John,

Not sure if this helps, but there's one rule I try to follow as follows.

"Your proposal should follow the proposal structure identified in the RFP. If the RFP does not identify a proposal structure, follow the structure of the RFP itself when you create your proposal."

There's a lot of money to be made with government contracts, but it's like anything else, you have to learn the ins-and-outs. We get about 25-30 RFP's a week, but only respond to maybe 1. Learning how to filter them without wasting time reading all of each and every one is an art in itself.

I try to just scan them first, mainly I'm looking for something to make me stop scanning that particular RFP so I can move on to the next.

Many RFP's are poorly written because many times the person writing them has little or no knowledge of the thing being requested. Some of those I disqualify immediately, but if there's something in it I like I will usually request clarification.

Sometimes asking for clarification can help because it indicates you've put some thought into the proposal and caught an inconsistency, but it can also hurt depending upon the contracting person, since it means they have to re-write or provide addendum information to all prospects.

I've found that once you win a contract and perform well, contracting officers usually give you bonus points when evaluating potential new contracts, even if you're not low bidder. I've also had them to tailor RFP's so we were about the only bidder able to qualify.

Finally, you may want to do research on propsal writers, these are individuals and companies that do nothing but propsal writing and they have a lot of expertise in the art, because it is an art.

Some proposal writers charge up front and some will take a percentage of the total contract, if awarded, from what I've heard. I've personally never used one so can't help there.

Good luck!

Jim Eddins
dbx-Technologies

>Hi,
>
>I'm hoping to get some response from somebody who is currently contracting with local, state, or the national government. I have recently been listed as a vendor for the state of Texas. I have been receiving some Request For Proposals, but honestly I have no idea how to fashion a proposal for government work. I know it's not as simple as the proposals I am used to doing.
>
>Is there guidelines published somewhere on how to write documentation for governments? Maybe some sample proposals?
>
>Regards,
>
>JL Miller