RTG Founder Danica Mason on Why Proposal Management Is the Gatekeeper to Opportunities in the AEC Industry

When a billion-dollar transportation project gets awarded, few think about the document that won it. Fewer still consider the team behind that proposal. According to Danica Mason, principal and founder of Red Team Go (RTG) and a 2024 ENR Northwest Top Young Professional, the proposal isn't just paperwork; it's the gateway to opportunity.

Mason has built a firm that does more than polish resumes and coordinate submittals. She's redefined the discipline of proposal management for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, especially for small and minority-owned businesses that typically don't have internal teams to handle the immense demands of competitive bidding.

"Yes, writing is hard, but the challenge starts long before the first word," Mason says. "There's research, pre-positioning, assembling the right team, none of which can happen after the RFP drops."

That reality is especially daunting for the small shops that dominate the subcontractor landscape in the AEC world. For many, proposal writing is a solo effort, with one person juggling management, content, and design. Mason warns that this 'one-person shop' model is inherently limited.

"There are three parts to a successful proposal: management, writing, and creativity," Mason explains. "Very few people are strong in all three. That's why we've built a team structure that lets each piece shine and that makes all the difference." RTG's approach is rooted in this very 'three-piece' methodology. Proposal management ensures structure and momentum, creative design makes the document compelling, and technical writing conveys the story. But what truly sets RTG apart, Mason emphasizes, is industry fluency.

"We're not just comms people who make things look pretty," she says. "We've worked in construction. We understand the terminology. We know how a job gets built and how to write and design around that." This insight allows RTG to go beyond surface-level storytelling. It can interpret project nuances, develop meaningful win themes, and help small businesses speak directly to what public clients value most: understanding, alignment, and clarity.

Mason's long-term impact lies not just in wins, but in who gets to win. She and her team have become a critical resource in helping small and disadvantaged businesses secure contracts they might never have otherwise reached. That work earned her the 2025 Build Community Impact Award, recognizing her commitment to equity through infrastructure.

While proposals remain RTG's bread and butter, Mason is clear-eyed about their volatility. "You can work on a proposal for two weeks or 18 months, and still not know when, or if, it's going to drop," she says. "That's why we're expanding. Our small business and civil rights work is just as impactful."

Still, Mason knows that proposals are where it begins. "You can't build the bridge if you don't win the bid," she says. "And no one's going to hand you the work if your proposal doesn't show them why you deserve it." And for the small firms she helps elevate, it's the first step toward building something bigger.