Federal RFPs – Anatomy of a Federal Request for Proposals

Posted by editor on May 26th, 2009

At the state and local level, government RFPs can vary immensely in size, structure and content. Experience with one local agency’s RFP format and bidding process might not necessarily help a contractor navigate another agency’s RFP. Thanks to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), however, the same cannot be said of federal RFPs. In fact, part 15 of the FAR dictates a uniform federal RFP format for most federal contracts.

Anatomy of a Federal RFP

Like most government documents, a federal RFP tends to be thick and full of difficult-to-understand, bureaucratic language. Understanding the format of a federal RFP can make bidding on federal contracts much easier. It gives you a good sense of where to look in the RFP document for specific requirements, and if you’re having trouble deciphering the government-speak, it helps to know what the section that’s giving you trouble is all about.

Unfortunately, the FAR is just as hard to read – if not harder – than a standard federal RFP. It’s a document designed to lay out regulations in no uncertain terms, and is heavy with legal language. This is a good thing for contract lawyers, and for the federal government, but for a contractor trying to decipher a federal RFP, the FAR can be a confusing and frustrating read.

To help combat that confusion, Onvia has put together a complimentary whitepaper on the basic anatomy of a federal RFP. We walk you through the uniform federal RFP format from start to finish, breaking down each section’s requirements into easy-to-read language. Refer back to this walkthrough as you prepare your proposal – it will clue you in on where to look for requirements such as pricing format, statement of work, and more.

Complimentary download: Anatomy of an RFP