How to Write a Bid for a Government Contract

Bidding on contracts with the government can be a smart way for your business to diversify its revenue streams. Federal, state, provincial, territorial and local governments across the U.S. and Canada spend billions of dollars each year on government contracts to partner with businesses providing many different kinds of products and services.

This guide will help explain how to write a bid for a government contract, whether your business is just starting to sell to the public sector or is a veteran provider of products and services to the government.

In This Article:

• How Do I Get Started Bidding on Government Contracts?
• Choosing Your Market for Government Bids
• Identifying Types of Government Contracts for Bid
• What to Include in Your Government Bid
• Things to Check in Your Government Contract Bid
• How to Write Government Bids as a Small Business
• Tools to Help Write Government Contract Bids

Veteran contractors know that successful businesses don't just check off boxes during the bidding process to win business. Selling to government agencies, much like selling in the commercial sector, is about building trusted relationships. Just like in the commercial sector, at the end of the day, federal agencies and local governments buy from people and companies they know and trust.

Building a reputation as an expert in your industry, building relationships with potential customers and partners, locating the right opportunities for your business and getting face time either at industry events or meetings are all as vital to government business as they are in private sector sales.

Studying the market your business sells in to understand the nuances of each segment of the government marketplace is a crucial step that will help your business put its best foot forward when it submits proposals to get government contracts.

Federal Government Contracts

If your business is starting out in federal government contracting, the below complimentary guide can help with the basics of selling to federal agencies.

• [Guide] Federal Government Contracting 101

SLED Government Contracts

Working with state, local or education (SLED) government entities? This free guide has tips and tricks for beginning your government sales initiatives.

• [Guide] SLED Government Contracting 101

Canadian Government Contracts

To begin or expand your business in the Canadian government market, this guide contains information on getting government contracts and growing your pipeline.

• [Guide] Canadian Government Contracting 101

At all levels of government, there are contract opportunities for your business to provide products and services, no matter what you sell (with very few exceptions). Government agencies purchase products and services through a variety of solicitation types. These are the most common types of government contracts that your business may encounter:

1. Fixed-price contracts
2. Cost-reimbursement contracts
3. Time and materials contracts
4. Indefinite delivery/Indefinite quantity (IDIQ) Contracts

Guide to Government Contract Types

Learn directly from Deltek’s government contracting industry experts as they examine each of the four different types of government contracts.

Download Your Guide

The writing process for a government bid is completely different from any other form of writing – and the bid itself differs depending on the type of contract, level of government and type of materials or services being offered. In the final stages of writing the bid, it may seem difficult given the format, content and many requirements to include.

It is important to follow the guidelines for responses and have a review process to spot inconsistencies, properly edit your own writing, address all aspects of the government contract proposal and adhere to formatting requirements. Some prime contractors will create an in-house “Red Team” to review their final proposal.

Generally speaking, these items should always be included when you are bidding on Canadian, SLED or U.S. federal contracts:

• Scope of Work: You will need to break down your solution to the government’s problem and explain to the contracting officers how your firm can go the extra mile and why the products or services you offer are the best fit for their needs.
• Strengths and Details of Your Company: You will have to demonstrate what your company brings to the table. Items to highlight may be relevant experience and contracts you have successfully executed on in the past, your understanding of the government agency’s needs and the unique elements that make your company the best possible provider.
• Compliance Checklist: You will want to demonstrate that you are compliant with all aspects of the government's proposal. This can be very specific and technical and may include technical capabilities, past performance and meeting any regulations required by the government. Often, a compliance matrix can help track all of these items.

Your company’s Red Team or the individuals responsible for checking and submitting the bid can consider these “Five C’s” when going through their bid or government contract proposal review.

1. Coherence: How is the language of the proposal? Be mindful of technical jargon and focus on what the proposal is asking for.
2. Completeness: Is every requirement in the RFP fully addressed? This includes formatting, questions and submission requirements; be sure to address any gaps in strategy.
3. Compliance: Do all sections of the final proposal incorporate listed regulations, at the state, local or district level? Are there any data restrictions to consider? Is the proper legal language in place to protect proprietary information?
4. Consistency: Are all sections of the proposal in the correct order? Does the formatting remain the same throughout?
5. Correctness: This is where you check for nitty-gritty errors such as grammatical discrepancies or numerical typos. Be sure the proposal is thoroughly checked and that it creates a cohesive response to the RFP.

If you are a small business trying to bid on opportunities with the government, you should determine which socioeconomic categories, if any, your business falls under. These categories can give you another contracting advantage.

For many types of contract, governments are often required to set aside part or all of a contract for one or more of these categories of business.

• Government Contracts for 8(a) Business
• Government Contracts for Minority-Owned Business (MOSB)
• Government Contracts for Woman-Owned Business (WOSB)
• Government Contracts for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

Additionally, there are programs for federal contracts like the SBA 8(a) Business Development Program, which assists historically underutilized businesses (e.g., woman-owned, minority-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned) via sole-source, noncompetitive contracts. These programs offer resources that will help you write a compelling government bid.

If you are seeking to work for prime contractors as a subcontractor, instead of working directly with the government you will instead be submitting a proposal to a prime. A subcontractor proposal differs in many ways from a traditional government bid and your business should follow a different set of steps when seeking out the work.

Write a Bid for a Government Subcontract

Small Business Government Contracting Guide

Learn how to get your business started in government contracting, plus get advice on bidding on contracts and developing strong proposals.

Get the Guide

By understanding how governments are purchasing the products and services that your business provides and gathering the information you need to put together a winning proposal, you can gain the upper hand when writing a compelling government bid.

It can help to have access to a service like GovWin IQ to provide your team with the most up-to-date information on the government market, along with timely research and expert support. GovWin IQ is the industry-leading platform for government contractors with more than 7.1 million tracked opportunities and bid notices across U.S. and Canadian governments - helping thousands of customers find and win more business.

Win Government Contract Bids with GovWin IQ

Learn how the leading market intelligence platform can help you find and win more government bid opportunities.

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