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The world’s most annoying sign

8/8/2008

3 Comments

 
Posted by Jon
I’ve been working recently in an office that displays a notice prominently in the restrooms, stating:
Please leave these toilets as you would wish to find them.
Every time I go in, I wish I’d remembered to bring a pot of paint, some nice fluffy towels and a bottle of Molton Brown handwash.

So, I wondered: what’s the equivalent irritating phrase in the world of proposals? For me, it has to be the RFP instruction that runs something like:
Please submit 4 (four) copies of your proposal.
​‘Cos I didn’t realise that “4″ meant “four”, you know… Procurement folk so often seem to get hide behind pseudo-legalese, thinking it makes them sound clever – when in fact it merely serves to underline how little training they have in developing effective RFPs that entice their prospective vendors to submit the best possible proposals.
3 Comments
Jonathan H.
3/26/2016 03:26:38 am

I worked on an RFP earlier this year and the solicitor requested that we “submit six (3) paper copies.” I sent six (6) just to be safe….

Reply
Lesa C
3/26/2016 03:26:48 am

Jonathan – that is hilarious! : )

Reply
Jon
3/26/2016 03:27:28 am

I’m just imagining the pricing section of Jonathan’s proposal:

“That’ll cost $5,000 (three million)”

Wonderful anecdote – thanks!

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    BJ Lownie and Jon Williams are the co-founders of Strategic Proposals.

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