14 Tell-Tale Signs To Determine if a Request for Proposal is Created for Someone Else

All requests for proposals may look wired. The truth is, hardly any of them are really wired. Clients may have some biases but they can be stolen away when they are offered something better. Have you ever thought about how you purchase things? Many consumers will give businesses they’ve transacted with for a time the benefit of the doubt. However, if they find another business that can provide them with better products or solutions, or offer them a lower price, there’s a tendency they’ll switch. This is true, especially when the buyer and seller relationship is damaged. You don’t have a way to know without the bidding process.

Using the word “wired” make it seem like it is or it’s not when in reality it’s a matter of how much. We all deal with the odds and not with the certainties.

These are some signs that the odds may be against your favor. None of these are definite on their own but one or more will probably be true on each bid. However, these may add up to something if several of them are true.

⦁ Emphasis on the evaluation criteria so that only the incumbent can get high marks. An example is the staff’s experience of being bid with customer-specific or obscure tools. Overemphasizing the significance of experience may be another.

⦁ Emphasis on the criteria that are easy to choose as a preference. Quality and risk mitigation are perfect examples.

⦁ Prohibitions against rehiring and contacting current staff.

⦁ Uncommon labeling of key important staff. It’s not a good sign if all the staff are regarded as key personnel and all resumes are required for the staff being bid.

⦁ Evaluation methods that are outside the company’s norm. When this pricing is usually evaluated at 40%. On the RFP, the price is currently evaluated at 10%. You have to determine the reason behind it but you also need to learn the trends and norms for that client.

⦁ Use several evaluation criteria to communicate the same thing. To illustrate this, requiring previous performance projects to include the team being bid so that they are tallied twice. If these are combined, they can cause one certain element to count out of proportion.

⦁ Inflexible and short deadlines. It may not mean much but it may be favorable for the contractor who’s anticipating the bid.

⦁ The obscurity that favors the incumbent. An example is a requirement to supply customized software without properly defining the requirements. Scopes without any definition. Named deliverables but aren’t described. Statement of Work that needs you to learn about the client’s unidentified standard operating procedures.

⦁ Too many details that are overwhelming.

⦁ Page limitations leading to difficulty in responding to all requirements so only the favored bidder knows which parts to focus on and which ones they can skip without being tagged as “non-compliant.”

⦁ Fixe price proposals that provide incomplete information on the duration.

⦁ Unusually quick answers to questions, specifically when only a few bidders are bidding or when they don’t respond to questions that they can answer easily.

⦁ Unusually long responses to questions, usually provided at the last minute with no extensions.

⦁ RFP-specified processes that cannot be flow-charted or mapped to only allow someone with related experience to figure out how they work.

It’s important to let your guard down when it comes to bids that were supposedly wired. It’s crucial to notice these signs to know how to play the game.

If you need help in winning Government contract biddings or discuss the teaming opportunities, feel free to reach out to Chris Stahl at [email protected]

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About Us

BiC-1, LLC is a U.S.-based, diverse, Small Business Joint Venture Partnership, supported by our Channel Member Services and Supply-Chain Management Center (SCMC). We are a Channel of Best-in-Class, small businesses with extensive breadth and depth, specializing in areas of Data Center Management, Cloud Solutions, Cyber Security, Systems Integration, Worldwide C6ISR, Data Analytics, and Mission-Focused Engineering.

Our Capabilities

As a Potential PRIME Bidder for several opportunities, BiC-1 has experience with several DOD and Federal Agencies in the areas of Data Center Management, Cloud Solutions, Cyber Security, Systems Integration, Worldwide C6ISR, Data Analytics, and Mission-Focused Engineering, Program Management, Help Desk support and Emerging advanced technologies areas.

Our Channel of companies hold various Industry Certifications and Top-Secret and Secret Facility Clearances that enable our Team to bid on almost any Clearance required work.

We have access to over 10+ IDIQs/GWACs, including CIO SP3 SB, STARS III, ITES-3S to name a few.

The companies in our channel possess a diverse range of industry certifications, as well as Top-Secret and Secret Facility Clearances. These certifications and clearances equip our team with the necessary qualifications to bid on virtually any clearance-required work.

Our team has access to more than 10 IDIQs/GWACs, which includes notable contracts such as CIO SP3 SB, STARS III, ITES-3S, among others.

If your company possesses the qualifications required to participate in the Small Business Domains mentioned in the below-mentioned pools, we kindly request that you respond at your earliest convenience.

To qualify for this opportunity, your proposal must demonstrate that you have experience managing contracts with a total value of more than $2 million, with a preference for contracts with a value of $5 million or more. You should have at least 5 FTEs with the contract, and 20 FTEs or more would be a plus. Your proposal should also show that you have provided services that involve 5 or more personnel with individual security clearances, such as Secret, Top Secret, or Q (DOE). It is also important that your experience includes task orders from competitive environments such as MA IDIQ, GWAC, or Multiple Award BPA.

If this creates interest and you would like to discuss the teaming opportunities on OASIS Plus, please reach out to Chris Stahl at [email protected]