Proposal decks
The most deadline-sensitive deliverable. Proposals determine whether the firm wins new engagements. A late proposal costs the consultancy a client.
Client Snapshot
Client A leading global life sciences strategy consultancySector Life sciences strategy - pharma, biotech, market accessEngagement type RetainerDuration 3 months (ongoing)Volume 300+ slides per month / 40+ decks deliveredTurnaround 20 slides in 8 hours - delivered before client opens their inboxKey result 80% of Principal consultant time saved on deck designEngagement start Won via competitive RFP
The Client
Our client is a globally recognised life sciences strategy consultancy operating across multiple continents, advising pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on competitive strategy, pre-launch positioning, market access, and pipeline prioritisation.
Their consulting teams are built from PhD scientists, MDs, and MBAs with deep therapeutic area expertise. Their value to clients is that expertise. The last thing that expertise should be directed at is formatting a 20-slide proposal deck.
In accordance with our NDA, the client is not named in this case study. All engagement details reflect A1 Slides' internal project records.
The Problem - A Design Vendor That Was Costing Them Business
Before A1 Slides, this consultancy had an existing design vendor. On the surface it appeared to be working. In practice it was creating a problem no life sciences consultancy can afford: missed deadlines on client-facing deliverables.
The trigger point was a pitch that failed to land on time. A proposal deck - the document that determines whether a consultancy wins or loses a new engagement - was not delivered by the vendor when the client needed it. In a competitive pitch environment, a late proposal is effectively no proposal.
The problem was structural, not incidental. The previous vendor did not understand the pace at which life sciences strategy work moves. A pharma client evaluating a pre-launch strategy for a novel oncology asset does not operate on a two-day design turnaround. They operate on an overnight model. The vendor could not deliver that. And with every delay, Principal-level consultants were being pulled back into PowerPoint to compensate.
The Formatting Tax in practice: a Principal Consultant at a firm of this calibre implies a billable equivalent of £90-£125 per hour. When that Principal spends four hours finishing a proposal deck the vendor failed to deliver, the consultancy has absorbed £360-£500 in misallocated capacity - on a single engagement.
The consultancy went to RFP. A1 Slides won it.
The Solution - A Retainer Built Around Their Workflow
A1 Slides was appointed on a monthly retainer following a competitive RFP. The brief: absorb the design production layer entirely, on an overnight model, across five deck types - without any loss of scientific rigour or brand consistency.
The five deck types A1 Slides produces for this client:
Credentials decks
The consultancy's calling card, presenting therapeutic area depth, team expertise, and track record to prospective clients.
Facilitation decks
Working session materials for client advisory boards, strategic workshops, and cross-functional alignment sessions.
Workshop outputs
Post-session synthesis materials produced from workshop notes and facilitation findings. Time-critical - clients expect structured summaries within 24-48 hours.
Final client outputs
The full strategic deliverable: competitive landscape analyses, market access frameworks, launch readiness decks. These define the consultancy's reputation with each client they serve.
The data density challenge: this client's work is characterised by high data density and the requirement for absolute uniformity across slides. A competitive landscape matrix covering 12 oncology assets across six evaluation dimensions must be visually consistent across every row and column. Inconsistency in data-dense decks undermines the credibility of the analysis itself.
The Overnight Model - 20 Slides in 8 Hours
The consultancy's teams close their office at end of business. They send A1 Slides the brief - structured content, data inputs, brand guidelines - at close of business. When those consultants open their inboxes the following morning, the formatted deck is already there.
20 slides. 8 hours. Single POD.
A1 Slides produces 20 formatted, data-dense, brand-compliant slides within an 8-hour overnight window through a single dedicated POD team assigned to this client account.
The single POD model is deliberate - not a rotating pool of designers picking up briefs cold. A consistent team with accumulated institutional knowledge of this client's brand standards, data conventions, and therapeutic area context. Over three months and 40+ decks, that accumulated context reduces briefing overhead and improves output quality on every engagement.
The result: Principal consultants arrive at their desks to a formatted deck in their inbox. They review, mark any changes, and the revision is returned the same morning. The cycle that previously consumed four to six hours of Principal time now consumes thirty minutes of review time - and zero hours of formatting time.
The High-Stakes Engagement - Pre-Launch Oncology Strategy
Among the 40+ decks delivered in the first three months, one engagement illustrates the level at which A1 Slides operates.
The project was a pre-launch strategy engagement for a novel oncology asset in a highly competitive therapeutic area - helping the pharmaceutical client navigate a crowded competitive landscape to define positioning against a specific prior-treatment patient population.
The final output deck needed to:
- Present clinical evidence for multiple competitor assets accurately and immediately legibly to a pharmaceutical executive audience
- Structure the competitive positioning argument in a visual framework that made the differentiation case without overstating it
- Maintain data density and analytical rigour throughout
- Be delivered overnight so Principals could review and present to the pharmaceutical client on schedule
A1 Slides delivered within the overnight window. Data visualisation built to publication standard. Competitive landscape matrix presented across the correct evaluation dimensions. Positioning framework structured to support the consultancy's strategic argument without editorialising on the data.
The Results - What Changed in Three Months
80% reduction in Principal time spent on deck design.
Principal consultants were routinely pulled into formatting before A1 Slides. After A1 Slides, formatting is not a Principal activity.
40+ decks delivered. Zero missed deadlines.
The trigger that brought A1 Slides into the RFP - a missed proposal deadline - has not recurred.
300+ slides per month.
Sustained overnight production velocity the previous vendor could not match on its best days.
Relationship expanded to the US team.
Within three months, the consultancy's US team was introduced to A1 Slides and began sharing projects - a signal of institutional confidence that goes beyond individual satisfaction.
Consistent email feedback confirming turnaround.
Across 40+ engagements, every email feedback loop confirms the same outcome: the deck arrived on time, formatted to standard, ready for review.
Could This Model Work for Your Consultancy?
If your life sciences strategy consultancy has any of the following:
- Principals spending more than two hours per week on deck formatting
- A design vendor missing turnaround windows or requiring extensive revision cycles
- Inconsistent brand standards across deck types or geographies
- A high-stakes pitch deadline your current production model cannot reliably meet
- A US or international team expansion outgrowing your existing design capacity
The overnight retainer model A1 Slides built for this client is directly applicable to your operation.
See how we work across the full Medical Affairs and life sciences communication spectrum: medical affairs presentation design.
Or try it first - send us three of your most complex slides and we return them formatted overnight at no cost: the 3-Slide Challenge.
FAQ
A1 Slides operates as an overnight visual engineering partner for life sciences strategy consultancies — absorbing proposal decks, credentials, facilitation materials, workshop outputs, and final client deliverables on a fixed monthly retainer. Consultancy teams submit briefs at close of business; formatted decks are delivered to their inbox before they arrive the following morning.
A1 Slides delivers 20 formatted, data-dense, brand-compliant slides within an 8-hour overnight window through a dedicated single POD team. For higher volume requirements, expanded POD capacity is available on request.
Yes. Every A1 Slides retainer engagement begins with NDA execution before any materials are shared. Client identities, strategic deliverable content, competitive intelligence, and pipeline information are held in ring-fenced project environments and never shared across clients.
A1 Slides produces proposal decks, credentials decks, facilitation materials, workshop output summaries, and full strategic client deliverables — including competitive landscape analyses, market access frameworks, pre-launch strategy decks, and pipeline prioritisation outputs.
Based on A1 Slides retainer engagement data, the overnight production model delivered an 80% reduction in Principal consultant time spent on deck design — returning that capacity to billable strategic and client advisory work.
Your Principals should be winning clients. Not formatting slides.
Test the overnight production model, book a retainer conversation, or send us the brief directly.
All client details presented in accordance with a mutual NDA. The client has not been named. Engagement data reflects A1 Slides internal project records across the first three months of the retainer relationship.
