In Aerospace & Defense, a bid can range from simple quotes of spare parts to full lifecycle bids for new aircraft programs that might cost billions of dollars. And it is not just size that varies, bids will also range from pure engineering programs to manufacturing to services, and many times a combination of them. Furthermore, bids in A&D tend to have a high degree of complexity with very large BOM structures and programs that might last for many years. The ability to build a robust cost model that you can deliver against given the size, variability, and complexity is a challenge. 

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In addition, if you are a defense contractors, the government will enforce strict rules around estimating, such as DFAR 252.215-7002 and TINA. This means you need to capture basis of estimates (BOEs) with estimating justifications and full traceability to original source documents to ensure compliance. Other countries have different regulations, but fundamentally the objective is the same, which is to ensure traceability and justification around cost estimates. 

 

Finally, A&D is also subject to an ever-accelerating pace of doing business, and your ability to be one step ahead will set you apart from your competition. Customers are expecting proposals in faster and your sales team needs the ability to put together a robust proposals faster than ever before.