10th Annual Defense Trade Show

1. The SBTDC is a business advisory service of The North Carolina University System
operated in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
sbtdc.org | info@sbtdc.org

2. Small Business and Technology
Development Center (SBTDC)
Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)
Proposal Writing Basics
LaNell Grissom

3. Agenda
Please turn all cell phones to vibrate
Please feel free to ask questions
• SBTDC and PTAC Services
• Getting Started
• Writing Proposals
• Submission and Award
• Final Thoughts

4. Small Business and Technology
Development Center (SBTDC)
Confidential one-on-one counseling
• General Business Services – planning, marketing,
financing, human resources, operations
• Strategy and Organization Development Services
• Export Financing Assistance
• Technology Development and Commercialization
• Boating Industry Services
• Government Procurement Assistance
– Procurement Technical Assistance Center
www.sbtdc.org

7. Procurement Technical
Assistance Center (PTAC)
Assistance selling to federal, state and local
government entities
• Understanding government rules and regulations
• Completing mandatory registrations and certifications
• Researching award histories
• Identifying contracting opportunities
• Reviewing bids and proposals
• Understanding Federal Supply Schedules

10. SBTDC and PTAC Statewide Offices
Asheville, Boone, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Cullowhee, Durham, Elizabeth
City, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, Pembroke, Raleigh,
Wilmington, and Winston-Salem

11. Before Selling to the Government
• Internet access and computer knowledge
• Potential to sell to the government
• Determination to sell to the government
• Knowledge of competition and how they succeed
• Perseverance
Contact a PTAC Counselor!

12. Is the Government Market for You?
• What a government contract can do for your business
– Diversify your customer base
– Cover overhead costs
– Even out cash Flow
• What a government contract cannot do
for your business
– Jump-start your business
– Save your business
– Be the sole customer of your business

13. Bidding and Proposal Writing –
Getting Started

14. Before Submitting Response
• Identify opportunities
• Determine solicitation type, procurement method, and
contract type
• Read all solicitation documents associated with the
opportunity
• Understand applicable Terms and Conditions
• Determine potential to bid
• Contact PTAC for assistance

15. Identifying Opportunities -
Where to Look

18. Identifying Opportunities –
What to Look For
• Presolicitation
• Sources Sought
• Special Notices
• Request for Information
• Solicitation (Combined Solicitation)
– Request for Quote
– Request for Proposal
• Modifications
• Award Notice

19. Procurement Methods & Solicitation Types
Procurement Method Solicitation Type
• Simplified Acquisitions • RFQ – Request for
Quotations
• Sealed Bidding • IFB – Invitation for Bid
• Negotiated Procurements • RFP – Request for
Proposal

20. Procurement Method –
Simplified Acquisitions
• Purchases over the micro-purchase threshold and up to
$150,000 (increased as of Oct 1)
• Informal advertisement required for purchases over
$10,000 and up to $25,000
• Formal advertisement in FBO required for purchases
over $25,000
• Solicitation in form of Request for Quote (RFQ)
• Solicitation must state basis for award
• Notification to unsuccessful bidders only if requested

21. Procurement Method –
Sealed Bidding
• One of two methods used for procurements over
$150,000
• Formal Advertisement in FBO required
• Solicitation in form of Invitation for Bid (IFB)
• Solicitation will utilize Uniform Contract Format
• Bids are publically opened and read aloud by an
authorized person at the time set for bid opening
• Award is made to lowest price responsive and
responsible bidder

22. Procurement Method –
Negotiated Procurement
• One of two methods used for procurements over
$150,000
• Advertisement in FBO required
• Solicitation will be Request for Proposal (RFP) or may
use Request for Quote (RFQ) (up to $6.5 mil for commercial)
• Usually all proposals are evaluated, with discussions
conducted with “Short List” (competitive range) offers
• Basis for Award may be best value, but may also be
based on low price technically acceptable (LPTA)

23. Contract Types
• FFP – Firm Fixed Price
– Most commonly used
• CPFF – Cost Plus Fixed Fee
– Used for high risk projects
• T&M – Time and Material
– Used for services contracts
• IDIQ – Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity
– Most commonly used with Federal Supply Schedules

24. Solicitation Document
• Parts of a Solicitation
– Schedule
– Contract Clauses
– Attachments
– Representations and instructions
• Solicitation Formats
– Simplified Format: SF 1449
• Simplified Acquisitions
– Uniform Contract Format: SF 33
• Sealed Bidding & Negotiated Procurements

25. Uniform Contract Format
• Section A – Solicitation/Contract Form
– Basic information from the buyer, bid number, issuance date,
and purchase authority
• Section B - Supplies/Services and Prices/Costs
– brief description of services or supplies and the quantities
sought, unit of issue, unit price and total price
• Section C - Description/Specifications/Statement of Work
– a description of the requirement and the details of how, what,
when, and where the government wants

26. Uniform Contract Format
• Section D: Packaging and Marking
• Section E: Inspection and Acceptance
• Section F: Deliveries or Performance
• Section G: Contract Administration Data
• Section H: Special Contract Requirements
• Section I: Clauses
• Section J: List of Documents, Exhibits, and other
attachments

27. Uniform Contract Format
• Section L: Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to
Bidders
– What is needed to prepare, organize and format your proposal
• Section M: Evaluation Factors for Award
– Provides the criteria that will be used in judging which proposal
best meets the requirements of the government

28. Determine Your Potential
(Competiveness & Successful Performance)
• Is the opportunity consistent with your business plan?
• Do you have adequate plant capacity, equipment, and
personnel?
• Can you beat the competition?
• Is the risk manageable?
• Can you make money?

29. Bidding and Proposal Writing –
Preparing a Response

30. Response Preparation
• Analyze solicitation and make a working copy
– Supporting documents (specs, drawings, SOW)
– Amendments too!
• Refer to research websites
– Rules and regulations, Government language
– Purchase and award histories
• Prepare and Compile proposal documents
– Solicitations instructions
– Evaluation factors

31. Solicitation Analysis
• Read through solicitation again more carefully, marking
all action items
• Note actions required to prepare the proposal and tasks
specific to contract performance
• Identify requirements or tasks that are unclear or for
which you need assistance
• Write all questions to submit to the contract POC

32. Research – Rules and Regulations
• Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
http://farsite.hill.af.mil/ or http://www.acquisition.gov/far
• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/
• United States Code (USC)
http://uscode.house.gov/
• Government Acronyms
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/acronyms

35. Research – Purchase and Award History
• Federal Acquisition Jumpstation
http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/fedproc/home.html
– Research contracts and opportunities
• Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)
https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/
– Statistical information on federal contracting
– Detailed data for >$25K, Summary data for <$25K
• USASpending.gov
www.usaspending.gov
– Pulls information from FPDS

38. Preparing the Proposal
• Check registration in CCR
• Make sure Representations and Certifications are
processed online: https://orca.bpn.gov/
• Create an Action Plan and assign tasks
• Outline your proposal
– Administrative Data
– Technical Proposal
– Pricing Proposal

39. Proposal Writing Tips
• You can never take back a first impression
• Identify company & solicitation # on each page
• Be sure the narrative description of your approach to the
work is clear to non-techies
• Use simple, straightforward writing style
• Spell and grammar check, use page numbers
• Observe specified page limitations
• Identify each line of proprietary data
• Provide current and accurate POC information

40. Proposal Pricing Tips
• Charge Enough
• Know your competition
• Know your costs of doing business
• Include a reasonable profit and G&A
• Have an accountant calculate indirect costs
• Avoid perpetuating a losing operation
• Clearly prove the price is fair & reasonable
• Verify numbers

41. Format of the Proposal
• Follow all of the instructions and sequence given in the
solicitation
• Focus on customer’s mission and goals, being mindful of
evaluation factors
• Check and recheck all cost and pricing data, provide
supporting documentation
• Provide all the required information in enough detail to
give the customer confidence that you understand
thoroughly.

42. Compiling the Proposal
• Using the tasks list or action items list, collect all the
parts
• Arrange them in the specified sequence
• Make a Table of Contents; use divider tabs
• Make a cover page, brief cover letter or Executive
Summary
• Conduct a scrub down in-house, then have a PTAC
counselor scrub it for you

43. Bidding and Proposal Writing –
Submission and Award

44. Submitting the Proposal
• Use checklists provided by the contracting agency
• Have someone unfamiliar with the solicitation proofread
your proposal
• Sign all documents as indicated
• Submit the original and keep a copy
• Submit the bid on time in prescribed manner
• Attend bid opening (if applicable)

45. Proposal Evaluation
• Responsive – did you submit the required documents in
the required format?
• Responsible-is your company qualified and eligible to
receive the contract/award?
• Competitive-is your price “fair and reasonable” under the
circumstances?
• Technically Acceptable-does your product or service
meet the customer’s requirement?

46. Communication Period
• Assign ONE individual to administer all communication
• Log all communications, keep notes and copies of
everything
• When answering a question, include your understanding
of the question itself

47. Negotiations
• Know the customer and their procedures
• Ascertain your contract’s authority
• Ask which elements of the proposal are negotiable and
which are not
• Be honest
• Document everything

48. Contract Agreement
• The contract document must reflect what the parties
agreed to and must be understandable
• When satisfied, sign it in colored ink so originals are
distinguishable from copies
• Distribute conformed copies as needed and all
subsequent modifications to the same list

49. Win or Lose
• Ask for a Debrief
• If you win, find your weak areas for improvement
• If you did not win –
– Request debrief from contracting officer within 3 days
– Don’t be discouraged. No one wins every time
– Learn from the experience. Prepare for the next opportunity

50. Final Thoughts
• Be proactive and persistent when looking for the right
opportunity
• When responding, determine if cost is worth item/service
• Ensure all proposal documents are signed as required
• Do not be late with your submission
• Get everything in writing
• Learn from your experiences
• Call PTAC with questions

51. North Carolina PTAC Counselors
• Clark Fields – Asheville: 828.251.6025 or cfields@sbtdc.org
• Wanda Robinson – Hickory: 828.345.1049 or wrobinson@sbtdc.org
• George Griffin – Greensboro: 336.779.7339 or ggriffin@sbtdc.org
• Rebecca Barbour – Raleigh: 919-715-7373 or rbarbour@sbtdc.org
• LaNell Grissom – Fayetteville: 910-672-1727 or lgrissom@sbtdc.org
• Mark Mills – Program Director: 828-345-1115 or mmills@sbtdc.org

52. QUESTIONS?