Somen C.

OVERVIEW I support organisations in developing clear, compliant, and well-structured proposals for RFPs, RFQs, and business opportunities across government, enterprise, and non-profit sectors. With over 35 years of experience in business development and proposal writing, I have worked across a wide range of industries across private and public sectors. In my experience, proposals often fall short not because of capability, but because they are difficult to evaluate. My focus is on structuring responses so that evaluators can clearly understand, assess, and score them. I am currently expanding my practice into intellectual property paralegal support, specifically trademark classification, trademark search and registrability analysis, and IP documentation, targeting US and UK markets. This transition is a natural extension of my proposal work - many of my clients operate in technology and innovation sectors where IP documentation, trademark clearance, and registrability analysis are recurring needs. WHAT I CAN SUPPORT YOU WITH • End-to-end RFP/RFQ response development • Proposal structuring, writing, and editing • Executive summaries and technical narratives • Compliance review and submission readiness • Proposal formatting and visual structuring (Canva, Word, PowerPoint) • Building reusable proposal content and response libraries • IP paralegal support, including, trademark searches, classification, and registrability analysis (developing) MY APPROACH I follow a structured workflow that covers the full proposal lifecycle: 1. Opportunity Review & Planning 2. Response Development 3. Finalisation & Submission 4. Post-Submission Support RELEVANT EXPERIENCE • Supported proposal development for Intelligent Transit System providers (including CAD/AVL solutions), contributing to multiple contract wins typically in the $5M–$8M range across North America, Europe, and Australia • Developed RFP responses and business proposals for SaaS and IT staffing companies, supporting projects in the $1M–$5M range with multi-year engagements • Conducted FOIA-based research and competitive analysis for a major US transportation provider, enabling stronger bid positioning and opportunity tracking • Worked with clients across the US, UK, Canada, the Middle East, Australia and Africa, including government agencies, private enterprises, and development-funded projects (World Bank, ADB, and UN-affiliated organisations) SKILLS & STRENGTHS • Strong proposal writing and structuring capability • Ability to simplify complex technical concepts • Clear, concise, and evaluable writing style • Attention to detail and compliance alignment • Experience working with cross-functional teams • Ability to manage multiple deadlines and submissions TOOLS & WORKING STYLE • Comfortable working with distributed teams across time zones • Use of AI tools (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude etc.) to support research and drafting, with full manual review for accuracy and compliance • Canva Pro for visual proposals, process flows, and presentation-ready documents • Flexible availability depending on project timelines EDUCATION • MBA (Business Operations) • Bachelor’s Degree in Economics • Post Graduate Honors Diploma in Systems Management • Paralegal Associate Diploma — Intellectual Property and US Law (in progress, expected completion 2027) IP PARALEGAL SUPPORT (Developing Practice) Currently building a paralegal practice focused on intellectual property — trademark and patent support for US and UK markets. Capabilities include trademark classification, USPTO availability searches, registrability analysis, opinion letter drafting, and IP rights identification. Available for supervised engagements, pro bono work, or light-touch support for attorneys and IP professionals. Pursuing a 12-month Paralegal Associate Diploma alongside my proposal writing practice. The longer-term goal is to offer integrated support, combining proposal development with IP documentation and trademark research, for technology, SaaS, and innovation-focused clients seeking a single point of contact for business development and IP needs. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT (via extended team, if required) • IT Project / Program Management (Agile / Waterfall) • Software, Web, and App Development • API and Cloud Services • UI/UX Design • Digital Marketing • Training and Support WORK SAMPLES Due to the confidential nature of proposal work, samples are not readily shareable. However, I am open to a short test assignment for long-term engagements. For IP paralegal work, assignment samples from my diploma programme are available on request. I focus on making proposals easier to evaluate, not just better written. This helps improve consistency across submissions and supports stronger outcomes over time.