How-To Guide
How to Bid on Government Contracts
Bidding successfully on federal RFPs is a disciplined, repeatable process. Most losses come from one of three failures: non-compliance with Section L instructions, weak past-performance narratives, or pricing that doesn't tie cleanly to the technical approach. This guide walks through a complete bid lifecycle.
Step-by-step
1. Run a bid/no-bid decision before investing real B&P
Use a written scoring sheet: do we have past performance, is the incumbent vulnerable, can we make Section M's evaluation criteria, do we have the cleared staff. A disciplined no-bid is a win.
2. Read Section L and Section M before anything else
Section L tells you what to submit and how; Section M tells you how it will be evaluated. The compliance matrix should be built from Section L the same day the RFP drops.
3. Build a proposal compliance matrix
Map every Section L instruction to a volume, section, and page. Tag every Section M criterion to the section of your proposal that responds. Non-compliance is the #1 reason for elimination.
4. Write to the evaluator
Federal evaluators read against a checklist. Use clear headings, theme statements, graphics, and an early summary in each section. Avoid burying the lede — the source selection authority may only read summaries.
5. Cost narrative must tie to the technical approach
The cost volume's basis of estimate (BOE) must reconcile to labor categories, hours, and ODCs implied by the technical volume. Mismatches trigger an unallowable-cost flag and weaken your CPARS history.
6. Request a debrief whether you win or lose
FAR 15.506 entitles you to a post-award debrief. Use it. The structured feedback compounds across pursuits — most repeat-winning small businesses have 50+ debriefs in their files.
Common pitfalls
- Submitting after the deadline — late is late, no exceptions absent agency error.
- Ignoring Section L formatting (page limits, font, margins) — proposals are routinely tossed for non-compliance.
- Generic past-performance citations that don't tie to the RFP's relevance criteria.
FAQs
- How long does it take to write a federal proposal?
- A single-volume services proposal: 3–6 weeks with a small team. A complex multi-volume IDIQ response: 2–4 months.
- What is the difference between LPTA and best-value tradeoff?
- LPTA awards to the lowest-priced technically acceptable offer; tradeoff allows the agency to pay more for better technical or past performance.
- Can I ask questions about the RFP?
- Yes — submit questions via the Q&A process described in Section L. Anonymized Q&A responses become part of the official solicitation.