Back to Basics

I can remember first hearing the phrase, "Answer the mail". As mentioned in the previous post, I began working in the Washington, D.C. metro area as a high school English teacher within a year of graduating college. A profession with its own host of challenges and common rhetoric. So, when I made the transition into Government contracting I didn't think I'd need to learn a new language. New vocabulary, yes. But the seemingly endless borage of acronyms and short-phrased references was overwhelming. And, if I'm being honest, quickly became annoying.

"Umm, why is everyone speaking in code? Is it even necessary?"

If you've worked in the Government contracting bid and proposal industry for one full working day, I'm sure you've found yourself asking the same exact question.

Plainly put, "Answer the mail," refers to writing and developing a responsive proposal in adherence to the instructions and evaluation criteria of the solicitation. While I came to learn that several factors and references concerning writing a responsive proposal can be encapsulated in the question, "Did we answer the mail?" Arguably, the most critical and potential proposal canceling agent is Compliance. Don't get canceled. Section L is your friend! This cannot be over-emphasized.

👉HERE COMES A GENERALIZATION.👈

Federal solicitations generally consist of standard sections of information required to be included in any competitively bid contract according to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). That's the law book of federal contracting. It informs the Government and participating parties of what is or is not legally permissible in government contracting.

Sections C, L, and M are generally considered to be the sections containing the most important information concerning the writing and development of your proposed solution. Section C includes all of the contractor performance requirements and sometimes a list of contract deliverables. Section L provides you with instructions for organizing and writing your proposal. And Section M lays out the criteria by which your proposal solution and organization will be evaluated by the Government.

Sounds simple enough, right? Eh, sometimes. In fact, often times these sections can seem to conflict with one another. Others are downright contradictory. Dr. Bob Frey, APMP Fellow, PMP a Proposal Architect/Strategist for Federal and Commercial proposals in his recent LinkedIn post states, "Ensuring full compliance with Federal Government Request for Proposals (RFPs) sounds straight-forward, but it can be quite complex and convoluted."

RELEASE THE COMPLIANCE MATRIX!!! A compliance matrix establishes standard guidelines and directs all proposal participants through accurate and congruent development of the proposal document. It establishes a framework in accordance with the instructions for writing the proposal in adherence to the customer's submittal requirements. There will be a separate post on Compliance Matrices later.

This nods to the importance of reading the entire Request for Proposals (RFP). I'll cover the near-infinite tactics and best practices for reading an RFP in future posts, but it cannot be over-emphasized. This is the making of YOUR contract. The Contracting Officer's Podcast, hosted by former contracting officer Kevin Jans, provides digestible, high-level coverage of the importance of reading the RFP in its entirety in Episode 176: Reading the RFP.

Write to the Point: Compliance is king in the realm of federal contracting. Writing a compliant proposal is an on-ramp onto the acquisition speedway as a competitive bidder. A non-compliant proposal disqualifies you from ever pulling out of the Tire pit. Compliance is a critical success factor for bidding on federal contracts. If you want to successfully compete in the federal contracting industry, it starts with compliance.

"Scribere verba vita" (To write is life of words)