Federal Requests for Proposals (RFP's) are unique. They are:
- Long, lengthy, and full of boilerplate and clauses
- Not written clearly
- Not well organized
- Full of detailed, yet confusing, requirements
Federal RFP's are evaluated by a formal evaluation committee using a point scoring scheme. Although numeric, the point scoring scheme requires a subjective judgment on the part of an evaluator and is subject to the evaluator's personal views, experience, and biases. Most importantly, it is highly likely that the evaluators have met with vendors and have knowledge of each vendor's suggested solutions to their problem.
These conditions make writing a federal proposal a unique process. A federal proposal must (i) be written with the customer in mind, (ii) meet each and every requirement outlined in the RFP, and (iii) provide only what the RFP asks for. In short, it must be responsive, compelling, and defensive (designed not to lose).
Responding to a federal RFP is like renovating a home. It is a complex task requiring double or triple the effort originally estimated. There are no magic bullets. Writing a responsive, winning proposal requires a structured, systematic approach. Large prime contractors have developed their own approaches to proposal development. Smaller companies gradually piece together an approach but their proposal efforts usually are somewhat random. The market for proposal-writing software is saturated with "convince them that you are the best" templates. The templates are designed for commercial proposals and are ineffective for federal proposals.
