Saturday, May 7, 2011

Writing Excellent Past Perfomance Narratives

Most government solicitations which require a proposal will contain a requirement for you to indicate your past performance. 

The government will require you to demonstrate your Past Performance and Experience in successfully completing (performing) similar projects in size and complexity to the tasks required by the solicitation. Ideally, you should be able to provide a list of satisfactory completion of similar projects in size and complexity or providing similar services to government agencies or companies of similar size and/or characteristics. You want to relate to the government just how your company has performed in tasks as close as possible to the tasks described in the solicitation

If you think your past performance is “spot on” toward fulfilling what the government is looking for in the solicitation you are addressing, there is a very dramatic way in which you can do this which will endear you to the government evaluator’s eyes.  One method is to prepare a table which demonstrates this performance directly related to the major tasks identified in the solicitation’s Section C; either the Performance Work Statement (PWS) or the Statement of Work (SOW), depending on the Request for Proposal   There is as two step process you can follow to dramatically illustrate your past performance.  You can start out with a summary narrative which explains your company’s past performance in the best possible light. 

Next you create a table which illustrates the various performance factors from Section C of the Solicitation and then show how each of your referenced contracts have fulfilled each factor .  I have included a detailed example in my recent book but here is a simple example of how that might look.  Down the left hand column of the table, you list the major performance factors from Section C of the Solicitation.  Across the top you can list your representative contracts.  At each of the intersecting points you can indicate with a check mark or a “yes” or “N/A” if the listed contract contains performance and/or experience relative to the major performance area on the left.  In addition, you can indicate whether your listed Past Performance contract is Highly Relevant  or Relevant to the solicitation at hand.

This chart will then give the government evaluator an overview view of your past performance and experience and makes his/her job easier. 

Example of one way you can depict your Past Performance at a Glance
Factor
Contract Number 1
Contract Number 2
Contract Number 3
PWS Para 2.1 – Manufacture widgets
Yes/ HR*
Yes/HR
N/A
PWS 3.1 – Test widgets
Yes/ HR*
Yes/HR
Yes/R
PWS 4.1 Maintain widgets
Yes/ HR*
Yes/HR
Yes/HR
PWS 5.1 Quality Assurance/Quality Control Training
Yes/ HR*
Yes/HR
Yes/HR
PWS 6.1 Training
Yes/ HR*
Yes/HR
Yes/HR
“HR” = Highly Relevant to Solicitation; “R” = Relevant to solicitation

You can then discuss each past contract in detail as that contract relates to the requirements of the solicitation you are trying to win. That will provide you with the opportunity to sing your praises for each of the individual contracts you have selected for Past Performance review.

Remember, the easier you make it for the government evaluator, the better impression of your company the evaluator will have. 



Monday, May 2, 2011

The Magic Word for Successful Proposals - "HOW"

 As you know, the government requires companies who are trying to get business to prepare a proposal to inform the government how you intend to carry out that lucrative contract once they award you the contract.  The government is often very specific in this regard; however many prospective bidders often ignore this in favor of a listing of their company’s accomplishments without any probative value.  Successful bidders pay close attention to the “how” because they realize that the more successful you are at explaining “HOW”; the better the odds that the government will award you the contract.

I have found the following approach to be very helpful when determining the best approach toward responding to a Government Request for Proposal. I consider it a basic philosophy to use when you begin to consider writing your proposal.

As you write your proposal, it is very important to tell the government “how” you intend to fulfill the contract once the government awards it to you. Your proposal is more than a litany of the things you are prepared to do once you win the contract. Your proposal is a marketing tool that fulfills three criteria:
  • It demonstrates to the government you are qualified to perform the tasks or manufacture the product;
  • It shows you are capable of performing as advertised; and
  • It highlights that you have a plan to perform in a highly successful, exceptional manner.
Before you begin writing, you need to consider who your audience is and how they will perceive you and your company as they read your proposal. Remember, the government is asking for a solution to a problem and/or requirement it has.  The first step is to accurately define the problem or requirement the government is trying to solve by asking for a proposal.  This definition will help you to zero in on the solution in your written proposal. 

You will need to establish trust and credibility as you make the various points in your proposal. This is where your company can demonstrate your experience and expertise in relevant areas pertaining to the product or task at hand. The more credibility you establish, the greater the trust factor the evaluator will place in your proposal.

You will also need to demonstrate that there is a “win-win” solution. The best way to accomplish that goal is to show “how” you can provide the government agency with a solution to its needs or to a problem it is trying to solve. The government is aware that everyone who responds is doing so because of self-interest. If you submit a proposal that really solves the government needs and do it in such a way that it really makes good sense to them to accept, then you both win with the contract award.

I have included similar comments like this along with some brief examples in my book in the chapter on “Writing a Successful Proposal”.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

About me

Hello,

My name is Ed Benjamin. (Legally, it is Warren E. Benjamin, but all my life I have been known as "Ed", short for my middle name, Edmund.) I am a proposal writer and consultant to business for companies who wish to get business with the Government. I operate my business under a small corporation known as Benjamin Services Corporation, Inc (BSCI).

I help companies get business with local, regional, state, and US federal governments. I have also helped companies win contracts with international governments such as the Government of Sweden and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

I started this line of work after my retirement from the United States Air Force in 1990 and I have been writing proposals, managing proposal efforts, and advising businesses ever since. I have been very lucky in helping clients win contracts with various governments. My clients have been awarded contracts with a total value of nearly $14 billion.

Over the years I have developed a system which helps me to analyze Request for Proposal requirements and the best ways to respond to these requirements.

The purpose of this blog is to share some of the things I have learned, provide people with information which may help them in their quest to obtain Government business. Of course, I am hopeful I will get some more business and to get people interested in buying my book.

In September 2009, I self-published a book which is a step-by-step guide to doing business with the Government. It is not a complex book but a primer for those people who want to do business with the Government. There is much more to say about the subject and hopefully, I will write some more about the subject in this blog and in subsequent publications.

Thank you for the time you took reading this introduction and I will be adding more later