How to Write An Award Winning Proposal

1. How to Write An Award Winning Proposal And stop making the same mistakes.

2. How to Write An Award Winning Proposal • To Propose or Not to Propose • Anatomy of a Solicitation • Developing the Proposal • Evaluation Process Agenda To Propose or Not to Propose Anatomy of a Solicitation Developing the Proposal Evaluation Process Transitions, Performance, More Business Learning from Our Successes

3. How do you decide what to pursue?

4. Good questions to ask • Have you thoroughly read the solicitation, and completely understand the requirements? • Is your company a known entity to the customer/agency? • Do you have recent and relevant successful experience performing this kind of work?

5. Good questions to ask • Can you effectively communicate that you understand the requirements and have a solution that meets those requirements “Win Theme”? • Are you aware of your competition—their strengths, weaknesses, successful experience with this type of requirement?

6. Good questions to ask • Does this opportunity align with your company growth goals; does it pose a potential conflict of interest? • What is the return on investment? • What are the risks? • Are we teaming with frontrunners?

7. Capture plan?

8. Elements of a capture plan • Executive summary • Opportunity description • Contract requirements and reasons for the contract • Agency, site, & customer profiles • Customer issues and hot buttons • Photos

9. Elements of a capture plan • Competitive intelligence • Own competitive position • Bidder comparison • BOE/pricing-to-win assessment • Technical & management approach • FOIA Info

10. Elements of a capture plan • Estimated requirements: staffing, equipment, deliverables, reporting, facilities • Teaming and subcontracting • Win strategy • Themes & discriminators • Risks & mitigations • Actions plans • Attachments

11. Are we going for it, or not?

12. SWOT Analysis Strengths What advantages do we have? What do we do better than anyone else? Cost? Quality? Service? Weaknesses What can we improve? What should be avoided? What will others see as weaknesses? Opportunities What are the elements of the project that could be exploited for advantage? Marketplace trends? Threats What are the elements in the environment that could cause trouble? Competitors? Requirements? Helpful To achieving the objective Harmful To achieving the objective • Good method to understand how a particular procurement opportunity aligns with both your strengths and weaknesses, and those of your likely competitors, before proceeding. Internal Origin Attributes of the company External Origin Environmental attributes

13. CUSTOMERS NEEDS Our CAPABILITIES How to know what to pursue • Our Weakness • Customer Needs It • Competitor Has It • We Don’t Have It • Neutral Position • Customer Needs It • Competitor Has It • We Have It NO! COMPETITORS’ OFFERINGS MAYBE? NO! YES!CompetitiveAdvantage • Irrelevant Position • Customer Doesn’t Need It • Competitor Has It • We Have It • Our Discriminators • Customer Needs It • Competitor Doesn’t Have It • We Have It Source: Shipley Associates

14. So, you want to write a proposal! • Everything is looking good. You’re ready to write your proposal...

15. You’ve found your rock • Everything is looking good. You’re ready to write your proposal... … not yet, let’s look at the solicitation.

16. How to Write An Award Winning Proposal Agenda To Propose or Not to Propose Anatomy of a Solicitation Developing the Proposal Evaluation Process

17. What is the most important part of the solicitation?

18. Part I • A Solicitation/contract form • B Supplies or services and prices/costs • C Description/specifications/work statement • D Packaging and marking • E Inspection and acceptance • F Deliveries or performance • G Contract administration data • H Special contract requirements

19. Part II--Contract Clauses • I Contract clauses Part III--List of Documents, Exhibits, and Other Attachments • J List of attachments

20. Part IV--Representations and Instructions • K Representations, certifications, and other statements of offerors or quoters • L Instructions, conditions, and notices to offerors or quoters • M Evaluation factors for award

21. How to Write An Award Winning Proposal Agenda To Propose or Not to Propose Anatomy of a Solicitation Developing the Proposal Evaluation Process

22. How do I get started?

23. Drafting a response! • Compliance Matrix • Every draft should start with a compliance matrix. • All salient points that need to be addressed within all volumes should be listed in a matrix. • Organization of the matrix is personal choice. • Continued

24. The Matrix Continued

25. Then what? • Technical Proposal • Cover letter (there’s a FAR clause for that--52.215-1) • Table of Contents • Executive Summary (should follow the cover letter, but generally written last) • HOW your company will meet the requirements • EXAMPLES of meeting similar requirements**good way to integrate your past performance into your technical narrative** • ACCOMPLISHMENTS/notable points (savings, efficiencies, benefits derived by customers in the past) • Any trade off items as noted in section M? Be clear and concise

26. But wait, there’s more! • Solicitation Package (may be more than one volume) • Cover letter (there’s a FAR clause for that--52.215-1) • Standards forms (SF1449; SF33; SF30; SFLLL; DD254) signed and dated • Table of Contents • Executive Summary (should follow the cover letter, but generally written last) • Representations and Certifications • Past Performance – provide recent and relative single cover page, up to 2 additional pages allowed. Check all boxes, including small business subcontracting, and address historic compliance if required.

27. Still on the Solicitation Package • SCA certification • System for Award Management (SAM) • Corporate Viability • Financial Statements • Cash Flow • Demonstrate Financial Resources • Budget and Financial Management • Government approved purchasing/accounting system, if not: • Recent third party audit of financial system • Demonstrate how company promotes competition, timeliness, quality, fair and reasonable pricing

28. Describe corporate oversight—internal controls for prevention of fraud, waste and abuse of Government equipment • And then? Price proposal! • Price Proposal • Cover Letter • Be clear and concise • Use any forms provided

29. How to Write An Award Winning Proposal Agenda To Propose or Not to Propose Anatomy of a Solicitation Developing the Proposal Evaluation Process

30. How is the proposal evaluated?

31. Evaluation, everyone’s favorite! • Basis for Award • What type of criteria? Best value? Lowest price/Technically acceptable? • Does your proposal meet minimum requirements as outlined in evaluation criteria? • Have you increased your value with stupendous trade off factors?

32. Evaluation Process • Evaluation and Decision Process FAR 15.306(c) and 15.306(b)(1) • Understand agency source selection procedures DoD Source Selection Procedures

33. The DCAA proposal audit • They used to be conducted towards the end • Many requested early in the evaluation process • Examines accounting system, cost proposal, workup materials, corporate records and systems

34. Evaluation notices (ENs) FAR 15.306 At a minimum, the contracting officer must indicate to, or discuss with, each offeror still being considered for award, deficiencies, significant weaknesses, and adverse past performance information to which the offeror has not yet had an opportunity to respond. The contracting officer also is encouraged to discuss other aspects of the offeror’s proposal that could, in the opinion of the contracting officer, be altered or explained to enhance materially the proposal’s potential for award. However, the contracting officer is not required to discuss every area where the proposal could be improved. • Deficiencies • Weaknesses • Risks • Errors • Omissions • Clarifications • Questions • Discrepancies

35. Notice of award • Preaward notices:notices of exclusion from competitive range • Apparent winner notice: issued to indicate pending award to successful offeror • Postaward notices: issued within 3 days after the date of contract to offerors whose proposal were in competitive range, but not selected • Award notice: issued to successful offeror

36. Do we debrief? Then what?

37. Always request a debriefing • Preaward debriefing, 15.505, 15.503(a) • Submit request within 3 days after receipt of exclusion from competition • You may request delay until after award notice • Postaward debriefing, 15.506, 15.503(b) • Submit request within 3 days after receipt of exclusion from competition • Protests, 15.507 • See FAR Part 33–Protests, Disputes, and Appeals

38. Capture lessons learned • Request a debriefing for all proposals, winners and losers SUCCESS PLANNED UNPLANNED All proposals can be successful—winners and losers FAILURE

39. Stop making the same mistakes Write An Award Winning Proposal Sharon BarisContract AdministratorCrowley Technical Services, LLC904.727.2270sharon.baris@crowley.com Don ZaveskyPTAC SpecialistUNF SBDC904.620.7476don.zavesky@unf.edu Questions?