Where Proposal Challenges Show Up the Most
Even the best-run firms still come upon roadblocks during pursuit efforts. Let’s take a look at the most common ones that tend to impact AEC firm’s marketing performance and take up most of the time:
Your New Proposal Wingman: Real-World Copilot AI Use Cases for AEC Marketers
See how AEC firms are customizing Microsoft Copilot to simplify pursuit decisions, speed up content creation, and reduce proposal bottlenecks.
AEC marketing teams are managing a lot: multiple deadlines, complex RFPs, and growing expectations for personalization and storytelling. On the flip side, the technical staff are fielding more requests than ever, balancing billable work with proposal input that’s critical and time-consuming.
It’s a lot to execute. That’s where Microsoft Copilot comes in.
Copilot can support both marketing and technical teams by making proposal work faster, easier, and less dependent on last-minute scrambles. Let’s discuss how customer copilots that can be easily built in Microsoft’s Copilot Studio can increase efficiency, save time, and improve quality for the AEC marketers.
- 1
Unclear go/no-go decisions
Without easy access to project history, staff availability, or risk factors, pursuit decisions can feel rushed or inconsistent.
- 2
Heavy reliance on technical staff
Input from project managers and engineers is essential, but difficult to get when they’re balancing project delivery.
- 3
Time-consuming content assembly
Project sheets, resumes, and boilerplate language often live in different places and require manual reformatting and customization.
- 4
Hidden proposal risks
Legal, insurance, fee structures, or schedule requirements are often buried deep in documents and easy to miss under pressure.
Copilot in Action: Three Real-World Use Cases
Every AEC firm approaches the proposal process a little differently. Workflows vary, data lives in different places, and teams face their own unique mix of challenges. That’s why no two Copilots look exactly the same.
With Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio, you can create AI tools that reflect how your team actually works - whether you need help with pursuit decisions, content creation, or anything in between.
The examples below highlight just a few of the ways firms are putting Copilot to work.
Smarter Go/No-Go and Risk Decisions
Why It Matters:
Deciding which RFPs to pursue is one of the most strategic parts of the proposal process. Copilot gives marketers and leadership better visibility into past performance, staffing, and fit - so decisions can be faster and more fact-based.
What It Does:
Copilot reviews an RFP and compares it against your firm’s criteria, like past project experience, team availability, and requirements, etc.. It then provides a recommendation and identifies potential red flags like insurance thresholds or aggressive timelines.
Resume and Project Sheet Generation
Why It Matters:
Compiling resumes and project sheets is often repetitive, manual work. With Copilot, marketers can quickly filter for relevant experience and generate formatted content in minutes.
What It Does:
Using filters like project type, size, LEED certification, project manager, and much more Copilot searches your firm’s data and creates a branded document (in the format that works for you), complete with visuals, descriptions, and formatted details based on your template.
Drafting Technical Content That Doesn’t Start From Scratch
Why It Matters:
Getting timely input from technical staff can be a challenge. Copilot helps by generating a strong first draft using your firm’s information from past submission, project reports, or ERP so SMEs can focus on reviewing and refining instead of writing from scratch.
What It Does:
Copilot pulls from your existing project documentation, lessons learned, and internal notes to build a tailored project approach or methodology sections. It gives marketers and SMEs a starting point that’s already aligned with the firm’s voice and experience.
AI That Works the Way Your Team Works
Copilot is designed to support the way your team already works - just faster, more connected, and with fewer roadblocks. It helps marketing and technical staff focus on the parts of proposal development that need their insight by automating the tasks that don’t.
But Copilot’s value depends on one key thing: your data. Clean, well-organized data is what powers meaningful AI outputs.
When your firm’s data, from ERP and CRM through SharePoint and scattered files are connected and accessible, Copilot can surface insights, recommend content, and help you respond with confidence.
Want to know more? Read our blog Explore how a unified data platform sets the stage for better AI to learn why AEC firms need a unified data platform and how to get there.
Ready to Build a Copilot That Works Like Your Firm Does?
Every AEC firm has untapped value in its data, documents, and workflows. The question isn’t if AI can help, but where it should start.
During this 30-Minute QuickStart Assessment with our experts will:
- Talk through your proposal process and explore where Copilot can save time and reduce friction
- Considerations regarding data and security
- Industry-specific cloud services
- Introduction to Copilot POC to get your firm started with your first custom Copilot
This isn’t about deploying another tool. It’s about building a smarter, faster way to run your business, with AI that works the way you do.
Discover More About Copilot, Data, and Business Technology for AEC
Ready to talk?
Contact us to request your 30-Minute Copilot QuickStart call or with any questions that you may have