Inside Information

During the dinner prior to the presentation, I sat next to panelist Patrick Breen from the GSA. I asked him, “What are the RFI responses you receive like?” He answered, “Thirty percent of them just ‘don’t get it’ at all. And 50% send brochures or canned boiler plates.” I followed up by asking, “How often is it you get a good proposal from one of the thirty percent?” He said, “Never.”

Lenise Lago from the Forest Service

Lenise Lago from the Forest Service mentioned a recent procurement where they received 18 RFI responses. Based on quality of the responses, they sent RFPs to only 6 of the companies.

“RFP responses are of critical importance” Lenise said, “We don’t need ‘broad information.'”

“We need specific information showing an understanding of the SOW. Going to an 8(a) is ‘very easy’ if we don’t get quality responses to the RFI. We also need specific answers on price. Another important thing is transition; we can lose a lot of time if the contractor can’t execute an efficient transition,” she said.

To finish off she recommended reviewing the performance standards used in our contracts and if necessary calling the point of contact.

What is the Purpose of the RFI? Patrick Breen from GSA discusses

 

Patrick Breen from GSA said, “What is the purpose of the RFI? It is to gather information that will help us ‘actually buy’ something. Is it suitable for a set-aside? On the programs in the $50 – $650 M range, can the bidder provide suitable small business participation? Does this require one contract for a system integrator or multiple contracts? Content is the key in a good RFI response. We are not looking for ‘pure marketing information’. We are looking for answers to our question – ‘short, targeted, meaningful answers’. How it can be done or why can’t be done?” he said.

“Format is key. We must be able to find your answers since we are likely reading 40 – 50 responses. Getting your response formatted right may impact your ability to bid. Be sure to reference the correct agency or department [don’t let the wrong company name slip in from some improperly edited boiler plate from another job]. Is the type of contract suitable? We are in earnest about this process because we don’t want to have to go back to the agency and say, we need several hundred thousand dollars to redo the solicitation because there were no qualified bids. FedSim does due diligence on vendor capabilities. We have one-on-one meetings, and I spend 2 – 3 hours every day in these meetings,” Patrick added.

Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, APMP President

Olessia said that those bidders who want to win treat the RFI response like an RFP. They put together a team and prepare a quality response. In a recent experience one of her customers provided real focus on the RFI. Their RFI response was rated as “superior”, and they went on to win a large contract.

Be sure to tailor past performance and other sections. One-on-one meetings are very valuable to make suggestions regarding type of contract, evaluation factors, and otherwise influence the development of the RFP. If diplomatically done, comments reflecting on errors or undesirable features of the RFI can have a positive outcome. Here there is a fine line between making helpful comments and running the risk of offending the customer.