Dellenny explains how GitHub Copilot can streamline and supercharge the process of responding to RFPs, offering practical steps and Copilot prompt strategies for technical teams and developers.

How to Use GitHub Copilot to Write RFP Responses Faster

Responding to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) often means significant time spent on drafting, organizing, technical explanations, and formatting.

Dellenny’s guide shows how GitHub Copilot can serve as an AI-powered assistant, helping technical teams streamline every aspect of proposal writing. Here are the practical steps and suggestions from the article:

1. Understand RFP Requirements

  • Thoroughly read the RFP to extract deliverables, tech requirements, evaluation criteria, and deadlines.

  • Copilot Prompt:

    Summarize this RFP into key objectives, deliverables, and constraints.
  • Paste RFP text into comments or markdown; Copilot condenses it helpfully.

2. Create a Proposal Template

  • Start with a standardized structure in markdown, outlining executive summary, background, tech approach, etc.

  • Copilot Prompt:

    Generate a professional RFP response template in markdown format.

3. Draft Executive Summaries

  • Copilot can assist in writing persuasive summaries tailored to the project stack.

  • Prompt Example:

    Write an executive summary for a web application development proposal using React, Node.js, and AWS.

4. Describe Technical Approach

  • Include architecture, tools (such as Kubernetes, MongoDB), and best practices.

  • Prompt Example:

    Describe a technical approach for building a cloud-native microservices app with Kubernetes and MongoDB.

5. Build Project Timelines

  • Copilot can format multi-phase agile plans into tables.

  • Prompt Example:

    Create a 12-week project timeline for a software development lifecycle using Agile.

6. Auto-Generate Team Bios

  • Copilot can quickly draft bios for technical team members (e.g., full-stack developers, .NET, Azure experts).

  • Prompt Example:

    Write a short team member bio for a full-stack developer with 10 years of experience in .NET and Azure.

7. Prepare Budget Estimates

  • Use Copilot to create clear budget tables (roles, hours, rates, costs).

  • Prompt Example:

    Create a sample software project budget with roles, hours, rates, and total cost.

8. List Assumptions/Dependencies

  • Document key project assumptions and third-party dependencies.

  • Prompt Example:

    List key assumptions and external dependencies for a SaaS product development project.

9. Review and Polish

  • Copilot can rewrite paragraphs for clarity or more formal tone.

  • Prompt Example:

    Improve the clarity and tone of this section for a formal client proposal.

10. Bonus: Copilot Chat for Q&A

  • Ask direct questions (e.g., CI/CD explanations for clients, risk mitigation, KPI suggestions), and Copilot Chat will generate answers you can adapt.

Author: Dellenny

This comprehensive, stepwise workflow illustrates Copilot’s impact from pre-writing through final review, specifically in the context of technical proposals and RFPs. The article includes real prompt examples and points out that, while Copilot streamlines much of the process, final tailoring and review still require human expertise.

This post appeared first on “Dellenny’s Blog”. Read the entire article here