TArticles tagged with: RFP

Five tips to help evaluators find key words (and winning content)

Increasingly, government evaluators rely on automation to help them efficiently review proposals

Federal Government source selection officials are very likely to review your bid electronically rather than in hard copy. Telework is here to stay, and federal proposal evaluators working from home are unlikely to print thousands of pages from multiple bids. Even in the office, printing large documents is wasteful and not environmentally friendly. In addition, over-worked government evaluators look for ways to speed the evaluation process. Increasingly, government evaluators rely on automation to help them efficiently review proposals. Whether the Source Selection Evaluation Board (SSEB) members are using acquisition software to check compliance and document findings or simply the search and find features of MS Word or Adobe Acrobat, they must be able to find content quickly and easily. An important part of planning before you write is identifying important key words for automated content searches. Using key words is not the same as parroting back RFP requirements. It is … Continue reading Five tips to help evaluators find key words (and winning content) →

Polaris Pre-Award Protest: The New Normal for MACs?

Almost as soon as the RFP was released, the first pre-award protest quickly followed

The General Services Administration (GSA) issued the final Multiple Award Contract (MAC) RFPs for the Polaris women-owned Small Business (WOSB) and Small Business (SB) pools on March 25. This much anticipated information technology (IT) solicitation is the replacement for the Alliant 2 Small Business solicitation ($15 billion ceiling) which never made it to the final RFP. The Polaris government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC) will eventually include four different pools: SB, WOSB, historically underutilized business (HUB) zones as well as service disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), replacing VETS 2. While 8(a) firms do not have a separate pool, they can apply for any of the Polaris pools for which they qualify as they await the STARS III RFP. Pre-Award Protests Almost as soon as the RFP was released, the first Polaris pre-award protest quickly followed. BD Squared filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on March 29 regarding provisions in … Continue reading Polaris Pre-Award Protest: The New Normal for MACs? →

Tips for shredding RFPs quickly and accurately

Being able to shred RFPs and develop compliance matrices and outlines quickly is essential

Most companies want to minimize the time spent preparing Requests for Proposal (RFP) compliance matrices without skimping on accuracy. Typically, companies allow one to three days from the time they receive an RFP to the time the kickoff meeting occurs. Within that timeframe, proposal managers must also create kickoff slides, complete the proposal schedule, arrange team communications, prepare outlines and templates, and coordinate staff and logistics. So, being able to shred RFPs and develop compliance matrices and outlines quickly is essential. Consider these factors before selecting the most efficient path to shredding RFPs and developing compliance matrices and outlines. Is the RFP simple, or is it large and complex with multiple documents? Does the RFP follow a straightforward organization with defined sections for instructions, evaluation criteria, and a statement of work (SOW)? Does the RFP use key words such as will, shall, and must to identify requirements? Are the instructions, … Continue reading Tips for shredding RFPs quickly and accurately →

MULTI-PART SERIES: Meeting with Acquisition officials – Up close and personal, Part 1

A COVID conversation with Jacob Bertram, former Director of Contract Operations at GSA

Just because COVID-19 is forcing us indoors doesn’t mean that we can’t get together and learn from one another. Lohfeld Principal Consultant and capture expert Dr. Doug Himberger interviewed Jacob Bertram, former GSA Contracts Director. In this first installment, Doug and Jacob discuss building customer relationships as part of developing a strategy for winning business at an agency. [Doug] Thank you to Jacob Bertram for joining me. For our readers, Jacob is a former government contracts director and acquisition professional now with industry. When he was with the government, he supported DOE, DCMA, DCAA, and GSA. We have some questions that we’ve been dying to ask the government, and we’re really looking forward to hearing how Jacob reflects on them. [Jacob] Thank you, Doug. [Doug] Our first overall topic is developing customer relationships. My first question has to do with the way industry interacts with customers in general. Doesn’t the … Continue reading MULTI-PART SERIES: Meeting with Acquisition officials – Up close and personal, Part 1 →