RFP FOMO: An Open Letter to AEC Firm Leaders
Sponsored Content From Prairie Engineers, P.C.
FOMO is the Fear Of Missing Out. Young people often make poor decisions based on this basic psychological defense mechanism. The anxiety of missing out on a fun time or being left out of a big event is so great that young people will lose sleep and miss important commitments. However, I am not writing to teenagers or young adults; I am writing to mature AEC firm leaders.
It is time to take a look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. You may be suffering from FOMO! Your undisciplined project chasing is likely causing great angst among your staff and costing your firm hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Despite the cost, time, and effort involved in responding to RFP’s, many firms routinely chase projects they have little chance of winning. Why? FOMO, delusional optimism, and a lack of strategic discipline.
The Go/No Go Dilemma
Most AEC firms have some form of a go/no go (GNG) process—a checklist or scoring system designed to evaluate whether a project is worth pursuing. But having a process is not the same as honoring it. Leaders admit it; you often override the system. You game the system or do not take the time to answer honestly. Sometimes, you bypass it altogether. Ask yourself, “Why?”
Many times, you are driven by FOMO! The project looks prestigious or high-profile, and you don’t want to be left out. The anxiety you feel thinking about how much you would love this project is too much, and you cave. You don’t stay disciplined or strategic, considering all the factors necessary to be competitive.
Hope is not a strategy! You convince yourself that if you can just get to the shortlist, you can “sell” your way into contention. Even when the deciding factors are against you, your drive to win and overestimation of your qualifications cause you to trust in false hope.
What you call “gut instincts” is a convenient cop-out to get your way! What staff wants to argue with the seasoned Principal who says his “gut instincts” tell him we can win? How do you even argue against “gut instincts?” Admit it; this is your trump card, and you play it unfairly.
Pipeline anxiety causes many poor GO decisions! You look at the backlog and think it’s too thin, so you ignore the GNG system, justifying it by saying “we need the work.” At this point, you start chasing anything that moves like a hungry caveman.
Be honest! Ask yourself if you have fallen into making poor GO decisions due to FOMO, false hope, gut instincts, or pipeline anxiety. You know these are not justifiable reasons to pursue a project, but it’s easy to fall prey to them.
Stop Ignoring What Actually Wins Work
Ironically, the same leaders who override GNG criteria often ignore the very factors that consistently lead to wins. Multiple research studies demonstrate that there are key factors that must be met to be competitive.
- Deltek’s Clarity Report 2025
- Unanet’s Whitepaper: Developing Meaningful Win Probability Values in AEC Firms
- 9th Annual QorusDocs Proposal Management Benchmark Survey
- OpenAsset’s State of Proposals in AEC Marketing
A review of the research demonstrates that the following are consistent factors that must be met to be competitive.
Client relationships: Firms with strong, trusted relationships win more often. Yet, many proposals are submitted cold. You may ask, “How do we win a project from a client with whom we have never worked?” “What do we do to bring in new clients?” Great questions! You build a relationship BEFORE you compete. This is where prospective business development works. Spend time qualifying a prospect and allow them to qualify you. Wait and let the prospect ask you directly to respond to an RFP. Once you’ve been personally and directly invited to respond, you have a client relationship.
Relevant experience: Clients want proof you’ve done similar work successfully. Stop trying to stretch your qualifications to fit. This is a strong temptation for existing clients who enjoy working with you. The client likes you and wants to work with you. But you know you do not align well with the RFP qualifications. Rather than trying to “make it fit,” either team with a firm with the relevant experience or offer to help the client by declining to respond, but offer referrals. If you do what is in the client’s best interest, they will appreciate and trust you even more!
Local presence and knowledge: Proximity and familiarity with local conditions matter, but firms still chase distant opportunities. This is especially true for state and local public projects. If the state agency says they will give in-state firms preference, they mean it. Stop trying to compete as an out-of-state firm. If the municipality says they prefer firms who know and understand their specs, local laws, permitting processes, etc., then stop wasting your time if you do not have this qualification. By the way, the only way to know these things is by having a conversation with the prospective client. These are rarely published in an RFP. When they are, it usually shows up as a point value for “proximity and familiarity.”
Team chemistry and trust: Clients choose teams they believe will collaborate well and deliver. How does a client gauge collaboration and trust? These are intangible things that are very difficult to demonstrate in a proposal. This goes back to the client relationship. The client rarely, if ever, takes a leap of faith with hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars. This is where competitive intelligence must be a part of your decision. Evaluate your competitors and understand if the same two or three firms keep getting all the projects; it is most likely because they own the client’s trust. Pause and decide. Are you willing to keep wasting your staff’s time and energy on losing proposals, or is it time to redirect that time and energy into researching a different prospect?
The Real Differentiators
So, what truly sets winning firms apart? Here are the biggest differentiators:
- Pre-positioning. Firms that engage clients long before the RFP drops—through thought leadership, informal conversations, and strategic networking—are far more likely to win. Think client relationships, chemistry, and trust.
- Client-centric proposals. Winning proposals speak directly to the client’s pain points, goals, and values—not just the firm’s qualifications. The only way to know pain points, goals, and values is by KNOWING the client!
- Strategic teaming. Smart partnerships with local firms, specialists, or DBEs can tip the scales in competitive pursuits. Collaboration is not just about the client; it’s also about teaming with other firms, even competitors, to do what is in the client’s best interest.
- Clear value proposition. Firms that articulate why they are the best fit—beyond resumes and project sheets—stand out. Resumes and project sheets are table stakes. They are what is required to even play the game. Winning takes strategy and patience. “You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.”
- Disciplined pursuit strategy. Ironically, when you learn to say “no” more often, you tend to win more. Focus your energy on pursuits where you have a real shot. Think about a football team who keeps throwing “Hail Mary’s” every few plays. Those are high-risk, low-reward plays. Teams that win have a game plan, a strategy, and can read the environment to adjust and stay competitive.
Conclusion: Discipline Is a Competitive Advantage
Establishing and honoring a go/no go process isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about strategy. Firms that pursue fewer, better-aligned opportunities tend to win more, waste less, and build stronger reputations. The challenge is cultural: shifting from reactive chasing to proactive positioning. As an AEC leader, take charge of your firm’s culture now. When proposal teams lose more than they win, they burn out in discouragement and defeat. They will only stick around on a losing team for so long before they decide to find and go play for a winning team.
