APMP Foundational Exam 2026
Questions and Answers
During the opportunity planning phase before kick off meeting - Answer -When
should the first draft of the executive summary be written?
Opportunity/Capture Manager or salesperson who has an established relationship
with the customer - Answer -Who is typically responsible for writing the executive
summary?
The customer's nontechnical, senior-level decisionmakers - Answer -Who should
the executive summary be aimed towards?
The highest level person possible - Answer -Who typically reviews/approves the
executive summary draft?
Process for analyzing competitor and customer data to identify how to package and
price a winning offer to a customer - Answer -Price-to-Win
Early in the opportunity stage - Answer -When should the price to win process
begin?
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Independent, comprehensive competitive analysis research - Answer -What is price
to win based on?
Total range of expenses the offeror expects to spend to deliver the requirements -
Answer -Price to win cost
Monetary payment for the offeror to deliver the requirements - Answer -Price to
win price
Custom built spreadsheets - Answer -What are the most useful tools for price to
win analyses?
Uses customer's historical award and budget information to predict where they will
likely make awards and where competitors tend to receive them - Answer -Top-
down analysis
Develops pricing based on detailed evaluations of the competitor solution's cost
and identified strategies - Answer -Bottom-up analysis
Early in the opportunity process before the RFP is released - Answer -When should
top-down analyses be conducted?
As soon as final customer requirements and evaluation processes are known;
refined further once final RFP is released - Answer -When should bottom-up
analyses be conducted?
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,People, especially those in your own organization - Answer -What are the best
intelligence sources for obtaining customer intelligence in the PTW process?
It helps establish what your competitors' bid and actual award prices would be
based on prior similar contracts - Answer -Why is competitive analysis vital to
determining a PTW range?
- Your historical cost data
- Your competitive position
- Your pricing differentiators
- Your internal risk (top 2 or 3 areas) - Answer -What information should be
researched for consideration in the PTW?
Value to the customer--the benefits customers will gain for the price they pay -
Answer -What should pricing be focused on?
Remove nonessential features that add to the cost without adding equal value -
Answer -How should pricing be written in the PTW for budget-limited customers?
Compliance = meeting requirements stated in the solicitation
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, Responsiveness = addressing customer goals/concerns/issues/values not addressed
in the solicitation - Answer -Compliance vs Responsiveness
Prior to RFP release, early in the business development process and continually
through - Answer -When should you begin collecting customer intelligence to
cultivate responsiveness?
They identify where in a proposal you have addressed the solicitation requirements
- Answer -Why are response matrices important to submit with a proposal?
Customer benefits before solution features; features are only effective if they offer
a true benefit to the customer - Answer -Does an effective proposal present
customer benefits before solution features or solution features before customer
benefits?
Sales/opportunity planning - Answer -What part of the proposal process does
customer and competitive intelligence gathering take place?
The sales/opportunity planning team - Answer -Who is responsible for gathering
customer and competitive intelligence?
In the cover letter or first-page introduction - Answer -Where should the executive
summary go if customer instructions do not allow for one?
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
Questions and Answers
During the opportunity planning phase before kick off meeting - Answer -When
should the first draft of the executive summary be written?
Opportunity/Capture Manager or salesperson who has an established relationship
with the customer - Answer -Who is typically responsible for writing the executive
summary?
The customer's nontechnical, senior-level decisionmakers - Answer -Who should
the executive summary be aimed towards?
The highest level person possible - Answer -Who typically reviews/approves the
executive summary draft?
Process for analyzing competitor and customer data to identify how to package and
price a winning offer to a customer - Answer -Price-to-Win
Early in the opportunity stage - Answer -When should the price to win process
begin?
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Independent, comprehensive competitive analysis research - Answer -What is price
to win based on?
Total range of expenses the offeror expects to spend to deliver the requirements -
Answer -Price to win cost
Monetary payment for the offeror to deliver the requirements - Answer -Price to
win price
Custom built spreadsheets - Answer -What are the most useful tools for price to
win analyses?
Uses customer's historical award and budget information to predict where they will
likely make awards and where competitors tend to receive them - Answer -Top-
down analysis
Develops pricing based on detailed evaluations of the competitor solution's cost
and identified strategies - Answer -Bottom-up analysis
Early in the opportunity process before the RFP is released - Answer -When should
top-down analyses be conducted?
As soon as final customer requirements and evaluation processes are known;
refined further once final RFP is released - Answer -When should bottom-up
analyses be conducted?
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,People, especially those in your own organization - Answer -What are the best
intelligence sources for obtaining customer intelligence in the PTW process?
It helps establish what your competitors' bid and actual award prices would be
based on prior similar contracts - Answer -Why is competitive analysis vital to
determining a PTW range?
- Your historical cost data
- Your competitive position
- Your pricing differentiators
- Your internal risk (top 2 or 3 areas) - Answer -What information should be
researched for consideration in the PTW?
Value to the customer--the benefits customers will gain for the price they pay -
Answer -What should pricing be focused on?
Remove nonessential features that add to the cost without adding equal value -
Answer -How should pricing be written in the PTW for budget-limited customers?
Compliance = meeting requirements stated in the solicitation
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, Responsiveness = addressing customer goals/concerns/issues/values not addressed
in the solicitation - Answer -Compliance vs Responsiveness
Prior to RFP release, early in the business development process and continually
through - Answer -When should you begin collecting customer intelligence to
cultivate responsiveness?
They identify where in a proposal you have addressed the solicitation requirements
- Answer -Why are response matrices important to submit with a proposal?
Customer benefits before solution features; features are only effective if they offer
a true benefit to the customer - Answer -Does an effective proposal present
customer benefits before solution features or solution features before customer
benefits?
Sales/opportunity planning - Answer -What part of the proposal process does
customer and competitive intelligence gathering take place?
The sales/opportunity planning team - Answer -Who is responsible for gathering
customer and competitive intelligence?
In the cover letter or first-page introduction - Answer -Where should the executive
summary go if customer instructions do not allow for one?
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
