Contracting Processes: Preparing a Proposal the Government Will Accept

If you scroll through the different contracting processes found on government websites, the likes of BETASAMS and such, you’ll see numerous government announcements enticing vendors to place bids. Business owners usually don’t have to be told twice how much government contracts can help boost their business.

So, when you come across such opportunities, you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure your business is the one that gets the bid.

Winning government contract bids can mean a whole new beginning for the business. However, to win bids, the proposals you place must be near-perfect.

It takes way more than just putting words on paper to come up with a winning proposal.

Below are a few guidelines you can follow to draft pristine contract proposals so that you can increase the chances of your business being considered for government contracts.

Consider The Requirements

When the government asks for an RFP, or requests for a proposal, they’ll ask for some specific requirements.

You’ll need to carefully go through all the requirements and evaluate the company based on these factors. This is what will help you determine whether your business meets all the necessary requirements.

Your contract proposal must answer every requirement. The responses you give shouldn’t be hard to verify because the government won’t want to spend time looking for answers to the most basic of their questions.

Government contracts are things that are usually highly sought after, which means that numerous companies are battling for the opportunity.

The professionalism and accuracy of your contract proposal is your business’ first impression on the government.

If there are inadequate descriptions of how requirements are going to be met, grammar issues, misspellings or mistakes, you may give the government the impression that you’ll conduct business in a similar fashion as well. Obviously, this would not boost your odds of getting the contract you desire.

Address Project Goals

When drafting contract proposals, make sure to convey that you’re fully aware of every milestone that’s linked to the project in question.

Indicate how confident your company is of meeting the proposed milestones within the schedule specified by the government.

Most businesses make the common mistake of thinking that because they convinced the government they have solutions that comply with the RFP, everything is good.

This can prove to be a detrimental mindset since a lot of your competition will also be able to meet the stated objectives as well. You need to go that extra mile to show why your business is the better option.

This can be achieved by using statements that show how vastly experienced your business is when it comes to supporting such work and examples of past and current exceptional performances.

Bid Projects Competitively

How much the project will cost is a very important detail that should be included in a contract proposal.

When making cost volume productions, you need to make sure you completely understand what it’ll take to meet all the cost requirements.

Also, you need to follow all the instructions as well as use any templates supplied within the RFP when determining project costs.

Sharpen all your pencils, be aggressive, competitive and prepare to adhere to all the prices you jot down in the bid.

State The Methodology Your Company Intends To Use

Put in all the details the solicitation allows to show how you intend the business to approach the project.

Discuss how the business will develop respectful relationships with the departments in the program manager’s office as well as how transparency will be maintained during the working arrangement.

The government doesn’t like surprises. If problems arise, the government wants to be sure that they’ll be contacted as soon as the issues are identified.

They also want to be assured that you’ll be completely honest with the problem assessments and transparent in the solutions you intend to use to rectify the problem.

Small-Sized Business Requirements

If you’re running a small business and the government department to whom you’re sending the contract proposal operates using the FAR, then you should consider recommending that they release the RFP as a small business set aside and address how you as a small business can confidently address all aspects of the contract.

If you’re not running a small business, then you’ll need to highlight and address the aspects of the contract a small company would find hard to comply with.

Mention The Benefits Of The Project

Don’t forget to write down the actual benefits that come with selecting your company and state examples in your contract proposal.

Make sure you identify both the short-term and long-term advantages of interactive working environments between the federal government and your company.

Wrapping Up: How To Draft These Contracting Processes

Keep in mind that one government contract could end up leading to many more exciting future opportunities for the company.

Let the contract proposal convince the government that your business is what the project needs. Make sure to fully answer the biggest question they usually have. “Why you?”

Remember that the contents of your proposal will consist of the information about your business and you’ll only have one shot at providing this information.

This can’t be stressed enough; answer each requirement as clearly as possible and in ways that are easy to find, as well as ways that distinguish your company as one that’ll go to the ends to ensure successful completion of the project.

Winning a contract bid from the government could mean the placement of your company on the professional map. Just go through all the contracting processes as best you possibly can and you could end up changing the course of your business forever. 

Want to increase the chance that your contract will be accepted? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.