Also include any support staff you will need to put the proposal together. If so, contact them and get their commitment. Figuring out early on who you want to work on the proposal increases the chances that they will be there when you need them. The key player in a proposal project is the proposal manager . The PM should have authority to make decisions about who will serve on the proposal project.
Most projects have kick-off meetings to make sure everyone's playing to the same tune.
In the meeting you hand out the schedule, give proposal assignments, talk about your proposed approach. Your plan does not have to be complex. For short proposals, it means sitting down for an hour or so to figure out who needs to be involved and what the timeline will be. More complicated proposals, of course, require more planning, but it will pay off in the end. Like key people not being there when you need them because you never checked to see if they were available.