Ideas for a proposal database?

[James Conklin <James_Conklin -at- JJCONKLIN -dot- MB -dot- CA>]

I am looking for ways and means of setting up an on-line database of text
elements for complex IS proposals.  The database would be accessible to
proposal writers working on a network, and the text would be written and
formatted in Word for Windows (currently version 2, soon to be version 6).
At the moment we plan to use Word's File Find feature to search for the
text elements we require.  However, if anybody can suggest a more
effective Windows-based search and retrieve engine, I would love to hear
about it.

Here is a typical scenario that I am planning for.

We receive a complex RFP from the Canadian government on Monday, asking
for a proposal on a project valued at more than $1 million (in other
words, the proposal becomes an immediate company priority--and the
timelines in Canada are becoming this tight!).  We read the RFP, and we
realize that we have proposed on similar projects in the past.  We need to
locate the most similar proposals from a proposal database containing well
over 100 documents; we need to find a dozen or so project team resumes out
of approx 300 resumes; and we need to find at least 3 solid corporate
references out of a corporate reference database containing more than 100
project references.  I must assemble this information within the first 8
hours, so we have a solid starting point from which to develop a solution
and do our costing estimates.

At the moment, this company has no on-line access to past proposals, so
any improvement is going to help.

For now, Word's File Find might give us the functionality we need.  But is
there another product or approach that might add additional value to our
proposal database?

I leave it to you whether to respond to me directly or to the List.

Jamie Conklin
Winnipeg, Canada
James_Conklin -at- jjconklin -dot- mb -dot- ca