Use Microsoft Copilot in Word to Rewrite and Edit Proposal Sections

What This Does

Microsoft Copilot built into Word can rewrite proposal sections for voice consistency, summarize long SME contributions, shorten over-limit content, and check for passive voice — directly inside the document you're already working in.

Before You Start

• You have Microsoft Word (desktop app, version 365)
• Your organization has Microsoft Copilot enabled (check with IT — requires M365 Copilot license)
• You have a draft proposal section open that needs editing

Steps

1. Open Your Proposal Document in Word

Open the .docx file you're working in. Navigate to the section that needs voice editing or shortening.

2. Select the Text You Want to Edit

Highlight the SME-written paragraph or section that needs rewriting. You can select anywhere from a single paragraph to multiple pages.

3. Open Copilot in Word

Look for the Copilot icon in the Word toolbar — it's typically in the "Home" ribbon, labeled with the Copilot logo (colorful sparkle symbol). Click it.

Alternatively: Go to the Home ribbon → click "Copilot" → the Copilot sidebar opens on the right.

What you should see: A Copilot panel opens on the right side. At the top there's a text input box and below it some suggested actions.

Troubleshooting: If Copilot isn't visible, your organization may not have the M365 Copilot add-on. In that case, copy the section into chatgpt.com or claude.ai and paste back.

4. Ask Copilot to Rewrite for Proposal Voice

In the Copilot text box, type a specific instruction. Examples:

• "Rewrite the selected text in active voice, benefit-focused, removing technical jargon. Target reader is a DoD program officer."
• "Shorten the selected text to 200 words without losing key technical points."
• "Rewrite this section to explicitly tie each capability to the evaluation criteria: Technical Approach, Management Approach, Past Performance."

Click the arrow (send) button.

What you should see: Copilot generates a rewritten version in the panel. You can see the proposed change before accepting it.

5. Accept, Regenerate, or Refine

You have three options:

• Accept: Click "Insert" or "Replace" to insert the rewritten text into your document
• Regenerate: Click the refresh button to get a different version
• Refine: Type a follow-up instruction ("make it shorter" or "use more specific language about cloud migration")

6. Track Changes Integration

When Copilot makes edits, Word can show them as tracked changes — useful for proposals where changes need to be reviewed before accepting. Check your Track Changes settings before accepting Copilot edits.

Real Example

Scenario: A software engineer wrote a 450-word section about your team's agile methodology. It's technically accurate but reads like internal documentation, not a proposal. You're over the page limit.

What you type in Copilot: "Rewrite the selected text in a government proposal voice: active voice, benefit-focused, no internal jargon. Reduce to 250 words. Target reader: a DoD program officer evaluating Technical Approach. Keep all specific methodology points but frame them as benefits to the government customer."

What you get: A 250-word version in professional proposal language that preserves the technical substance while framing every point as a customer benefit — ready to paste back into the proposal.

Tips

• Use the Word Copilot for in-document editing; use Claude or ChatGPT for larger analytical tasks (compliance matrix extraction, debrief analysis) where you need to paste full documents
• "Shorten to X words" is one of the most useful commands — it handles page count reduction without the painful manual cutting
• If Copilot isn't available, the exact same prompts work if you copy the text into chatgpt.com and paste back

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.