What Are Color Team Reviews in Proposal Development?

Color team reviews are a structured quality assurance process used in proposal development, where reviewers evaluate the proposal at different stages of completion. Each review stage is identified by a color name that indicates its purpose and the expected maturity of the proposal.

The most common color team reviews are: Blue Team (strategy and win themes), Pink Team (initial draft review for compliance and approach), Red Team (near-final review simulating the government's evaluation), and Gold Team (final review of production-ready proposal). Some organizations also include a White Glove review for final formatting and production checks.

Color team reviews are essential for producing winning proposals. They provide objective feedback, catch compliance gaps, strengthen win themes, and improve the overall quality of the response. The key to effective reviews is using experienced reviewers who simulate the government's evaluation process and providing actionable, specific feedback.