Without a doubt, we have all felt the rise in temperatures this past summer. From the drought in Texas to the record breaking humidity on the east coast, these past few months have been pretty brutal. More and more countries have been making additional efforts and pledges to reduce carbon emissions and more people have been stepping up personally, whether it’s investing in the super trendy 100% cotton reusable tote bags for grocery shopping or buying electric vehicles. For those who have historically been on the fence about climate change, these changes could be what many doubters need to jump the fence. The hot topic of climate change and becoming more sustainable is something that is not going away anytime soon.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
On August 12, 2022, the House passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a huge win for climate activists everywhere. The bill’s budget is a whopping $369 billion dollars. That’s right, billion with a capital B. Most of that budget will be allocated towards the manufacturing of cleaner and greener technologies to make homes and buildings much more energy efficient and also includes incentives for electric vehicles. Several billion are dedicated to promote drought resiliency in the western part of the country where droughts hit the hardest. The bill also aims to reduce inflation, which has been plaguing the nation’s economy for quite some months now. Members of our team believe this could also lead to an increase in RFPs due to some companies and institutions feeling more confident in finally moving forward with projects that have been delayed.
More Money, More Spending
So, what does this mean for us as proposal professionals? Well, the government just shelled out a huge budget. This could mean that a tidal wave of RFPs are about to hit the street, especially for those within the AEC, energy consulting, manufacturing, and environmental sector. Even for those not directly given government dollars or incentives towards these greener and cleaner energy projects, the President has just created a precedent for America to try to hit its commitment in the Paris Climate Accord. More and more companies, organizations, universities, hotels, and much more are going to follow suit in combating climate change.
How to Get Your Foot in the Door
If your company isn’t in the AEC, manufacturing, or other industries that directly provide services related to energy conservation and carbon reduction technology, this could also be good news for you. Your company can still get your foot in the door by looking at your messaging from a different perspective or creating new messaging around this opportunity. As one example, do you offer web design services? Great! Create a service that specifically targets helping companies create a landing page that promotes ways they can reduce their carbon footprint.
Another thing to consider is adopting a formal Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policy and developing your own ways of measuring your company’s carbon footprint and instilling best practices for your employees to reduce carbon emissions. This is becoming more and more of a requirement that companies are looking for when going through proposals. Not only that but this will also help attract more people to your company, especially if you are hiring for several roles. More and more employees are looking for companies with public and formal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and ESG policies. Not only will you win more business by being able to present these to potential clients but you will also attract and retain human talent.
Take Action Now
The worst thing you can do is sit back and wait to see the RFPs that will come out from this bill. The best thing you can do is get together with your Marketing, Sales, and Proposal team to brainstorm ideas and begin to proactively develop content that addresses climate change. For those already in sectors that will be directly impacted by this, be sure to use this time to revisit your content and ensure that your team has the tools and resources necessary to respond to these RFPs with your latest and greatest messaging.
As always we are here to help!
