One day I got a call from a company I had helped prepare a proposal. They are a staffing company that specializes in healthcare workers. They are a small business and had lost their last five bids in a row.
Especially after early 21st century reform in contracting, past performance has become the section that often decides who wins or loses the contract. The hundreds of proposals we have worked during the past three years have usually assigned 30 - 40% of the total evaluation score to past performance. Past performance can assume an even more important position in the proposal, however, because Source Selection committees are going to award contract only to vendors with strong past performance.
Especially after reform in contracting, past performance has become the section that often decides who wins or loses the contract. The dozens of proposals we have worked during the past three years have usually assigned 30 - 40% of the total evaluation score to past performance. Past performance can assume an even more important position in the proposal, however, because no Source Selection committee is going to award contract to a vendor lacking strong past performance.