1. Preparing for the Request for Proposal
a. The purpose of the RFP
b. Initial review
c. Tie into information gathered during the market assessment process
d. Establish team
2. Reviewing the Request for Proposal
a. Review each section of the RFP for critical items
b. Part I — The Schedule
(a) Section A — Solicitation/contract form
(b) Section B — Supplies or services and prices/costs
(c) Section C — Description/specifications/statement of work
(d) Section D — Packaging and marking
(e) Section E — Inspection and acceptance
(f) Section F — Deliveries or performance
(g) Section G — Contract administration data
(h) Section H — Special contract requirements
c. Part II — Contract Clauses
(a) Section I — Contract Clauses
d. Part III — List of Documents, Exhibits, and Other Attachments
(a) Section J — List of attachments
e. Part IV — Representation, and Instructions
(a) Section K — Representations, certifications, and other statements of offerors or respondents
(b) Section L — Instructions, conditions, and notices of offerors or respondents
(c) Section M — Evaluation factors for award
f. Identify critical requirements
g. Compliance matrix Review of evaluation criteria
h. Deploy resources to focus on those areas the RFP identifies as critical to the customer
3. Organizing to Prepare the Proposal
a. Establish budget for preparing the proposal
i. Dollar amount
ii. Time line
b. Identify proposal manager
c. Assign a team
i. Identify skills consistent with the importance of the proposal
ii. Identify the people with the skills and assign them to the proposal
d. Identify volume managers
i. Management
ii. Technical
iii. Cost
e. Establish control points
4. The Technical Approach
a. Dissect the statement of work or statement of objectives
b. Identify main requirements
c. Evaluate technical trade-offs
d. Ensure ambiguous requirements are thoroughly assessed
e. Prepare Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
i. Use the customers first two levels if provided
ii. Complete the WBS to appropriate level
iii. Establish appropriate work packages
iv. Prepare WBS dictionary
v. Consider the establishment of an Organization Breakdown Structure
f. Storyboard the technical volume
i. Document assumptions
ii. Establish ground rules
iii. Establish discrete section where appropriate
iv. Create themes
v. Identify artwork and graphics
vi. Identify strengths and develop a strategy to capitalize on them
g. Begin writing
5. Technical risk management
a. Identify technical issues that present cost, schedule or performance risks
b. Develop preliminary strategies for dealing with identified risks
c. Begin developing risk management plan
6. The Cost Volume
a. Estimating resource requirements
i. Document assumptions
ii. Use the WBS structure
b. Direct labor
i. Labor Categories
ii. Labor Rates
iii. Labor Mix
iv. Learning Curves
c. Direct material
i. Interdivisional transfers
ii. Raw material
iii. Subcontracts
d. Other direct costs
e. Costing estimated resources
i. Application of rates and factors
7. Cost Accounting Standards
8. Truth in Negotiations Act
9. Dangers in deviating from established practices
10. Cost realism analysis
a. Consistency between the technical proposal and the cost proposal
b. Ensure the technical approach described in the technical proposal is consistent with the resources estimated in the cost volume
c. Ensure the skill sets are consistent
d. Ensure subcontractor estimates are consistent with the technical approach
11. The Management Volume
a. Past Performance
b. Earned value management systems
c. The importance of a sound project management system
d. Describing the management approach
e. Integration of subcontractors into the project
f. Special requirements
g. Integrated project teams, and other special control teams
h. Small business subcontracting plans
i. Risk management plans
12. Reviews
a. Technical reviews
i. Review assumptions
ii. Rigorous questioning on the technical approach
iii. Look for weaknesses
iv. Importance of the right team
b. Cost reviews
i. Review assumptions
ii. Validate rates and factors
iii. Reasonableness assessment
c. Final approvals
i. Provide time for final reviews
ii. Ensure the proposal gets there on time
13. Role of Policies and Procedures
a. Importance of estimating policies and procedures
b. Importance of following policies and procedures
14. Characteristics of an Effective Proposal
a. Clarity
b. Offers what the customer ask for
c. Responsive to the terms and conditions
d. Properly supported with logic, rationale, and explanations
