Better RFP Responses & Management
 
Proposal Land

Submission Mandatories

Types of Submission Mandatories

Document Examples

  • Contractual documents; for example:
    • Signed offers that bind the bidder to deliver what has been proposed, if accepted
    • Documents indicating the authority of the person signing
    • Joint venture agreements
  • Certifications; for example:
      • Federal Employment Equity registration number
      • Validity of resumes
      • Acknowledgement of all amendments
  • Financial documents:
    • Financial statements
    • Letters from banks and insurers
    • Bonds from insurers

Condition Examples

  • On-time submission at the designated location, in accordance with packaging and labelling instructions
  • Separation of technical and financial content as specified
  • Submission of a “complete” bid; that is, one that bids on all desired products and services and/or that includes all required proposal sections, copies, and media formats
  • Attendance at mandatory meetings or events for bidders during the response period

What’s required in *your* proposal?
I don’t know. Read the RFP.

 

Proven Process for Managing Submission Mandatories

Goal: Make process reliability obvious.
Process: One does, one checks.

Standards for the Identification Stage

  • Scope: Search the entire RFP (including the SOW), not just the response instructions.
  • Independence and standardization: Develop independent lists that record RFP reference, page number, and requirement (so they can be confirmed quickly), and how and where (in the proposal) they are to be submitted.
  • Completeness: Compare the lists and repeat as needed to get a comprehensive master list.

Standards for the Execution Stage

  • Assign someone with domain knowledge to get the right document or to complete the document right, as the case may be.
  • Assign some knowledgeable and picky someone to confirm stuff as it comes in, or to bounce it if necessary. In sufficient time to recover.