Atlantica Seven, Inc. is a mid‑sized management advisory firm specializing in energy optimization for manufacturing, light industrial operations, and IT infrastructure. Each year, the company prepares 15–20 competitive proposals in response to solicitations and invitations to bid. Their proposal work is led by Janelle Perez, a seasoned Proposal Director who manages a three‑person core team and supplements capacity with contract writers and editors during peak cycles.
As Atlantica Seven expanded into new market niches, the proposal environment changed dramatically. Familiar content that once worked well no longer aligned with the expectations of new buyers. At the same time, turnover among technical staff—retirements, promotions, and resignations—introduced new voices, new writing styles, and inconsistent inputs. These shifts created a widening gap between what evaluators were asking for and what SMEs were providing.
Janelle saw a pattern emerging across multiple proposals. Technical SMEs were submitting content that emphasized accomplishments, internal milestones, and organizational growth. While impressive, this material read more like a generic capability statement than a tailored response to the customer’s specific needs.
The proposal team struggled to reshape these inputs into responsive, compelling narratives. SMEs grew frustrated that evaluators didn’t “see” the value of their work. The proposal team grew frustrated that inputs required extensive rewriting. The result was:
Atlantica Seven needed a way to realign SME contributions with the structure, tone, and specificity required for competitive proposals.
Janelle introduced Relevant Match Online (RMO) to bring clarity, structure, and objectivity to the proposal development process. RMO’s thematic analysis and responsiveness scoring became the bridge between SMEs and the proposal team.
On the very next proposal, RMO delivered immediate value. Janelle used the platform’s thematic analysis to show SMEs exactly what evaluators were prioritizing. Instead of debating interpretation, the team could see the solicitation’s themes, expectations, and required emphasis areas in plain language. This shifted the conversation from “What should we write?” to “How do we address these themes clearly and directly?”
The impact was immediate:
SMEs understood the buyer’s expectations
Inputs became more targeted and relevant
Rewrites dropped by 50%
Collaboration improved across the board
For the first time, SMEs could see how their expertise connected to evaluator priorities—and how to express that connection effectively.
Over the next six months, Atlantica Seven saw significant operational improvements:
40% reduction in time to Red Team review Early alignment meant fewer structural issues and faster drafting.
20% reduction in time from Red Team to White Team release. Cleaner inputs reduced late‑stage editing and integration work.
10% reduction in contracted writer/editor costs Higher‑quality first drafts required fewer external hours.
Higher SME engagement and satisfaction SMEs felt empowered rather than corrected.
These gains allowed Atlantica Seven to respond to more opportunities without increasing staff or sacrificing quality.
Today, Atlantica Seven uses Relevant Match Online for all proposal development. The platform has become a core part of their proposal process, enabling them to:
Strengthen proposal responsiveness
Reduce compliance and alignment risk
Maintain consistency despite SME turnover
Support expansion into new market niches
By aligning SME input with evaluator expectations, RMO helped Atlantica Seven modernize their proposal operations and improve win probability—while reducing time, cost, and friction across the entire proposal lifecycle.
Relevant Match – How it works to improve your proposals