How to Respond to a Government RFP
Responding to a government request for proposal (RFP) can be a time-consuming process. While the work involved is demanding, government RFPs are typically relatively lucrative potential contracts. The process does not have to be a chaotic one; rather, with the proper people on board and a little planning your bid can be put together efficiently ahead of the due date. If your organization's strengths and assets match the RFP's scope of work, the process can be mastered and easily duplicated in the future.
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Instructions
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Alert your team to the government request for proposal you wish to respond to. Your organization might be a one-man operation or a multinational corporation. Either way you will likely not go about the application process on your own, nor will you complete the work by yourself if the contract is awarded. All parties who will be involved in completing the work should be on board before you start the proposal. In most cases, you will give different sections of the RFP to the individuals most capable of completing them. For example, the person that handles your organization's finances will most likely work on the budget for the RFP.
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Assess the scope of work the government requires. Ask for input from your team members. Ask key questions. Can we complete this scope of work competently and efficiently? Do we have the time and resources? Can we bid competitively?
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Begin to delegate responsibility for each portion of the RFP. Set deadlines for when each person's portion of the scope of work is due.
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Prepare the budget for the project and bid competitively. This can be tricky. Governments are always looking to save money, but they will usually only give work to competent and established firms.
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Merge, assemble and edit each portion of the request for proposal. Precisely followed all directions. Government RFPs tend to include more steps, have more paperwork and require more detail than private RFPs. If directives are not followed, your proposal might be excluded. If you are unsure about anything, call the government agency and ask questions. It is better to ask than do something wrong and miss out on the opportunity. While government RFPs tend to have more paperwork and logistical hoops to jump through than private RFPs they are often relatively lucrative so be thorough when editing.
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Tips & Warnings
If allowed, include letters of reference from current and previous clients, especially those that might have some connection to the entity to which you are pitching.
Create a template from your first couple of request for proposal responses so that your organization is prepared to efficiently apply to future opportunities.
