Insights Blog

Best Practices for a Task Order Proposal Factory

A number of best practices will enable success in responding to rapid turnaround TO RFPs.

The trend in Federal procurement is to award more and more work through task orders on multiple award contract (MAC) vehicles. MAC contracts go by many names: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contracts (single award or multiple award) GSA Schedules (sometimes referred to as Multiple Award Schedules and Federal Supply Schedules) Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) MAC contracts are generally awarded based on qualifications, experience, and merit. Bidders are evaluated for past performance, quality certifications (CMMI, ISO, etc.), corporate experience, security clearances, and internal systems such as cost accounting, estimating, and purchasing. Once the MAC awards are made, specific project work is issued and funded through individual task orders (TOs). Different contract vehicles use different terms for these requests: task order request (TOR), request for task order proposal (RTOP), request for task execution plan (RTEP), task order request for proposal (TO RFP), etc. When a TO RFP is issued, the … Continue reading Best Practices for a Task Order Proposal Factory →

A Way to Help Project Managers and SMEs Write Better Proposals

Many struggle to contribute responsive and compelling proposal content.

Project managers and SMEs are the backbone of many organizations. They have a combination of technical knowledge and communication skills that effectively feeds needed information to customers, bosses, and subordinates. You would think that such people would be great proposal writers, but many of them struggle to contribute responsive and compelling proposal content. Even those who are champion report writers or study leaders can have problems developing great proposal content. Why is this? Let’s look at the job of a project manager. She is charged with delivering some sort of product or service. Regularly, she must explain the objectives and approaches being taken to deliver that product/service. She is providing information about progress and obstacles, and making recommendations to upper management, customers, even subordinates about courses of action to address the issues and challenges of the moment. Most of her communication is about informing people about aspects the project—about the … Continue reading A Way to Help Project Managers and SMEs Write Better Proposals →

How to review your proposal to move beyond ‘Acceptable’

At a minimum, proposals must be compliant and responsive.

This article was originally published on May 1, 2020 on WashingtonTechnology.com We all know that, at a minimum, proposals must be compliant and responsive. If a proposal meets this minimum bar, the evaluator is likely to award it an Acceptable rating. But what if, despite several rounds of color team reviews, the proposal barely meets this mark? A Mediocre Proposal We can assume that an Acceptable proposal will not win in a federal government competitive best value trade-off, unless other bidders also submit Acceptable proposals, and price is the determining factor. Under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), government evaluators must make an award based on benefits offered by the proposer. Those benefits may include features of the proposed offering with proven benefits, or a low price, or some combination of the two. Still, unless the win strategy is based on a low bid, the goal of our color team reviews … Continue reading How to review your proposal to move beyond ‘Acceptable’ →

Business Performance During a Disease Outbreak

A relevant research study for working safely in the midst of an outbreak.

The novel coronavirus is causing a pandemic of COVID-19 infections. There is no debate on this fact. The pandemic is dramatic and terrifying – we have widespread illness and death not only across the United States, but across the globe. The numbers are staggering and increasing. We have changed our behaviors in the face of this crisis. We readily take on steps that only a few weeks or months earlier would have been seen as difficult or onerous; we wash our hands (endlessly, it seems), we resist touching others and objects others have touched, and we self-isolate to stay safe and healthy. We long to return to “normal.” We not only want to interact with others, but we want – and need – to return to work. The economy demands it, and we personally hope for it. But how do we do this and stay safe and healthy? How can … Continue reading Business Performance During a Disease Outbreak →