captureplan

Captureplan is a formal strategic plan used by organizations to pursue and win a specific business opportunity, especially in government, defense, and other high-value procurements. It documents how the organization will differentiate its offer, develop customer insight, marshal resources, and manage risk throughout the pursuit. A capture plan typically remains active for the duration of the opportunity and is updated as new information becomes available.

A capture plan outlines the opportunity context, customer needs, decision-making structure, and competitive landscape. It includes the win themes or differentiators, baseline capability gaps to be addressed, teaming and partner strategies, and a cost or price-to-win approach. It also details the proposed solution, a plan for customer engagement and intelligence gathering, a communications plan, proposal strategy, and a schedule of reviews and milestones. Risk management, compliance considerations, and required approvals are integrated into the document.

The capture process is led by a capture manager or equivalent role and involves a cross-functional team from sales, engineering, finance, legal, and program management. Typical stages include qualification, opportunity shaping, partner and customer relationship development, solution development, and bid or proposal preparation, followed by a go/no-go decision and submission.

In practice, a capture plan helps synchronize pursuit activities, identify resources, and improve win probability. It differs from a project plan in that its primary objective is to win the opportunity, not merely to deliver a project once contracted.