The verdict in three sentences
For an engineering consultancy submitting more than 60 bids a year, an AI assistant for drafting technical proposals frees up the equivalent of one bid engineer. The 2026 budget sits between EUR 15,000 and 40,000 excl. VAT, depending on the size of the reference library, integration with your tools and the level of data confidentiality required. The AI produces a first draft in 2 hours, but human review remains mandatory: that is what wins the contract.
Why the technical proposal weighs so much
In a public design or engineering contract, technical value often counts for 50 to 70% of the final score. The technical proposal is therefore no formality. Yet much of its content is recurring: company presentation, methodology, staffing, similar references, quality and environmental approach. Engineers spend days finding the right CV, the right 2023 reference and adapting paragraphs already written ten times.
For a Paris consultancy answering 120 tenders a year, at 4 days per proposal on average, that is 480 working days, more than two full-time equivalents.
| Proposal step | Manual time | With AI assistant | Human role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis of tender documents and rules | 4 h | 30 min | Validate criteria and documents |
| Company presentation and resources | 4 h | 15 min | Occasional update |
| Selecting similar references | 6 h | 20 min | Final choice of 5 references |
| Selecting and adapting CVs | 4 h | 20 min | Check availability |
| Project-specific methodology | 10 h | 2 h generation and 4 h rework | Technical expertise, added value |
| Layout and final review | 4 h | 2 h | Quality control |
| Total | about 32 h (4 days) | about 9 h |
What a custom AI assistant contains
A serious tool rests on an indexed document base: your past winning proposals, reference sheets, up-to-date CVs, certifications, attestations. A semantic search engine retrieves relevant content for each new tender, then a language model drafts a first version structured according to the tender's award criteria. The user stays in control in an editor, with source citations for every generated paragraph.
Confidentiality is central: your prices, methods and CVs are sensitive data. You need EU hosting, APIs that do not reuse your data for training, and team-level access rights.
| Scope | Content | 2026 budget (estimate) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Indexing of 50 proposals and references, section-by-section drafting | EUR 15,000 to 20,000 excl. VAT | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Standard | Automatic tender analysis, CV base, Word export to template | EUR 22,000 to 30,000 excl. VAT | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Advanced | Dedicated EU hosting, per-office rights, win-rate tracking | EUR 32,000 to 40,000 excl. VAT | 12 to 16 weeks |
| AI API costs | Language model, by volume | EUR 100 to 400 excl. VAT per month | ongoing |
| Hosting and maintenance | EU server, updates | EUR 300 to 800 excl. VAT per month | ongoing |
| Team training | 2 hands-on sessions | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 excl. VAT | 1 week |
Measuring what matters: the win rate
Time saved is easy to measure, but the decisive indicator is the win rate. A good assistant records each bid, its technical score when the buyer shares it, and the outcome. After 6 months, you know which references and wording perform. Consultancies that track this indicator typically gain 2 to 5 points of win rate, because the freed-up time is reinvested in project-specific methodology.
Beware of drift: a generic proposal is quickly spotted and scores poorly. AI should speed up the recurring parts, not replace technical thinking.
Mini case study
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Sophie, sales director of an HVAC engineering consultancy in Paris, answers 120 tenders a year. At 32 hours per proposal and EUR 65 loaded hourly cost, each bid costs about EUR 2,080, or EUR 249,600 a year. With a standard assistant at EUR 27,000 excl. VAT and EUR 900 monthly fees (EUR 10,800 a year), time drops to 9 hours, i.e. EUR 585 per proposal and EUR 70,200 a year. The gross saving reaches EUR 179,400, minus EUR 37,800 of first-year costs: EUR 141,600 of capacity freed. If two extra contracts are won thanks to better methodologies, at EUR 60,000 in fees each, the commercial effect exceeds even the saving.
FAQ
Can AI answer a tender on its own?
No, and that would be risky. AI produces a first draft in about 2 hours, but the specific methodology and commitments must be reviewed by an engineer, which still represents 30% of the original time.
Does our data stay confidential?
Yes if the architecture is well designed: EU hosting, APIs with no reuse for training and team-level access rights. This security level is included in scopes from EUR 22,000 excl. VAT.
How many proposals do we need to start?
Around thirty recent winning proposals are enough for a useful first result. Beyond 100 indexed documents, the relevance of suggested references improves markedly.
Do public buyers detect AI-generated text?
They mostly detect generic text, which scores poorly. A proposal built on your real references and reworked by your engineers stands out, whatever the tool used.
What return on investment can we expect?
For 60 bids a year or more, payback usually takes 3 to 6 months. Below 30 bids a year, a core scope at EUR 15,000 excl. VAT remains the most sensible choice.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your annual bid volume and current tools: we will scope a fitting assistant, between EUR 15,000 and 40,000 excl. VAT, with a pilot on your next three tenders. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
