1. They read the Executive Summaries and start the “You have got to be kidding” pile (trash pile) for proposals that start with “Our firm is a world class, best-of-breed company that is eminently qualified to serve your agency.” Evaluators read the Executive Summaries of the proposals that don’t immediately fall into the trash pile. A truly hypnotic Executive Summary means that you completely understand the solution they want and can convince them in two pages that you can provide it with minimal risk.
  2. A skim read of the technical chapter usually shows an evaluator that you have what they want. Then an evaluator might flip to the personnel chapter to see who the company is offering as Project. Manager. The proposal might go into the trash pile immediately if the evaluator finds five resumes with no staffing commitment as opposed to the single resume that the RFP requested.
  3. Most evaluators want to make the trash pile large and the “read completely” pile as small as possible. The evaluator will read just as much as necessary to put your proposal in one of the two piles.
  4. Now read and score the good pile carefully. And then score the trash pile less carefully.
  5. Do all federal evaluators work this way? No, but busy, overworked or bored reviewers tend to find the easiest wav to accomplish their objectives. Give them precisely what they asked for in the simplest, clearest, and most compelling way.
  6. The art of proposal writing consists of providing a compelling solution that addresses all of the requirements specified in the Request for Proposal, and avoiding the trash pile. Don’t bid if you don’t think the evaluators will move you into the good pile quickly with a minimum of effort.