Used in American federal government contracting as equivalent to Instructions to Bidders in Canadian government contracting, but with the advantage of a cool acronym: IFPP.
Acronym pronounced by spelling it out.
How to Talk to the Contracting Officer
First, a word about their legitimate interests. Well, three words: a good competition.
What is a good competition?
For a contracting officer, it’s one that does not require them to explain to their bosses any of the following:
- Why their RFP attracted just one bidder
- How their evaluation criteria produced just one qualified bidder
- Why the lowest qualified bidder didn’t win the award
- Why an unsuccessful bidder is suing
Is a good competition one that generates best value or the best technical solution? Not necessarily. Those aspects are more the purview of the technical authority.
What does that mean for you, as a bidder?
Do not confuse the contracting officer’s genuine commitment to keeping bidders in the hunt with a guarantee of a level playing field. Evaluate your chances of winning for yourself.
Do not waste time trying to get them to do things against their interests:
- Restricting competition by demanding experience levels only your company can meet
- Setting personnel qualifications unreasonably high
For best results, align your suggestions with their interests and feel free to comment, respectfully, on the following:
- The probable effect of existing RFP terms (SOW, draft contract, procurement methodology) on your decision to bid
- The apparent fairness or objectivity of an evaluation criterion
- The link between the procurement methodology and some stated client policy, especially in government procurement
Asking Questions: Why it matters what you do with the answers
Actually, it matters what you do with amendments in general, not just answers to your questions.
Why?
There are no good outcomes to be had by missing changes (additions, deletions, amendments) to the RFP. Nope, not even one.
Missing a changed SOW requirement could increase the cost of your solution compared to competitors, or make you non-compliant, or make you look unprofessional.
Missing a changed response instruction could make you non-compliant or make you look unprofessional.
What should you do?
If the client issues a revised RFP, distribute it/make it available to everyone, highlight the changes, and follow-up on the implications with those responsible for implementing them:
- Technical experts
- Writers
- Volume leads
- Editors
- Production staff
If the client does not issue a revised RFP, then amend your master copy, and proceed as above.
See here for how to track your questions.
Term: Hill to Die For
Something on which you cannot compromise and still maintain your professional standards and proposal responsibilities.
Most often heard in the negative, as in “That’s not a hill to die for.”