What is an RFP? Responding to a Request for Proposal

A request for proposal (RFP) in government contracting occurs when the agency publicizes its requirements to public participation. There is a set bidding process which is regulated. In a federal RFP response, you must carefully analyze the Statement of Work requirements and evaluation factors stated in the RF

Federal agencies evaluate technical proposals, past performance and pricing to determine best value to the government. This leads to an ultimate award of the contract.

The RFP process starts with market research after the end user submits its requirements to the contracting agency. After market research is done, the government then finalizes its solicitation and request for proposal requirements and submits to FBO.

When government contracting agencies submit RFPs for bid, they look for offerors to develop responses that present low risk, and best value at a reasonable price.

What are Common Types of Government RFP Evaluations?

In federal government procurement, there are generally two common types of RFP evaluation criteria used by the agency. The first is a lowest price technically acceptable evaluation. In this process, the agency makes sure that each bidder’s proposal is technically acceptable. The final step is to then go to the offeror with the lowest price. 

The second is a Request for Proposal that is considered a contract by negotiation. Here, the Request for Proposal states certain price and non-price factors and the relevant weight given to each of the factors. These types of RFP’s are little more difficult to evaluate. 

Responding to a Request for Proposal

Responding to a Request for Proposal means having a clear understanding of how the agency evaluates the two different types of RFPs. When government contractors are responding to a request for proposal they should:

• Tell the government how they will perform each as aspect of the RFP requirements;
• Submit a technical proposal that shows minimal risk to the agency
• Show innovative solutions to the government’s problem, and
• Make sure that their price is fair and reasonable.

There is obviously a lot more that goes into what is an RFP and how to effectively respond to them. However, many government contracts fail to appreciate how their audiences evaluate the different types of bids. As a result, they find themselves making serious bidding mistakes.

For help with your next government RFP response, call our government proposal writers at 1-866-601-5518.