Understanding the Solicitation Before You Write
The single most important step in proposal writing happens before you write a single word: thoroughly reading and understanding the solicitation. Every federal solicitation contains specific instructions for how proposals should be organized, what information must be included, and how proposals will be evaluated. Ignoring any of these instructions is the fastest path to elimination.
Start with Section L (Instructions to Offerors) and Section M (Evaluation Criteria). Section L tells you exactly what to include and how to format your proposal. Section M tells you how the government will evaluate and score your response. Your proposal strategy should be built entirely around maximizing your score against Section M’s evaluation criteria.
Read the Statement of Work (SOW) or Performance Work Statement (PWS) multiple times. Understand not just what the government is asking for, but why they need it. What problem are they trying to solve? What outcomes matter most to them? The proposals that win are the ones that clearly connect their approach to the government’s actual needs.
Building a Compliance Matrix
A compliance matrix maps every requirement in the solicitation to your proposal response. Create a spreadsheet with columns for the requirement reference, the requirement text, your proposal section, the page number, and your compliance status (compliant, partial, exception). This ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
Every evaluator reads proposals with a checklist. If the solicitation asks for 15 specific items and your proposal only addresses 13, those two missing items become deficiencies that can disqualify your proposal. The compliance matrix prevents this by giving you a systematic way to verify that every requirement has been addressed.
Share the compliance matrix with your entire proposal team so everyone understands their responsibilities. Color-code items by status: green for complete, yellow for in progress, red for not started. Review the matrix daily during the proposal development period to track progress.
Crafting a Compelling Technical Approach
Your technical approach is where you differentiate yourself from competitors. It’s not enough to say "we will perform the work as described in the SOW." Every competitor will make that claim. Instead, describe how you will perform the work, what methodologies you’ll use, and why your approach minimizes risk and maximizes value for the government.
Structure your technical approach around the evaluation criteria, not the SOW sequence. If the evaluation criteria prioritize "management approach" over "technical capability," lead with management. Mirror the language of the evaluation criteria in your section headings and opening paragraphs so evaluators can quickly find what they’re looking for.
Use specific, concrete details rather than generic claims. Instead of "our team has extensive experience," write "our project manager led three similar migrations for the Department of Energy, transitioning over 5,000 users with 99.8% uptime during cutover." Quantified claims are more credible and more memorable.
Include graphics, diagrams, and tables wherever they add clarity. A well-designed process flow diagram communicates your approach more effectively than three paragraphs of text. Government evaluators read hundreds of pages during a single evaluation — visual elements help your key messages stand out.
Past Performance That Wins
Past performance is typically one of the highest-weighted evaluation factors. The government wants evidence that you’ve successfully done similar work before. Select past performance references that are as relevant as possible to the current solicitation in terms of scope, complexity, value, and agency.
For each reference, include the contract number, agency, contract value, period of performance, and a narrative describing the work performed and results achieved. Highlight aspects that directly relate to the requirements of the current solicitation. If the new contract requires cloud migration and you performed cloud migrations on a past contract, make that connection explicit.
Contact your references before submitting the proposal. Let them know they may receive a past performance questionnaire from the government and remind them of the project details. A reference who is prepared to speak positively about your work is far more valuable than one who has to scramble to remember the engagement.
If your company is new and lacks federal past performance, don’t panic. You can cite commercial contracts, subcontracting experience, and the individual past performance of your key personnel. The proposal should address the past performance evaluation factor even if you need to explain your "relevant experience" differently than established contractors would.
Pricing Strategy
Government pricing is evaluated differently depending on the contract type. For firm-fixed-price contracts, the government compares your total price against competitors and assesses whether it’s fair and reasonable. For cost-reimbursement contracts, the government evaluates your cost estimate for realism and completeness.
Price is rarely the sole determining factor. Most federal evaluations use a "best value" tradeoff process where the government can pay more for a technically superior proposal. Understand the evaluation approach before setting your price. If the solicitation says "technical factors are significantly more important than price," competing solely on price is the wrong strategy.
Build your pricing from the bottom up: start with labor categories and rates, add other direct costs, apply indirect rates (overhead, G&A, fee), and document every assumption. Government auditors may review your pricing basis, so maintain a clean paper trail showing how you derived every number.
Review, Refine, and Submit
Build at least two review cycles into your proposal schedule: a draft review (Pink Team or Red Team) and a final review before submission. Fresh eyes consistently catch compliance gaps, unclear language, and logical inconsistencies that the writing team has become blind to.
For the final review, verify every requirement in your compliance matrix one last time. Check page limits, font sizes, and formatting requirements — non-compliance with these administrative requirements can be grounds for rejection. Verify that all required forms, certifications, and attachments are included.
Submit early. Technical difficulties with SAM.gov’s submission portal, email size limits, and other last-minute problems are common. Submitting 24 hours early eliminates the risk of a technical failure causing a late submission. Remember: there are essentially no exceptions to the late submission rule.
The Proposal as a Sales Document
A government proposal is ultimately a sales document. It needs to clearly communicate your understanding of the requirement, your technical approach, your qualifications, and your price — all while demonstrating compliance with every instruction in the solicitation. The best proposals tell a compelling story about why this team, with this approach, at this price, is the right choice.
Proposal writing improves with practice and feedback. After every submission, whether you win or lose, request a debriefing from the contracting officer. Debriefings reveal how evaluators scored your proposal and where you can improve. Over time, this feedback loop is the most valuable tool for improving your win rate.