Clarity Aids Anthem with Urgent Request

Challenge

Anthem, the nation’s largest publicly traded managed healthcare company, was one of several companies responding to a request for proposal (RFP) from the state of Kansas. The RFP was long and detailed, and Anthem’s response had to be comprehensive, flawless, and on time. The company assembled an internal team of editors, project managers, and subject matter experts, and then approached Clarity Consultants for writing help that was “assertive, highly competent, independent, diligent, and experienced.”

Opportunity

Anthem’s proposal needed to meet a firm deadline, uphold the company’s reputation and competitiveness, and demonstrate the company’s irrefutable case for winning the contract. Clarity provided a consultant who understood the healthcare industry and Medicaid, was experienced with long-term consulting engagements in managed care and public health, and specialized in proposal development. The project required that the consultant balance original research with the strict constraints of the RFP’s guidelines for style and length.

Results

Work on the four-month project included periods of downtime when material was under review and, conversely, times when intensive effort was required. Almost all work was performed using email and teleconference. Under pressure to meet a demanding deadline, the consultant contributed more than the stated requirements of the contract, collaborating effectively and delivering quality work that supported Anthem’s effort. The consultant’s experience writing and managing similar documents enabled her to collaborate smoothly in a rapid but decentralized process where there was minimal access to managers and subject matter experts. Her level of experience meant that she required minimal supervision, so company resources could focus on coordinating the whole venture. The proposal was completed and submitted on time.

Clarity enabled the company to:

• Meet the RFP’s tight deadline.
• Free up resources to focus on the overall management of the project.

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