Increase your Chances of Winning a Government Contract through your RFP

Posted by Administrator on January 16th, 2007

A client recently brought up some points about responding to government RFPs and the purpose of routine RFPs. He asked, “Why do agencies put out an RFP for products and services if they have been working with a competitor of mine for years?”

Why a Government Agency May Choose to Release a Routine RFP

Government agencies are required to put out annual RFPs or they lose their budget. This is the most clear-cut reason why the RFP is visible to any interested vendors, even if a relationship exists with a particular supplier.
To ensure that the agency receives the best service or product value and keep the supplier on their toes. Even if an agency has a strong relationship with a specific supplier, the agency must constantly be on the look out for the best value for their spending dollars.
An agency may need to talk about an added service or product associated with the routine RFP and exchange ideas with the supplier. If an agency experiences budget cuts or there is a need to adjust a contract to include a few more services, it is convenient and more time-efficient for the agency to request that a vendor propose how to complete the contract and how much the project would cost.

Because so many factors come into play when an agency puts out a government RFP, it is important to engage in conversation with the agency early on about responding to an RFP. This will help your company gain a clearer picture of the competitive landscape and whether or not it’s in the company’s best interest to invest time in writing a response to a routine RFP.

Three Things to do before Responding to an RFP

Access information on which companies the government agency has worked with in the past.
Research award data.
Contact the buyer who awarded the contract.

For a better understanding of the agency’s procurement history, you will need to figure out how many awards were given out in years past for services your company specializes in. Although you can look up any time frame, you may want to research the past 5 years of data to get a more accurate picture of the agency’s award history. Once you look at past award information and who your competitors are, contact the agency and ask plenty of questions. Ask if they are happy with their current supplier and ask what they would like to improve about their current product or service– use this information to your advantage in your presentation to the agency and when responding to an RFP.