Writing Proposals with AI: Key Considerations for Businesses

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a valuable tool for businesses writing proposals for government and corporate contracts. From accelerating the drafting process to enhancing compliance checks, AI has the potential to save time, improve quality, and increase your win rate. However, using AI in proposal writing requires careful planning and discernment.

Here are five key considerations to keep in mind when integrating AI into your proposal development process:

1. AI is a Support Tool, Not a Strategy

AI can help streamline tasks such as summarizing RFPs, generating boilerplate content, or checking for errors, but it cannot replace your core proposal strategy. Your ability to align with buyer requirements, craft a compelling value proposition, and differentiate your business remains extremely important. AI should support your thinking, not do the thinking for you. So when using AI for proposal writing, consider using it to draft first versions or gather ideas, but rely on human expertise to refine, validate, and finalize.

2. Understand the Limitations of AI-Generated Content

AI tools like ChatGPT and other proposal platforms can generate high-quality text, but they lack the contextual judgment of a seasoned proposal writer. AI doesn’t inherently understand your past performance, pricing rationale, or nuanced differentiators unless you provide that information. Sometimes when using AI, you risk proposals that sound generic or disconnected from your actual capabilities. Try supplementing AI outputs with real business intelligence like case studies, metrics, customer feedback, and customized approaches.

3. Protect Confidential and Proprietary Information

Uploading confidential information such as cost models, strategic plans, or client data into third-party systems may put your business at risk of exposure. Use offline or secure AI tools whenever possible, and never share sensitive information without understanding how the data will be used, stored, or trained upon.

4. Train Your AI Tools on Business-Specific Content

Some platforms allow you to upload past proposals, templates, and corporate language guidelines. This helps the AI generate content that better reflects your voice, tone, and technical expertise. You can develop a curated knowledge base of winning responses, compliance checklists, and standard language to train your AI tools. This creates consistency and efficiency while maintaining your brand integrity.

5. Quality Assurance Still Matters

Even with AI assistance, proposal quality control remains non-negotiable. Final drafts should still be reviewed by your proposal development team for alignment with solicitation requirements, narrative flow, grammar, and formatting. Using AI is great for error detection and structure suggestions, but it's highly recommended to conduct a manual review to ensure your proposal is responsive, compelling, and compliant.

In My Opinion

AI will not replace proposal professionals, but it will change how they work. There are still a number of nuances in the procurement process that keeps proposal professionals needed and relevant when developing a winning contract strategy. The businesses that win more contracts in the future will be those that combine AI tools with clear strategy, strong operations, and expert oversight.

At Aventi, we help businesses navigate the every-changing government and corporate contracting process. For resources to win your next contract opportunity, visit www.aventienterprises.com.