How AI and Copilot transformed proposal development

At MNP Digital, we believe in leading by example. When it comes to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), we’re not just advising clients — we’re living it. The journey of our Proposal Team showcases the transformative power of AI integration, highlighting how strategic data organization, early adoption of Microsoft Copilot, and a commitment to continuous learning can fundamentally reshape how business gets done.

Before embracing AI, the Proposal Team faced familiar hurdles common to growing organizations: siloed information, content management challenges, and time-consuming manual proposal development. Documents were scattered across hard drives, personal folders, and on-premises servers, making collaboration cumbersome and slowing down knowledge sharing.

As the firm continued to grow, a natural complexity emerged. Different groups often engaged with the same client without full visibility into each other’s work — creating internal disconnects and making it harder to present a seamless client experience.

The team recognized that without a strong data foundation, AI would be of limited value. Success would depend not only on technology, but also on fostering a culture of change management and continuous learning.

To truly transform proposal development, they needed to rethink how information was stored, accessed, and used.

The journey began in the first quarter of 2023, when the team started experimenting with ChatGPT. Collaborative training sessions and knowledge sharing, helped team members get comfortable with prompt engineering, content drafting, and creative problem-solving using AI.

Anticipating the arrival of Microsoft Copilot, the Proposal Team began reorganizing their Microsoft Teams and SharePoint structure. They created private account teams with dedicated channels for each opportunity, linking them directly to Dynamics 365 Sales records to enable Copilot in all business application environments. This structure gave proposal managers immediate access to business development documents, while built-in security through Microsoft’s Zero Trust framework protected sensitive client information.

By aligning their data structure with best practices for Copilot readiness, the Proposal Team positioned themselves for success. When Copilot became available, they were selected as part of the firm-wide proof of concept, using their well-organized data environment to fully explore Copilot’s capabilities.

Their early adoption efforts paid off quickly. Once again learning collaboration, like the How I Used Copilot Today knowledge-sharing discussions, quickly got the team onboard with how Copilot could change how they approached their work. By the first quarter of 2024, the team submitted its first request for proposal (RFP) response where Copilot was used to generate more than 80 percent of an initial draft — a milestone that demonstrated how AI can accelerate proposal development when paired with thoughtful human review and oversight.

The structured data in Teams/SharePoint enabled the team to also embrace new tools like Microsoft SharePoint Copilot Agents. Within 48 hours of agents becoming available in January 2025, the Proposal Team had developed agents to organize resumes and qualifications, streamlining another critical part of the proposal process. Throughout it all, the team maintained a relentless focus on quality: reinforcing the importance of human review, ensuring AI-generated content met client needs, and adapting processes as tools and capabilities evolved. And all of this continues today.

The transformation in workflow and productivity has been remarkable. While it’s difficult to directly link AI adoption to specific outcomes like win rates, the team has seen measurable improvements that speak to the impact of their efforts. Highlights include:  

• Efficiency gains: Proposal productivity more than doubled, increasing from 16 to 47 proposals per resource annually — and it continues to grow.
• First-draft acceleration: Copilot now develops RFP first drafts using customer documentation, saving hours on templating and content creation.
• Collaboration improvements: Summaries, strategy discussions, and win themes are now captured automatically during kick-off and review meetings using Copilot, ensuring alignment across teams.
• Knowledge transparency: Centralized Teams and SharePoint structures surface relevant documents across practice areas, giving anyone working on an account a complete picture of MNP Digital’s engagements.
• Cost savings: Transitioning from a third-party document management system to Copilot-enabled SharePoint saved nearly $60,000 annually, with those funds reinvested into Copilot licences to expand access across the firm.

Even with strong results, the team understands that AI cannot replace the human touch. Proposal managers and subject matter experts review Copilot drafts carefully to ensure content truly reflects client sentiment, business needs, and brand standards. Managing user expectations has been critical, with ongoing encouragement to stay engaged with AI tools even when they evolve rapidly.

If there’s one thing our journey has taught us, it’s that success with AI requires ongoing learning and adaptation. Advances in Copilot and other Microsoft tools occur at an unprecedented pace, and staying ahead demands a proactive mindset.

Perhaps most significantly, MNP’s Digital’s Proposal Team has helped pioneer a national standard. Following a demonstration at the National Proposal Summit of 2025, teams across the entire firm are now adopting this framework — proof that when AI integration is done right, it creates a ripple effect far beyond the initial team and a lasting impact.