Respond to a solicitation | GSA
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Respond to a solicitation
Take your time crafting your
response
(also referred to as an offer, proposal, quote or bid) to a contract opportunity. You want to ensure your response thoroughly addresses the contract requirements.
How to respond to a solicitation
Before getting started:
Read the solicitation thoroughly to ensure you understand the:
Government’s
requirements
Factors the government will use to
evaluate
your proposal
Sign up to be notified of any amendments, additions to, or communications related to the solicitation.
Understand the requirements
The solicitation will include a description of its requirements, typically by using one of these documents:
Statement of work (SOW)
When the government knows exactly what it wants done and how it needs to be done, it will use a SOW. Your offer should make clear how your business will ensure all of the work will be delivered on time and exactly as expected.
Performance work statement (PWS)
When the government uses a PWS, it’s because it knows the specific outcome(s) it needs and how it will measure those outcome(s), but leaves it up to you to determine how to achieve them. In this case, your offer should provide a clear explanation of the activities you’ll perform and how they will ensure the desired outcomes are met or exceeded.
Statement of objective(s) (SOO)
When the government is open to a wide range of solutions to meet their objective(s), it will use a SOO. You will need to develop and include in your offer a proposed PWS (i.e., your solutions), performance metrics, a measurement plan, and a quality assurance plan.
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Understand the evaluation criteria
The solicitation contains important information on how your proposal will be evaluated. The evaluation factors will include some or all of the following:
Cost:
How competitive your cost proposal is considering the quality of the products and services your business will deliver. (Though important, cost by itself is often not the most important factor.)
Technical approach:
How well your proposal or bid demonstrates a clear understanding of the government’s needs and your plan to fulfill those needs.
Past performance:
If your business or proposed team have successfully completed projects of similar scope and size.
Management approach:
Your plan for executing, monitoring, and controlling the work on the project.
Experience:
The relevant experience and education of your team members.
Quality control:
The quality control metrics and processes you’ll use to ensure the project meets or exceeds expectations.
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Submit your response
The solicitation will contain instructions for submitting your offer. Make sure you follow these instructions and submit your offer on time. In most cases, the government will not accept a late proposal.
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Rates are available between 10/1/2023 and 09/30/2026.
The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.
Additional terms and conditions
Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations,
unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where
lodging is obtained.
Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as
"all locations within, or entirely
surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within
those boundaries."
Per diem localities with county definitions shall include
"all locations within, or entirely
surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties,
including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties
(unless otherwise listed separately)."
When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is
located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the
entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties,
even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.