This article has been contributed by Government Solutions Service Provider.
Beginning the Bid Process
This article is one of several dealing with the bidding process, primarily as it relates to federal solicitations. Needless to say every day thousands of companies check for government bids. To begin our discussion, we are making certain assumptions that you have already laid the groundwork to bid for a contract.
These assumptions are:
- Your business is registered with the federal, state or local government that you wish to do business with;
- You have the marketing materials, such as a capability statements, that you will need to approach an agency;
- Your web site is ready with all the information that a contracting officer will need to understand who you are and what you do;
- You have done your marketing research to know who buys your product, how much they spend and when they buy;
- You have dedicated the time and personnel to process bids.
Overview:
Now you are ready to engage in the bidding process. A solicitation is typically divided into several component parts. For our example we will use a typical federal government bid. This first article will discuss the elimination process you should first go through to determine if a particular solicitation is right for your company.
As with all solicitations there are some parts that are more important than others when it comes to discovering if you can complete the bid. Typically in the Statement of Work is where the government will describe exactly what it needs. This is where you will find some but not necessarily all of the technical requirements of the contract. Although you need to read the entire solicitation carefully and make certain that you understand what is expected, it is best to start with the technical requirements. First, if you or one of your teaming partners cannot meet the technical requirements there is no need to proceed further with that particular bid.
The other important first look is in the Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Bidders which will contain the past performance requirements. This past performance can be in the commercial or government arena. Again you must be able to meet these requirements to bid on the contract. This section will also contain instructions on what exactly should be in your bid proposal and the format in which the proposal should be presented. A typical proposal contains a technical section, cost section, past performance section and business section.
Our next article will be the Anatomy of a solicitation. For more information or help with your bids please contact John@gssp.us.
Government Solutions Service Provider (GSSP)
1325 Satellite Boulevard, NW
Building 1500, Suite 1505
Suwanee, Georgia 30024Telephone: 770-771-5315
Fax: 770-771-5314
Contact: Ric CrosbyAbout: GSSP is a provider of on-demand and on-going services needed by clients and by the government, allowing us to focus resources at the most reasonable costs, providing clients and the government with the best values possible.