A well-written, comprehensive proposal helps get government business. A key to a successful proposal is the outline. If you use a systematic approach, you can prepare a proposal that answers all the federal government’s requirements and receive a high technical score.
First, you need to read all the sections of the solicitation very carefully and then re-read each section as you prepare your outline.
The RFP Section L, Instructions to Offerors, provides you with the basic framework for your outline. For example the Section L may state you should submit a volume for Technical Capability, one for Past Performance, and one for Management. In the Section L description, you will find some general statements for the major items which the government is looking for in each particular volume. This will provide you with your basic outline.
Next, you can incorporate applicable specific items from Sections C (Description / Specifications / Work Statement), G (Contract Administration Data), I (Contract Clauses), H (Special Contract Requirements) and M (Evaluation Factors for Award) into your basic outline. As you look at each of these sections, decide where in the overall outline you want to include the specific requirements.
One of the most important considerations is formatting the technical capability volume. You should carefully review the Section C, Work Statement and Section M, Evaluation. The Section C description will normally include a Statement of Work or a Performance Work Statement. In most cases the Section C work requirements will line up with the Section M evaluation criteria.
If the evaluation criteria does not line up with the work requirement, you should fashion your outline so that the major sections in the Technical Capability volume match the organization of the government’s Evaluation approach (Section M). Then you can flow the work requirements (Section C) underneath the headings created by using the evaluation outline. The rationale for recommending this course of action is simple. Evaluation teams normally use checklists derived from the Section M, Evaluation, section of the RFP. By formatting your proposal using the same approach as the Evaluation section, you stand a 90% to 95% chance of writing a proposal that conforms to a particular evaluator’s checklist creating “ease of review”.
If the evaluator has to go from section to section to find the information he is looking for to evaluate your capability, he/she may become distracted. This distraction may result in an evaluation that is less favorable to your company’s capabilities. Again, even if you have the best, least expensive product you may not be selected by the government if your proposal is awkward or not well written/organized. If the evaluator can read your proposal and it follows the checklist, they are more apt to understand your capabilities, making your proposal more attractive.
First, you need to read all the sections of the solicitation very carefully and then re-read each section as you prepare your outline.
The RFP Section L, Instructions to Offerors, provides you with the basic framework for your outline. For example the Section L may state you should submit a volume for Technical Capability, one for Past Performance, and one for Management. In the Section L description, you will find some general statements for the major items which the government is looking for in each particular volume. This will provide you with your basic outline.
Next, you can incorporate applicable specific items from Sections C (Description / Specifications / Work Statement), G (Contract Administration Data), I (Contract Clauses), H (Special Contract Requirements) and M (Evaluation Factors for Award) into your basic outline. As you look at each of these sections, decide where in the overall outline you want to include the specific requirements.
One of the most important considerations is formatting the technical capability volume. You should carefully review the Section C, Work Statement and Section M, Evaluation. The Section C description will normally include a Statement of Work or a Performance Work Statement. In most cases the Section C work requirements will line up with the Section M evaluation criteria.
If the evaluation criteria does not line up with the work requirement, you should fashion your outline so that the major sections in the Technical Capability volume match the organization of the government’s Evaluation approach (Section M). Then you can flow the work requirements (Section C) underneath the headings created by using the evaluation outline. The rationale for recommending this course of action is simple. Evaluation teams normally use checklists derived from the Section M, Evaluation, section of the RFP. By formatting your proposal using the same approach as the Evaluation section, you stand a 90% to 95% chance of writing a proposal that conforms to a particular evaluator’s checklist creating “ease of review”.
If the evaluator has to go from section to section to find the information he is looking for to evaluate your capability, he/she may become distracted. This distraction may result in an evaluation that is less favorable to your company’s capabilities. Again, even if you have the best, least expensive product you may not be selected by the government if your proposal is awkward or not well written/organized. If the evaluator can read your proposal and it follows the checklist, they are more apt to understand your capabilities, making your proposal more attractive.
In the other sections of your proposals, you will find that it is fairly easy to insert the specific requirements from Sections G, I, and H into the major sections you have identified from reading Section L.
The final step is to create a Cross-Reference Matrix (CRM). The CRM will identify the solicitation requirements in several columns and then provide the paragraph numbers from your outline which correspond to solicitation requirements cited in other columns. That will provide you with immediate feedback if you have failed to address an identified requirement in your proposal.
In summary, it is tempting to “jump right in” when you start working a proposal in response to a solicitation, but before you begin writing your proposal, you should check and re-check the solicitation and your outline to ensure you have addressed every requirement. Smart proposal writers spend hours and even days reading the RFP, then an equal amount of time preparing the outline and reviewing the solicitation before writing the first word.
My book is available at Amazon at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Cash-Obama-Trillion-Spending-Plan/dp/1432744283/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344024206&sr=1-3&keywords=ed+benjamin
The final step is to create a Cross-Reference Matrix (CRM). The CRM will identify the solicitation requirements in several columns and then provide the paragraph numbers from your outline which correspond to solicitation requirements cited in other columns. That will provide you with immediate feedback if you have failed to address an identified requirement in your proposal.
In summary, it is tempting to “jump right in” when you start working a proposal in response to a solicitation, but before you begin writing your proposal, you should check and re-check the solicitation and your outline to ensure you have addressed every requirement. Smart proposal writers spend hours and even days reading the RFP, then an equal amount of time preparing the outline and reviewing the solicitation before writing the first word.
My book is available at Amazon at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Cash-Obama-Trillion-Spending-Plan/dp/1432744283/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344024206&sr=1-3&keywords=ed+benjamin
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