Proposal Writing for Government Contracts
Large businesses tend to sabotage their efforts and ultimately lose out on federal bids. As compared to small business that are limited in funds, larger businesses make careless mistakes when submitting a government RFP.
Common mistakes include:
- Mistakenly believing that they can control the federal market
- Simply ignoring the rules in the solicitation
- Not telling the government how it will solve the problem
- Arbitrarily changing the length of the proposal
- Not allowing the proposal to speak for itself
Who is in Charge?
Simply put, the government is the final decision-maker of who gets the bid award. Large businesses tend to forget this. The result – catastrophe.
Large manufacturers of IT equipment tend to be in the majority when it comes to ignoring the rules. Others include large construction contractors bidding on high-dollar construction projects. A simply word of caution is “never believe that you can outsmart the 800-pound gorilla.”
RFP Writing 101
When writing to a response to a government request for proposal, the simply questions to ask yourself. They include:
- What problem is the government trying to solve?
- Can you solve the problem?
- What is the best way to communicate that you can solve the problem?
- What special or unique requirements does the agency ask for?
If you can clearly answer these basic questions, then the RFP response should become less difficult.
Common Proposal Writing Mistakes Made by Large Businesses
When it comes to federal contract RFPs, many large organizations take the ‘gamble’ by employing technical writers that have not been adequately trained as to how the government thinks and the rules involved. For example, many have no clue of the difference between FAR Part 12, 13 or 15. These are basic requirements of writing a proposal for the federal government.
Other mistakes include:
- Focusing on the lowest bid on a best value bid
- Trying to submit required information against the agency schedule
- Assuming that a technical writer’s editing alone will win federal contracts
- Careless focus on showing off the company’s brand instead of what is best value to the government
- Focusing on price and past performance ONLY (this is a fatal mistake)
- Adding too much “fluff” in the proposal
As a former federal contracting and small business official, I have observed source selection teams and how they review submitted bid proposals. Sometimes the facial expressions can be very interesting. Expressions range from simple smirks, to simply frustration due to “trying to pull one on us” attitude.
Solving the Problem
Proposal writing is about solving the government’s problem. Nothing else matters! When a contracting officer reviews the RFP response, this is exactly what they look for.
- Focus on solving the agency problem
- Tell them how you will do it
- Include risk mitigation solutions
- Never try to make overwhelming profit margins
The agency wants to know who will be in charge and want to know each key person’s qualifications. Large businesses fail miserably in this aspect of the proposal. Thus, the technical aspect suffers.
Performance Based Service Contracts
Large businesses seem to believe that any quality assurance plan will do when writing a government proposal. The federal agencies are now required to write statements of work (SOW) or performance work summaries (PWS) to performance based standards (to the maximum extent possible).
Large contractors must ensure that their proposal writers are trained in this aspect of responding to solicitations. Our office frequently conducts training in this area. This can make or break your technical proposal writing success.
Subcontracting Requirements
Large federal contractors MUST submit a subcontracting plan if the award is greater than $500,000.00. Contractors must take this requirement seriously. The Congress makes it clear that small businesses must get their fair share of contracting dollars.
Many large contractors are getting smarter in this area. However, so is the government. Common mistakes made by large businesses include:
- Seeking out small businesses at the last minute
- Not demonstrating a genuine and credible internal subcontracting program
- After the contract is awarded they never focus on acquiring the stated goals
Agencies are tightening up on this previously ignored requirement. Contractors must now demonstrate its efforts to meet subcontracting goals. Failure to accomplish may:
- Result in the government’s refusal to exercise option years
- Losing credibility with the agency
Further Assistance
If you are a medium or large business seeking consultants in federal contracting, contact Watson & Associates, LLC at 720.941.7200.
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