In This Week's Newsletter:

• BPC Nashville Post-Event Recap: More Than Just a Conference! A time to reconnect, reflect and learn.

• Photo Gallery: See our favorite moments from BPC Nashville

• Tech Companies Evaluation Survey: Take the Tech Companies Evaluation Survey

BPC Nashville had the Entire Hinz Team Saying Yeehaw!

Last week, APMP wrapped up BPC Nashville – the entirely sold out and largest to date conference they’ve ever hosted. Were you one of the 1342 attendees?! If not, no worries, this Special Edition of the Hinz Sight Newsletter is here to give you the most important highlights.

80+ Sessions  7 Educational Tracks 1,300+ Attendees 35+ Exhibitors

Hinz Contribution: 3 Sessions, Exhibitor, 8 Attendees and one Foundation Certification!

With speakers from Denver to Seoul, Scotland to Singapore, APMP brought us global best practices in Proposal Functionality and Strategic Leadership. Of course there was at least one AI session in every speaker’s time block, but this year the fear that we are all about to be replaced by ‘AI Overlords’ was gone. AI is a tool for Proposals, not a replacement for it.

What people were saying:

• Look to Q4 2025 for sleepless nights in your Proposal Team… some believe Q3 may be the big uptick and are getting their vacation in, now.

• People are seeing bridge contracts or dramatic shifts in timing for RFP release as customers cope with actual, or potential, DOGE impact.

• Winning more for less is paramount with increased competition, lower budgets, and less investment due to reduced stock prices (15%-30% since Nov for gov’t contractors). This includes more support for typically ‘underserved’ bids.

• Companies are reducing full-time headcount

• Smart leaders now understand that BD and Proposal teams need help leveraging AI tools effectively and that AI tools won’t replace BD People.

• Folks are moving away from DIY GenAI solutions, they are too costly and unfocused.

• Finally: “My, my… how APMP BPC has grown!”

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Day 1 - Certification Day

• This year marked a milestone as APMP delivered the new V4 Foundation Certification exam for the very first time at BPC. 

•  Our very own, Kit Conway, passed and received certification!

• APMP HQ Board met to discuss and develop the exciting global strategic initiatives for the future of APMP.

• The First Timers event went off without a hitch, boasting connection and icebreakers, hosted by Sarah Miranda, Julia Duke, and Rachel Thompson

Day 2 Kicked Off With a Fascinating Keynote Speaker

Princess Sarah Culberson of Sierra Leone took us on a journey from princess to humanitarian, highlighting 3 core insights to carry into both our personal and professional lives:

• Purpose - Build a community and culture

• Storytelling - Embrace who you are (and how that makes you special)

• Resilience - Overcome your fears to access your dreams

Hinz Consulting’s Sarah Miranda and John Amoriello hosted a speaking session focused on capture. One key takeaway from the event was the acknowledgement of “how many hats people currently wear” in most pipeline processes.

We ended the day with the TARA – an evening filled with Dolly, Willy, guitar pics, shrimp-n-grits, and a karaoke party that brought down the house. 

Day 3 - A Bittersweet Morning as we Wished a Fond Farewell to Rick Harris

APMP CEO, Rick Harris received his “heavy-weight champion” belt as we congratulated him on his retirement. This celebration honored his outstanding legacy and the lasting impact he’s made on the industry. Thank you, Rick, for your years of dedication to the proposal profession, and the APMP community at large — APMP is now a giant industry-wide association. Congratulations on your retirement!

• We then moved into breakout sessions, 4 of which covered how communication across multiple generations can be leveraged for a strong team with various perspectives. If this is something your team is currently addressing, key takeaways included:

  • Intentionally built multigenerational proposal teams are innovative and adaptable when lead to be cohesive in thought

  •  Building awareness and empathy to bridge generational gaps will support team collaboration

• Hinz Consulting’s Katie Clatterbuck and Josh Thiel hosted a speaking session on AI Tool Evaluation, discussing methodology with attendees to enhance team skills rather than disrupt workflow.

• There were multiple breakout sessions on Price To Win, including Hinz Consulting’s Tom Hudgins and Dan Marsh, discussing how to find opportunity among competitor weakness and amid external threats.

• We wrapped Day 3 with a Happy Hour in the Exhibitor Hall, where our team spoke with incredible proposal professionals while sharing a drink (and a huge cowboy hat).

Day 4 - The Final Countdown

On the final day of the conference, APMP brought back member-driven IGNITE sessions – 5 minute pitches on how your career path led you to proposals. Some of the main takeaways from those sessions were:

• Always say yes to an opportunity if you have the time, even if you feel under-qualified

• If you don’t have growth opportunities in your company, make them for yourself

• Always track your data to best advocate for your advancement

• It’s more than okay, it’s actually imperative, to take breaks and give yourself grace along the way

The closing ceremony is always bittersweet, but the end of BPC has exciting giveaways! Cash, speakers, a bar of gold, and airpods were all raffled off to lucky winners who stayed until the end.

Thanks to all who signed up for the newsletter at our booth – our winners were:

• Diana Holden from the UK

•  Ali Hollis from CO

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Tech Companies Evaluation Survey

Contact Josh: [email protected]

Hinz is preparing a Proposal Industry 2025 Technology Report, due out in September. Input from this group of experts is critical, so we have created a survey to collect the "Wisdom of the Group." Please contribute to the survey and you will receive a free copy of the Report!

• June 24-27th: Government Fleet Expo & Conference in Charlotte, NC

• August 18th: Premier Navy Procurement Expo in San Diego, CA

• August 25th: National Homeland Security Conference in DC

About Hinz Consulting

Hinz Consulting provides services across the full business development cycle:

• Proposal Consulting

• AI Services

• Strategic Pricing

• Training

• Capture

• Competitive Intelligence

• BD Transformation Consulting

• Process/Methodology Consulting

• Tools and Templates

• Production Services

• Small Business