If the first rule of proposal writing is “give the agency the information it asks for,” the most important corollary is “make the proposal easy to understand.” In other words, clarity and consistency is key; avoid anything in your proposal that might raise questions, confuse the evaluators, or otherwise detract from your message that youRead More
Just as in golf swings, your follow-through in Government Accountability Office (GAO) protests can mean the difference between success and failure. And if you don’t have a solid argument to bolster your protest grounds, you might want to rethink bringing them in the first place. The recent GAO decision in U.S. Electrodynamics, Inc., B-418574.2; B-418574.4Read More
While some rules may seem basic enough to overlook, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision sustaining the protest in Avionic Instruments LLC (Avionic), B-418604, B-418604.2 (June 30, 2020) reminds us of a fundamental tenet in government contracting for both agencies and offerors: abide by the terms of the solicitation. The underlying solicitation, a request forRead More
A lie may be a lie, but false representations and certifications on SAM may not necessarily be a proper protest ground. As the recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision in Phoenix Environmental Design, Inc. (Phoenix), B-418473, B-418473.2 (May 20, 2020) suggests, “minor” inaccurate statements may fall short of sustaining a protest. Through the underlying solicitation,Read More
Ideally, an agency’s solicitation would provide comprehensive information about its requirements so that interested offerors each had what they needed to craft their best response to the agency’s actual needs. Such a situation would create a level playing field for competition and allow the agency to conduct a meaningful “apples to apples” evaluation to determineRead More