:

  • Gather your most frequently used answers, especially for common topics like compliance, network details, and pricing.
  • Organize them by category and tag them with keywords (e.g., "HIPAA compliance," "telehealth").
  • Regularly update this library to ensure responses are accurate and current.

2. Choose the Right AI Tool for Your Team
Not all AI tools are created equal. Look for one that’s designed for proposal management and integrates seamlessly with your existing process.

What to consider:

  • Can it search your content library and match questions to relevant answers?
  • Does it optimize responses for ProposalTech’s formatting requirements?
  • Does it offer features like automated error-checking or multi-part question handling?

Tools like Fastbreak RFP are built specifically for teams responding to RFPs and can significantly speed up your workflow.

3. Train Your Team to Use the AI Effectively
Even the best AI tools won’t work if your team doesn’t know how to use them. Invest time in training to ensure everyone understands how the tool fits into your ProposalTech workflow.

Key training topics:

  • How to search the content library and apply AI-suggested responses.
  • How to review and fine-tune AI-generated answers for clarity and accuracy.
  • How to use automation features for tasks like formatting and error-checking.

4. Start Small and Scale Up
AI adoption doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Start by automating the simplest and most repetitive tasks, then expand as your team gets comfortable.

Where to start:

  • Automate answers to recurring questions, like compliance or company details.
  • Use AI to handle basic formatting tasks, like trimming responses to fit character limits.
  • Gradually introduce AI for more complex tasks, like multi-part questions or content adaptation.

This phased approach reduces the learning curve and minimizes disruption to your workflow.

5. Measure Your Results and Optimize
Once you’ve implemented AI, track its impact to ensure it’s delivering the results you want.

Metrics to monitor:

  • Time saved: How much faster are you completing RFPs?
  • Error reduction: Are you seeing fewer mistakes or omissions in your submissions?
  • Team adoption: Are team members consistently using the tool, and are they finding it helpful?

Use this data to fine-tune your process. For example, if certain features aren’t being used, consider additional training or adjustments to your workflow.

Why These Steps Work
By following these steps, you can integrate AI-driven automation into your ProposalTech process without overwhelming your team. You’ll see immediate benefits in time savings, improved accuracy, and reduced stress—all while setting your team up for long-term success.

The Benefits of AI-Driven Automation for ProposalTech

Integrating AI-driven automation into your ProposalTech workflow isn’t just about saving time—it’s about transforming how your team works. By automating repetitive tasks, improving accuracy, and reducing stress, AI tools help you focus on what matters: creating high-quality proposals that win business.

Here’s what your team stands to gain:

1. Significant Time Savings
Manual tasks like finding answers, reformatting responses, and fixing errors consume hours. AI tools drastically reduce that time.

  • Example: Instead of spending 10 minutes searching for and pasting an answer, AI retrieves and applies it instantly. Multiply that by hundreds of questions, and the time savings add up fast.
  • Result: Your team can handle more RFPs without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Improved Accuracy and Consistency
When you’re rushing to meet deadlines, mistakes are bound to happen. AI minimizes these risks by:

  • Ensuring consistent terminology across responses.
  • Flagging incomplete answers, placeholders, or missing attachments.
  • Reducing formatting errors, like character limits or alignment issues.

By eliminating these common mistakes, AI helps your proposals stand out for their professionalism and precision.

3. Faster Turnaround Times
With AI handling repetitive and time-consuming tasks, your team can respond to RFPs much faster. This speed is especially valuable for ProposalTech’s strict deadlines, giving you extra time to focus on refining your responses rather than scrambling to finish.

  • Impact: Faster submissions can also mean getting a competitive edge when deadlines are tight.

4. Reduced Team Stress
ProposalTech submissions often come with high-pressure deadlines, especially when the workload is heavy. AI reduces this stress by streamlining the process.

  • Teams spend less time on tedious work and more time on meaningful tasks, like tailoring responses to client needs.
  • Fewer last-minute errors mean a calmer, more confident submission process.

5. Better Focus on High-Value Activities
AI tools free up your team’s time to focus on areas where they can make the biggest impact:

  • Crafting persuasive, customized responses.
  • Strategizing how to stand out against competitors.
  • Building stronger relationships with stakeholders and SMEs.

Instead of getting bogged down by administrative tasks, your team can focus on winning more business.

6. Scalability for Growing Workloads
As your organization grows or the volume of RFPs increases, manual processes become unsustainable. AI makes it easier to scale.

  • Automating repetitive tasks ensures your team can handle more submissions without sacrificing quality.
  • It also reduces the need for additional headcount, saving time and resources.

Why This Matters
AI-driven automation isn’t just a convenience—it’s a competitive advantage. In today’s fast-paced RFP environment, the ability to respond quickly, accurately, and with confidence can make the difference between winning and losing a bid.

If your team is still relying on manual processes, it’s time to rethink how you work. Tools like Fastbreak RFP are designed to help you integrate AI into your ProposalTech workflow, giving you the speed and precision you need to succeed.

Ready to transform your process? Take the first step toward faster, smarter ProposalTech submissions with AI.

Conclusion: Work Smarter, Not Harder on ProposalTech

ProposalTech is a powerful platform, but it wasn’t built with proposal managers in mind. The manual, repetitive tasks it requires can drain your team’s time and energy, leaving little room to focus on what really matters: creating winning proposals.

AI-driven automation changes that. By streamlining workflows, eliminating errors, and speeding up submissions, AI tools help your team work smarter—not harder.

Let’s recap what AI can do for your ProposalTech process:

  1. Automate repetitive tasks like finding and inserting answers.
  2. Optimize formatting to meet ProposalTech’s requirements.
  3. Catch errors and incomplete responses before submission.
  4. Accelerate content searches and handle multi-part questions efficiently.
  5. Reduce stress and give your team time to focus on high-value activities.

The benefits go beyond saving time. AI tools like Fastbreak RFP allow your team to respond faster, with greater accuracy, and with less stress. When you’re managing tight deadlines and heavy workloads, this kind of efficiency can make all the difference.

What’s next?
If you’re still handling ProposalTech submissions manually, now’s the time to explore how AI can fit into your workflow. Start small—automate one or two steps—and scale up as your team becomes comfortable. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results.

Final Thought:
AI-driven automation isn’t just a tool; it’s a way to give your team a competitive edge. With the right approach, you can transform ProposalTech submissions from a tedious chore into a streamlined, winning process.

About the Author

Peter Bonney is a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Fastbreak. He has been helping organizations with their RFP challenges since 2016. Prior to that, in his role as an investment manger, he watched way to many companies get burned by poor RFP processes, and personally dealt with the pain of DDQs and other complex business questionnaires.