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How to Read a Typical Bid

April 13, 2006

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Let's take a closer look at a typical bid using a common form as an example, Standard Form 33 (SF 33), and we'll show you how to look for what is important.

Among the Business Tools is Standard Form 33. It is in Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf), and you will need the free Acrobat Reader to view and print the file.

The SF 33 is divided into four major parts:

• Blocks 1-8: The first part contains basic information about the solicitation and is filled in by the government buying office. (Block 2, the contract number, is not filled in by the government until award is made.)
• Blocks 9-11: The second part is the Solicitation area. Block 11, Table of Contents, is very important. The sections of Block 11, when taken together, make up the whole solicitation and resulting contract. For example, it contains specific information about the solicitation and also the place where you will enter your bid price.
• Blocks 12-18: The third part is the Offer area and is filled in and signed by the bidder before returning the offer to the buying office.
• Blocks 19-28: The fourth part is the Award area and is completed and signed by the government when it makes the award.

Warning Caution We strongly recommend that, when reading a bid, you read it in a particular order. Certain sections are related to each other, and it will be much more efficient and understandable if you read them together.

Here is the order we recommend for reading SF 33:

Identify which sections of the form apply to the particular bid. We begin our reading of the bid by first taking a careful look at Block 11, Table of Contents. We begin here because the Table of Contents identifies all the applicable sections that will make up the contents of the subsequent contract. For instance, Section B (see below) of Block 11 tells you what is being bought and provides the place where you will put your bid price.

Note that the Table of Contents is divided into the following four parts:

Each Part is further broken out into several sections. Here is a sample Table of Contents for Part I. Note that all the various sections may or may not apply; a check mark or "x" in the left column will let you know which do.

Note that the majority of pages consist of the Part I The Schedule, Table of Contents; and Part II Contract Clauses. Part III List of Documents itemizes all the attachments included with the solicitation. Part IV Representations and Instructions contains the solicitation provisions that require completion by the bidder, and the information and instructions to guide bidders in preparing proposals, such as evaluation factors for award.

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