The rules of the game have changed in the world of federal construction contracting. Most noteworthy is the dramatic shift in the last few years from procurement by sealed bidding to contracting by negotiation. In order to be awarded a "best value" contract under the FAR 15 Contracting by Negotiation procedures a contractor must be able establish its qualifications in the areas of experience, past performance, quality of management, and technical merit, among others, and price is often secondary. An understanding of the expectations of federal agencies is therefore of great importance.
The ability to prepare a proposal that convincingly demonstrates a contractor's understanding of the requirements of the solicitation, and further demonstrates an ability to successfully perform the project, is critical to success. While the price is always important, the technical evaluation factors, including past performance, are often more important to federal agencies.
The Federal Construction Consulting Group provides advice and assistance to federal construction contractors in the preparation of proposals on federal procurements. We help our clients in the development of a matrix of critical solicitation requirements; we provide interpretations of solicitation provisions; we make certain that the proposal is clearly and effectively written; and we assure that the proposal is responsive to the terms of the solicitation. In many ways, the presentation of a proposal is a defensive exercise where the contractor must be wary of mistakes that will result in rejection. While we cannot guarantee that a contractor will receive an award, our services will reduce the possibility of a proposal being summarily rejected and will enable the contractor to stay in the game.
