How To Write Government Contract Proposals

Filling Out Dd Form 1707

The first form that we will look at is DD Form 1707, Information to Offerors or Quoters. This is the cover sheet that accompanies the solicitation itself and is mainly informational. One of its main purposes is to gather information on why a company does not want to bid. This form is used for most Department of Defense large dollar solicitations, which are those over $100,000.

Let’s start with the cover page and proceed block by block.

Block 1: Solicitation number: We are using the example number SP0700-00-Q-HE22. This is the number that will identify this specific solicitation throughout the life of the buying action. Any amendments to the solicitation will use this number plus the amendment number as the identifier.

SP0700, the first six alpha/numeric sequence, identifies the buying office where the order originates. The second grouping, 00, is the fiscal year the solicitation was issued. The single alpha character Q indicates what type of solicitation it is.

• B = Invitation for Bid

The last alpha/numeric sequence, HE22, is the sequential order number for that solicitation.

Block 2: Type of solicitation: As previously mentioned, there are three types of bid packages:

Tools to use

Among the Tools & Forms are DD Form 1707 and Standard Form 26. It is an Adobe PDF file.

Block 3: Date/time response due: This information, supplied by the buying office, tells you when you need to have your offer into the buying office.

Warning

Mention Testimonials And Case Studies

Adding testimonials and case studies into your government proposal will help build your businesss credibility and show your client that you have the required expertise and experience for the job. For instance, you can select clients and past projects similar to the government agency you want to target and include them in your proposal.

While these can be other government agencies or your potential clients direct competitors, adding testimonials and case studies will increase your chances of winning your contract bid!

Include Details Related To Your Companys Background

Dont forget that the government proposal isnt about you. Instead, its about your business. Therefore, ensure that your companys description is brief and explains youre the perfect fit for the job. Whats more, remember to cite your teams expertise, awards youve won, experience with similar projects, your reputation, etc.

Furthermore, it would also be wise to include short biographies of key team members. Doing so will add a personal touch to your government proposal and help communicate relevant individual expertise. Also, dont forget to mention the team members contact details. Who knows, recipients might want to interact with them individually!

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Other Things To Keep In Mind

There are a few other things to keep in mind if youre responding to an RFP with a proposal.

First, create a proposal outline that is a skeleton of what youre going to include in your proposal. This will help you stay organized and streamline the writing process.

As part of this, you might consider creating a checklist that youre going to include in your proposal. This will help you make sure youre following the requirements outlined in the RFP.

Above all else, the goal of a proposal is to make a compelling, logical, and organized case that you are the best business for the job. You are a solution, and thats the story you should tell throughout the entirety of your proposal.

You want to remain focused and specific throughout, and make sure youre concisely making your case.

With that should be pricing thats competitive as well as fair, because no matter what you may have heard, pricing does matter in the selection process.

Fail #: Insufficient Supporting Data

After you understand the ask, the real work begins. its time to describe exactly how your firm will deliver the solution the government seeks. All too often, professionals in our industry put too much emphasis on the telling portion of the proposal and fail to provide enough substantial evidence to back up their story.

How to succeed: Remember, data speaks louder than words.

You can be the best storyteller in the industry, but a government review panel isnt looking to hire the most talented author. The panel members want to hire the best firm for the job. And theres no better way to convince them youre the option than to show proofwith actual data, realistic estimates, and a proven track record.

Dont underestimate the power of historical and current market research. Refer to similar jobs your firm completed, and conduct a post-mortem. What worked well, and what didnt? What did you learn that you can now bring to this job? Do your homework on similar contract work other firms did. Familiarize yourself with their project estimates vs. real costs, so you have real-world references to include in your narrative.

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Government Contracting: How To Write A Winning Proposal

Ready to write your proposal for a government contracting opportunity? Florida SBDC at FIU assembled a group of experts to share some advice for small businesses and war stories about bidding for and winning government contracts, whether it is for local, state or federal work.

Earlier this week, Growbiz shared some advice for determining whether government contracting is right for your business and getting yourself organized for the process. Its very important to have a game plan, which includes identifying the current status of your business, identifying opportunities, being organized, building relationships and staying in your lane, the experts said. A big part of this is networking: get to know the contracting officers and go to their matchmaking events and industry days and ask questions. Find that post here. Today, well look closer at the proposal process.

Make no mistake: It will be time-consuming, said Orlando Espinosa of Emineo Media, who led the conversation that included Jonel Hein, Deputy District Director for the South Florida District of the Small Business Administration and Karen Vieira of The Med Writers during an SBDC at FIU Webinar called Writing a Winning Government Proposal . Both Espinosa and Vieira have successfully won a number of government contracts.

If you want to jump into federal contracting, whether federal, state or local, youve got to be very well researched and you have to know what is expected of you, adds Hein.

Fail #: Minimizing The Importance Of A Basis Of Estimate

Even if youve done a good job explaining your firm can deliver the best solution, you still need to demonstrate how much it will cost and how long it will take for your company to complete the job. Many proposal managers see a Basis of Estimate requirement and fixate on the last partthe estimate. But the BOE is so much more than that. Its actually a project execution benchmark. And right or wrong, the BOE sets the tone for the entire project.

How to succeed: Recognize the BOE is both an art and a science.

Talk to your engineers and technicians about the importance of using facts instead of judgments to back up their cost and hour estimates. Help them understand that good enough quotes arent good enough to win a government contract. Reviewers want to see the data behind the numbers, so they can be confident the work will get done on time and in budget with minimal variances.

Remember, presentation is everything. You can have the most well-thought-out action plan, but that means nothing if a third-party reader cant understand it. Establish a methodical process to turn your teams numbers into a narrative. Consider using software that keeps the proposal and estimate tied together in the same database so the story automatically reflects estimates.

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What Is Theproposal Template Content Outline

The Proposal Template contains generic contentdeveloped over years of proposal writing that can apply to all federalproposals. And the content is valuable intellectual property that may bepurchases in its entirety.

The outline below is the structure of template and samplecontent. Red text shows examples of instructions included in the template.

Purpledescribes sample information shownin the outline

Tips On How To Write A Compelling Government Proposal

Government contracts can provide businesses with opportunities to go that extra mile, especially if theyre offering new services and products to the government sector. While getting government contracts on a day-to-day basis can be challenging, you must be well-prepared to take full advantage of them whenever you come across the opportunity to apply for one.

You must also understand the numerous processes and tasks involved in bidding on a government contract and actually winning. One of these tasks and processes is proposal writing.

Learning how to write a compelling government proposal can be a challenge. This article suggests a few tips on writing a winning proposal for a government contract.

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How Long Should A Government Contract Proposal Be

As mentioned above, working with the government starts developing and submitting a bid proposal. Because government proposals are written answer to the announced government procurement, the proposals tend to be lengthy to tackle all the requirements. That said, government proposals are usually five to ten pages long. In contrast, more complex proposals that indicate the quality assurance plan, management plan, and more profound description of a vendor may take from hundreds and even thousands of pages.

Tips For Writing A Strategic Proposal That May Help You Win A Government Contract

byCielo CincoDecember 16, 2021, 11:10 am

With the U.S. government mobilizing its heavy network of contractors to boost the nations recovery rate from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government contracting industry is enjoying an upward trend now more than ever.

The federal government allocated most of the $682 billion budget to critical industries such as health care and medical, construction, defense, and IT. But, those government contracting behemoths arent the only ones who can play the gamesmall businesses like you can join the fray, too! And you can begin by learning how to write a winning government contract proposal in just ten steps.

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Price Your Services Competitively

Many companies are vying to win government contracts just like you. So to thrive in an open trade industry such as this, you have to be competitive in your pricing. You have to set a comfortable price that is enough to cover your operational costs and target profits to maintain your service quality.

To do that, review your market data gathered earlier to give you an idea of how your competitors are charging for similar goods. And from there, try to find the optimal pricing range that will satisfy your target profits and remain competitive in the market.

Things To Remember When Making A Contract Proposal

If you are planning to make proposals in PDF, Word, Excel or in any other medium one of the things that you need to consider is the completion of all the items that you would like your desired clients to know. Listed below are some of the things that you should be knowledgeable and aware of when developing a contract proposal:

1. Different free proposals require different approaches of presentation. Even if most proposals have the same structure, you should still make sure that you will base the content of your proposal on the needs of your current target audience.

2. One of the main objectives of a proposal is to develop a professional connection to your target clients. Hence, your contract proposal must allow you to gain the approval, trust and support of your clients. You may also see agency proposal examples

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Free Bid Proposal Template Pdf

The concept of bidding is well known to the construction industry. In fact, its how several jobs are acquired and started. Therefore, it is critical that your construction company actively participates in this process by developing a construction bid template, as a construction bid template free Excel, for example, that ensures you proposal stands out from the crowd since a thoughtful and well-designed construction bid proposal template or concrete proposal template edges out what your competitors are submitting.

There are a few elements that you can incorporate into your construction bid proposal template Excel document or construction bid proposal template Word document. The best construction proposal generally includes:

In addition to particular information aspects, high-quality designs from a construction proposal template PDF free download can also help your offerings stand out. While design elements do not dictate the quality of your work, the funding organization may view your team more favorably based on an elevated construction proposal template Excel or construction cost estimate template Excel aesthetic.

State Your Companys Methodology

Go into as much detail as the solicitation allows to indicate how your company will approach the project. Discuss how your company will go about developing a respectful relationship with the program managers office and how you will maintain a transparent working arrangement. The government is not a big fan of surprises. If there is a problem, the government wants to know you will reach out to them as soon as the problem is identified and that you will be totally honest with your assessment of the problem and how you plan to resolve the problem. When describing your methodology, make it clear how you will go about meeting the stated objective.

What does the government expect from your company? They expect you to clearly describe the methodologies that your company intends to employ to ensure that the project is a success.

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General Overview Of Whats Needed In A Proposal

First and foremost, when creating a proposal, it needs to include the cost, schedule, and scope of work in a well-defined way thats clear and easy to understand.

Estimates need to be based on past performance when possible, which is why software like what was named above can come in handy.

A proposal will include a work breakdown structure, and then theres a statement of work that relates to this.

A proposal should also include risks and opportunities.

Before you can get started on any of this, you need to read the RFP properly.

You dont want to skim to the point that you miss key details of the RFP.

Your goal with your proposal for any project is to demonstrate that you are the business best equipped and suited to meet the governments needs, so you have to know what those needs are.

Before you start the proposal, you also need to think about the Return on Investment thats going to come from actually submitting the proposal. Will the costs associated with the proposal be greater than the potential return?

There are also two types of offers, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.

There are bids and proposals.

Bids are part of sealed purchases, and proposals are awards that are extended after negotiation.

Ensure The Program Is A Good Fit

Since everybody wants to send the RFP response as quickly as possible, many organizations dont spend the time to find out if their program fits the grant. For example, just because you might be working with a health organization doesnt mean they can get a health project grant.

The 2nd step ties perfectly to the first step. Informing yourself about the grant gets you the answers you need and helps create a tailored proposal and connect with the grant provider.

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Standard Form 30 Is Used To Make Amendments To A Solicitation

When there is a need to change or modify the quantity, specifications, delivery or any other part of a solicitation, or if there is some part of the solicitation that is defective or incorrect, those changes will be made by an amendment to the solicitation using Form SF 30,Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract. The form itself is completed by the government and sent to prospective bidders.

Tools to use

Among the Tools & Forms is Standard Form 30. It is an Adobe PDF file.

You will be asked to list any and all amendments that you have received on the bid form before you send it in. If you fail to do this or if you omit an amendment, your bid will be considered non-responsive. That means that your bid could be thrown out, even if you are the low bidder. Therefore, if you received Amendment number 0001 and 0003 and you have not received 0002, you need to call the buyer and find out what the missing amendment is.

If there is a change that will affect the bid opening, the government will extend the bid opening date and send a notice to all prospective bidders. And, again, you must acknowledge this amendment in your bid.

If the solicitation is negotiated, you may be able to bid the changes explaining why this is in the best interest of the government. Read the solicitation carefully to make sure that this approach is allowed. If you are not sure, talk to the buyer to get the answer.

Why Are We The Best Choice For Your Federal Proposal Writing Service

We are a professional business and proposal development firm with 20 years of experience in helping our clients win Federal awards for heavy civil and construction contracts, including design-build, A/E services, utilities and infrastructure, renovations, and commissioning. We know how to win! In fact, weve helped our clients win over $45 billion in awards so far. Put us to work for you today!

Our proposals for clients have won many relevant design/construction contracts with GSA, USACE, NAVFAC, the Architect of the Capital, and Veterans Affairs among other Federal agencies. If you are looking for top-notch support to prepare your proposal or future contracts, contact us today!

In addition to our experience, we offer our clients many benefits that set us apart:

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