Read the Fine Print, Twice!

April 13, 2006

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Find out the government's needs and specs. The first, and most important, sections you should review are Part I Section B (Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs) and Part IV Section L (Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors). These sections are crucial, so read them together carefully and check out the information to see whether this is a product or service that you can provide, and whether you comply with the requirements. Take notes!

Assess the evaluation factors. Next, read Part IV, Section L (Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors) and Section M (Evaluation Factors for Award). (Note that you just read Section L in the preceding step, but you need to read it a second time in conjunction with Section M.) These sections tell you which factors the government is going to use in evaluating the bids and making its decision for award, such as key personnel, technical capability, or financial or transportation resources. Check the factors carefully to see whether your company is deficient in any area. If it is, correct the problem before you send in the bid or do not bid on the solicitation. Remember that you must consider all the factors in the contract, not just some. Take notes!

Determine the general and specific requirements of the contract. The next areas to review are Part I, Section C (Description, Specifications and Work Statement), and Part I, Section J (List of Attachments). Section C gives you the general specifications of what the government is looking for. Check the specs carefully; you must be able to comply with all of them. Note that sometimes you may find some inconsistencies between the requirements in Section C and the requirements in Section J. That's because Section J contains the attachments to the bid, which could include changes that affect the work statement in Section C. In general, Section C contains the general requirements for the contract, while Section J contains the specific requirements. It is imperative that you read both sections carefully! Be sure to take notes!

Warning

Caution

If you have any questions, you must address them before award of the contract or, if issued under sealed bid procedures, before the bid opening. If you sign the contract in the hopes that the government will accept something else afterward, you are betting on a really dead horse.

Check out the technical and special requirements. Now read Part II Section I (Contract Clauses); and Part I Section H (Special Contract Requirements), Section D (Packaging and Marking), Section E (Inspection and Acceptance), Section F (Deliveries or Performance) and Section G (Contract Administration Data). These sections provide all the technical requirements on which you will need to perform. Check the packaging requirements in Section D carefully and, if necessary, work with someone knowledgeable in government packaging and marking. Some of the requirements might sound extreme, but remember (especially if the part, product or assembly is for the military) that the item may have to withstand extreme conditions (e.g., battlefield, being dropped out of a plane, hitting a beach at 30 miles per hour, etc.).

In some cases, both the military and civilian offices have recently loosened up on some of their special packaging and packing requirements. Packaging standards in the commercial market are often just as good or better than government standards, so commercial items are now often accepted as they come from the supplier. Also, the government is moving toward an "as needed basis" mentality - in other words, the government no longer stocks items as it did in the past, which permits less stringent packaging requirements.

Read the certification provisions. Currently, you don't have to answer these reps and certs in each solicitation you respond to (see Chapter 7 on Online Representations and Certifications Application). You only need to certify that the data you put into ORCA is current or to indicate any changes necessary for the specific solicitation. However, read Part IV, Section K (Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors). Here is where you certify that you are a small, minority, or women-owned business; that you have not been debarred by the government; that you are an Equal Employment Opportunity business; and that you agree to certain other policies or programs of the government.

Remember that you must read each and every applicable section of each and every Part, word for word, and understand the information contained in each in order to be able to bid intelligently on the solicitation.