TArticles tagged with: government RFP

L versus M – Where do I start?

Using section M as the basis of your proposal could result in a non-compliant bid

I’ve noticed a trend with some companies to use section M of the government solicitation document as the basis for their proposal structure. While I understand the desire to make it easy for the evaluators to score your proposal, this could result in a non-compliant bid. Organize your bid or proposal according to the customer’s instructions. A compliant proposal meets the customer’s requirements and submittal instructions. U.S. federal bid requests issued under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15 must comply with detailed instructions on how the bid request and bid response are to be structured. Requirements for the structure of the proposal are provided in section L. Evaluation factors for the award are provided in section M. Evaluators often review proposals in two passes. The first pass is a compliance review to section L. This review may be performed by the CO and if the proposal is not rigorously compliant, … Continue reading L versus M – Where do I start? →

30 must-have data elements for proposal past performance templates

Over the years, I’ve developed a proposal past performance contents template that combines requested past performance write-up contents from hundreds of government requests for proposals (RFP). Here are the items I typically include in a master past performance write-up – which can then be cut down and tailored as needed. Contract name Project name Customer name Standard industrial code Task/delivery order number (if applicable) Task period of performance (if applicable) Classified/non-classified Contracted contract value Actual contract value (and explanation of any variance) Contracted task value (if applicable) Actual task value (and explanation of any variance) (if applicable) Award fee (if applicable) Subcontractor(s) names and contact information (if applicable) Percentage of work performed by subcontractor(s) (if applicable) Total contract labor hours Total task labor hours (if applicable) Program manager (if applicable) Project manager (if applicable) Key staff names (if applicable) Last date used as past performance reference and/or questionnaire completed Software … Continue reading 30 must-have data elements for proposal past performance templates →

13 must-have data elements for proposal resume templates

Over the years, I’ve developed a proposal resume contents template that combines requested resume contents from hundreds of government requests for proposals (RFP). Here are the items I typically include in a master resume – which can then be cut down and tailored as needed. Full name Education (degree, major, school) Years of related experience (e.g., software development, project management – whatever the employee’s core skills include) Security clearance (with pertinent details) Professional experience (title, company, location, dates position held) Position description (with pertinent details) Certifications (with pertinent details) Publications (with pertinent details) Professional associations (with pertinent details) Continuing education (with pertinent details) Awards (with pertinent details) Software/hardware experience (with pertinent details) Any other categories relevant to your industry/niche marketplace Additionally, I always format the master resumes using MS Word styles for tailoring quickly to RFP specifications. I also set up a regular schedule (typically once to twice a year) … Continue reading 13 must-have data elements for proposal resume templates →