L-2 Time and Cost
for ATP Proposal Preparation
The Survey of ATP
Applicants 2002 collected information on the amount of time
and cost companies expended to prepare a proposal for the Advanced
Technology Program (ATP). The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) tries
to make the proposal process easy for companies.
Respondents
indicated
a)
The total number of staff hours used in preparing
their ATP proposal
b) The total cost to their company in preparing the proposal
c) Whether they prefer to submit proposals in a single stage
that combines technical and business plans or in multiple
stages.
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Companies
applying for an ATP award devote varying levels of resources
to proposal preparation
- The
median ATP applicant devoted 200 staff hours to its
ATP proposal. The total company cost of preparing
an ATP proposal for the median applicant was $12,500.
- Figure
1 shows the distribution of total staff hours devoted
to ATP proposal preparation. About three-quarters
of all applicants devoted less than 240 hours of
staff time to their proposal. The 2002 applicants
devoted less staff time, on average, to preparing
their proposals than did the year 2000 applicants
(for whom two-thirds devoted less than 240 hours).
- Figure
2 shows the distribution of cost to companies in
preparing their ATP proposal. About three-quarters
of all applicants spent less than $20,000. The 2002
applicants spent less money, on average, than did
the year 2000 applicants (for whom two-thirds spent
less than $20,000).
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Figure 1. Total
Staff Hours Used in Preparing ATP Proposal
Figure 2. Total
Cost of Preparing ATP Proposal
Time and cost for
ATP proposal preparation differs by applicant type
Joint
Venture Companies and Single Companies
- Joint Venture lead
companies devoted the largest amount of staff time to proposal preparation,
followed by single companies. Joint Venture partner companies spent
less time.
- Among Joint Venture
lead companies, the median amount of staff time was 280 hours. Among
single companies, the median was 200 hours, while for Joint Venture
partner companies the median was 120 hours (see Table 1).
- Joint Venture lead
companies experienced higher total costs in preparing an ATP proposal,
relative to Joint Venture partner companies and single companies.
- The median cost
for Joint Venture lead companies was $35,000. For Joint Venture
partner companies and single companies, the cost was $12,500
(see Table 1).
Large Companies
and Small Companies
- Large companies devoted
more resources than Small companies to ATP proposal preparation.
- Comparing total
cost, the median for Large/Medium companies was $17,500, and
for Small companies it was $12,500 (see Table 1).
Awardees and Nonawardees
- ATP Awardees devoted
more effort to preparing proposals than Nonawardees.
- Comparing total
cost of proposal preparation, the median cost for Awardees was
$17,500, compared to $12,500 for Nonawardees (see Table 1).
TABLE 1. Total
Staff Hours and Cost in Preparing ATP Proposal, by Applicant Type)
| |
JOINT
VENTURE
LEAD
COMPANIES |
JOINT
VENTURE
PARTNER
COMPANIES |
SINGLE
COMPANIES |
LARGE/
MEDIUM
COMPANIES |
SMALL
COMPANIES |
AWARDEES |
NONAWARDEES |
| Total
Staff Hours |
| 75th Percentile |
440 |
200 |
280 |
280 |
280 |
360 |
200 |
| Median |
280 |
120 |
200 |
200 |
200 |
200 |
200 |
| 25th Percentile |
200 |
60 |
120 |
120 |
120 |
120 |
120 |
| Total
Cost |
| 75th Percentile |
$62,500 |
$17,500 |
$25,000 |
$35,000 |
$25,000 |
$35,000 |
$17,500 |
| Median |
$35,000 |
$12,500 |
$12,500 |
$17,500 |
$12,500 |
$17,500 |
$12,500 |
| 25th Percentile |
$12,500 |
$7,500 |
$7,500 |
$7,500 |
$7,500 |
$7,500 |
$7,500 |
Applicants prefer
a proposal submission process consisting of multiple stages, rather
than a single stage
- Overall, applicants
prefer multiple stages in the proposal submission process. Two-thirds
of Awardees and one-half of Nonawardees prefer multiple stages (see
Figure 3).
- About one-fifth of
the applicants reported having no preference regarding the number
of stages.
- However, one-third
of Nonawardees reported a preference for a single stage in the proposal
submission process, while only one-tenth of Awardees said that they
prefer a single stage process.
Figure 3 - Preferred
Submission Process for Awardees and Nonawardees
Companies seeking to partner
with the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) submit proposals to the ATP.
Proposals must be for the development of innovative technologies that
could not obtain private funding due to the high technical risk and that
have the potential to produce widespread benefits to the economy and
society. Proposals are evaluated for technical and economic merit in
a rigorous competitive review process.
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Portfolio.
Date created: July 22,
2005
Last updated:
September 7, 2005
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