NEED TO CHECK YOUR WORK CAREFULLY

The proposal preparation instructions are an important part of the solicitation process. The contractor relies on this information in preparing its proposal. The efficiency of the evaluation process depends on how well the proposal preparation instructions direct the contractor to provide relevant information and a proposal format that facilitates the evaluation.

Check your proposal preparation instructions carefully before the RFP is issued to ensure that they are properly presented. Ambiguities, inconsistencies, or outright errors in the proposal preparation instructions can cause considerable confusion among the competing offerors and can result in the disqualification of an otherwise qualified offeror.

Check the proposal preparation instructions against the RFP as a whole, but pay particular attention to ensuring that the SOW requirements and the evaluation criteria and procedures listed in Section M are compatible.

Most offerors follow the proposal preparation instructions because they realize that proposals tend be scored lower if the evaluators have difficulty locating pertinent information due to a differing format or if required information is not provided.

An offeror appreciates and benefits from clear and thorough proposal preparation instructions because the more an offeror knows what the government wants to see in the proposal, the better it can respond to the government’s concerns. Both the government and the contractor benefit from a responsive proposal.

The proposal preparation instructions are the final part of the evaluation plan. Keep in mind that the evaluation factors, their relative importance, and the proposal preparation instructions are published in the RFP. This enables you to influence the structure and content of the proposals and to expedite the evaluation process by reducing the possibility of confusing and conflicting proposal structures.

This concludes the introduction to the SOW and how it interacts with the other parts of the RFP. Chapter 2 addresses the planning and preparation necessary before you begin writing the SOW.