Basics to Bidding on Contracts

For newer vendors, bidding on a contract for the first time can seem intimidating. Solicitations are generally crowded with unfamiliar terminology like the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). It also may not always be obvious how to submit an offer. Each solicitation is different and the information required will likely differ from one contract to the next.

To help guide you on your path to submitting a bid, here is an overview of what you can do if you are interested.

Read the Solicitation

First, read through the entire solicitation and take some notes. Do not be intimated by the length. The solicitation will provide all the information on what is needed. The following are some of the items the solicitation provides to potential vendors:

• The requirements to bid on the contract
• Information needed to determine an award
• When the bid should be submitted
• The format your proposal must be in
• The laws and regulations you must comply with if awarded

Are You Eligible?

After reading, if you find that you have missed important deadlines or that your company is not as qualified for this as you thought, you should not spend time focusing on this contract. It is better to look for something new.

Here are some questions to think about to see if you are capable of fulfilling all the requirements:

• Are you able to perform the work up to quality standards?
• Can you fit this into your company's budget?
• Do you have conflicting projects that may interfere with this contract?

Submit Your Bid

Once you have found that the contract is a good fit for your company, it is time to apply.

Most solicitations will reference the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). These may give a general idea of how they want the bid to be submitted, or they may provide their instructions. When they provide these directions, it can sometimes be that they are looking for more than what is required by the FAR.

Most solicitations are requested to be sent electronically, but some require the proposal to be printed, bound, or within a CD or USB before being mailed out. Like the first point, to know what they are looking for, you will need to read all the documentation.

Proposal Writing Tips

Here are some additional government contracting tips to keep in mind:

• Be sure to proofread your offer. Not only do misspellings and typos look unprofessional, mistakes can disqualify you from the contract and serious errors can even result in penalties.
• When listing quotes, remember the lowest bid does not necessarily win the contract every time. Buyers are more likely to consider other factors such as past performance, experience, capability, and business stability before they consider the price.
• Make sure your SAM registration is current and complete before bidding. You could lose a contract for your SAM not being active or up to date. Do not be scared to reach out to the point of contact listed on the solicitation. They will sometimes have a period where they take questions and provide answers as a modification.
• If you feel that you do not have the time or energy, you can always reach out to have a professional technical writer assist you in writing. Our affiliate provides proposal writing assistance or guided help where they provide instructions and look your offer over before it is submitted. You can reach out to them at (855) 545-6604.