How to Write a Government Contracts Proposal

14 Helpful Tips

Professional RFP Proposal Writers

How to write a Government Contracts Bid or Proposal. 14 Helpful Tips. Professional RFP Writers.

The Giancola Firm furnishes prompt and affordable bid writing services for U.S. Federal contract efforts.

CONTACT us here now: PROFESSIONAL GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL WRITERS.

Strategies for Preparation and Submission. The GOOD and the BAD of preparing Government Contracts Proposals and Bids.

Jeffrey Giancola, the Principal, is a cum laude graduate of Columbia University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the State of Maryland Bar and has 30 years of experience in the Government procurement field. This firm is attorney-managed and uses senior acquisition consultants to assist in the proposal writing process.

We use a CUSTOMER-DRIVEN and BENEFITS-FOCUSED approach to Government Contracts Proposal preparation, while presenting a VALUE PROPOSITION to the Government.

Jeff Giancola’s 14 Tips on How to Write a Winning Government Contracts Proposal or Bid:

14 Tips in General:

Do your homework – Carefully review the solicitation, including all applicable schedules, clauses, and attachments.

If you are not sure about something – ask the Contracting Officer questions.

Review and understand the regulations (FAR Parts) governing the specific type of solicitation to which you plan to respond (RFP, RFQ).

Answer all questions, provide all information and follow all schedules in the order, time-frame and structure requested.

Align your proposal with the government’s stated needs. Articulate what makes you the best value solution provider.

An offeror that does not comply with all RFP RFQ requirements may be determined to be non-responsive. With RFPs, such a proposal is deemed “technically unacceptable.” If the RFP source selection best value formulation is “lowest price, technically acceptable”, this means that the proposal will be excluded from further consideration – regardless of price.

Understanding the government’s requirements is important – how your firm can execute or deliver an appropriate solution is CRITICAL.

A proposal may look good, but if it is not clearly aligned with fulfilling the government’s needs, it will fall behind other more substantive, solution-focused proposals.

Offer pricing that is represents a VALUE PROPOSITION (which is NOT the same as low price).

Make sure your proposal is well-written and error free.

Show evidence of success through PAST PERFORMANCE.

Interweave an amazing story throughout all parts of the proposal that makes a compelling case for your firm as the best value solution.

Consider ALL costs – particularly those involving special requirements; Make sure to allow for overhead and profit. Do not “buy in” to win the contract with the expectation of receiving sole-source modifications after award.

Factor in best value considerations (tradeoffs v. lowest price, technically acceptable).

Government Proposal Templates:

CLICK here to download a useful SBA Guide “How to Prepare Government Contracts Proposals”

CONTACT us here now: WRITE A WINNING GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS PROPOSAL.

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The GOOD:

* The Technical Proposal narrative tracks to the PWS/SOW Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and the Business (Cost) Proposal Volume.

* The Technical Proposal closely tracks the associated RFP Section L proposal preparation instructions – to include both format & content requirements.

* The Technical Proposal narrative tells the Government evaluator not only “What” will be accomplished, but “How” it will be accomplished.

* The Technical Proposal must tell a “story” and tender a value proposition.

* The Business (Cost) Proposal contains cost proposal worksheets and attachments that can be crosswalked and are consistent in terms of content and format conventions used.

* The Business (Cost) Proposal has labor categories, hours, and FTEs that accurately align with the proposed staffing plan.

* The Business (Cost) Proposal tracks to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) delineated in the PWS/SOW and the Technical Proposal.

* The Business (Cost) Proposal contains a clear description of the basis for each proposed cost line item and a substantiation of same.

* The Business (Cost) Proposal demonstrates that the contractor understands the difference between commercial and non-commercial buys and its impact on the level of detail presented in the furnished labor rate build-up data.

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The BAD:

* The Technical Proposal repeats or “parrots” the verbiage in the RFP or RFQ instead of describing in a narrative how it will meet the specific RFP requirements delineated (e.g., the proposal says that “we will respond to COR requests in a prompt manner”).

* The Technical Proposal describes a scenario based on the existing contract performance instead of what the current RFP requires.

* The Technical Proposal contains unsubstantiated statements (e.g., “We are highly trained experts”); it contains inconsistent section numbers; it does not have enough captions and graphics to break up the monotony of long paragraphs.

* The Technical Proposal contains “proof points” that are lost in proposal sections that are not scored by the Government technical evaluation team and thus can not earn evaluation “points” from the evaluators.

* The Business (Cost) Proposal does not break down the proposed FTEs and labor hours for each proposed labor category in a manner that displays visibility at both the prime and subcontractor levels. Also, subcontractor hours are not illustrated.

* The total FTEs and labor hours reflected on the Business (Cost) Proposal worksheet do not match the totals on the worksheets for each CLIN. Spreadsheet calculations are not viewable and/or traceable (“crosswalked”) in order to permit CO verification.

* The proposed labor rate for a specific labor category in the Business (Cost) Proposal is based on the individual’s current salary and position at the company rather than on the skill sets required to perform the labor category functions required for the contract.

* The Business (Cost) Proposal contains calculation errors, including not applying overhead rates consistent with disclosed and approved corporate accounting practices. Payroll data to verify proposal labor rates is not provided or is outdated. The basis for cost estimating is not clear, including the basis for determining salaries and labor hour rates. There are calculation errors.

* The labor hour and FTE totals in the Business (Cost) Proposal do not match the labor hours and FTEs illustrated in the Technical Proposal (Staffing Plan).

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Any of above sound familiar? Let’s work together to prepare and submit an effective and winning Government contract proposal. Small Business Government contracting specialists.

CONTACT us here now: PROFESSIONAL GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL WRITERS.

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