01. What is a Red Team?

A Red Team reads a draft proposal the way the customer would, using the evaluation criteria and scoring. They are not there to tidy phrasing or adjust the layout. Their job is to step into the evaluator’s position and ask, “Would this actually score well if I were marking it?”

This gives you distance and objectivity. They point out the gaps, the thin evidence, and the benefits that are not landing. That one or two percent improvement? That’s often the difference between second place and signing the contract.

02. The Cost of Poor Reviews

Most people are flat-out busy. Red reviews get squeezed between meetings. The result is feedback that feels vague or hurried, often drifting toward typos rather than scoring.

• Feedback that’s more opinion than evidence-based.
• Reviewers playing it safe: “it looks fine to me.”
• Comment on grammar instead of completeness.
• No alignment to evaluation criteria.

A well-run red review brings structure, consistency and clarity. It’s built to support the bid team, not hinder them.

03. Empathy for Evaluators

Evaluators aren’t robots. They’re tired. They’re under pressure. The last thing they want is to sift through a wall of text. They want clear answers, fast.

To combat this, your red team needs to:

• ATFQ: Make sure the full question has been answered.
• Spot buried messages: Bring them to the surface.
• Check structure: Ensure it follows the marking scheme.
• Flag internal-speak: Ensure you aren't talking to yourself.

04. Best Practices

High-performing teams treat red reviews as part of the bid’s rhythm. Not a finale. A good red review:

• Happens when the draft is ~80% done.
• Scores against the customer’s actual criteria.
• Involves reviewers who are detached from writing.

05. Why Stratify?

We’ve worked with top-tier teams across defence, tech, infrastructure and more. Our style is Straightforward (no jargon), Supportive (we help, not burden), and Scalable.

Because in bidding, nobody remembers who came second.