Tag Archive for federal proposal

OASIS Model Saves Days of Proposal Writing Time

Fedmarket’s OASIS Model Proposal can save days of proposal writing time. Not to mention the proposal writer migraines’ caused by an overly complex solicitation.

Fedmarket’s proposal writer spent about 15 hours preparing each OASIS Model (large and small business versions). The model consists of six volumes with over 50 files formatted according to the solicitation file formatting requirements and proposal submittal instructions. The files contain file completions instructions and model text whenever possible. Instructions are written by deciphering GSA’s overly complex and poorly written criteria for required corporate experience evidence, pool certification requirements, and required contractor certifications for administrative and financial systems.

To exasperate proposal writing requirements GSA has now issued amendments as a result of vendor protests that require Fedmarket to update the OASIS Models for model owners, both large and small. The time required to write the models and update the models based on amendments is longer than would appear on the surface because of the need to meet overdone volume and file format compliance requirements.

Fedmarket is anticipating further amendments and proposal due date extensions requiring more updates to the models.  Each time a amendment is issued, it takes considerable time to update the models for our customers. We are recommending to our customers to wait until the dust settles around protests and amendments before filling out templates completely. In the interim customers should gather the basic data required for corporate experience and pricing in order to eliminate last minute proposal writing crises.

The number of amendments and proposal due date extensions is anybody’s guess.

Welcome to the world of OASIS.

Fedmarket offers a variety of proposal templates, click here, to view.

OASIS Protest Sustained

OASIS protest has been sustained temporarily with a decision by end of September.

Agency-level protest of GSA’s OASIS contract moves forward.

Although most protests lose, Fedmarket believes:

  • There is a good chance the small business qualification requirements will be relaxed because it is the “politically expedient thing to do”.
  • An extension of the proposal due date from 9/17 to somewhere between 10/15 – 11/15 is highly likely.

OASIS Final RFP, a Lesson in Forms Completion

The final GSA OASIS large and small RFPs have arrived at FBO.gov. Responses to the RFP are essentially a forms completion effort once a company has determined that it qualifies for a large or small business award.
Is OASIS too complex?
Fedmarket offers an OASIS Model Proposal template for both the large and small business RFPs. Our models save time in completing an extensive forms completion exercised and are designed to ensure compliance to the RFPs.

OASIS Update

OASIS final RFPs are due out in several weeks. On June 24 GSA posted another draft RFP for both the large and small business procurements. The draft solicitation at FBO.gov now says: “The Final Solicitation and complete attachments are anticipated to be released in the mid July time-frame.”

OASIS proposal writing is a complex file manipulation effort requiring great care to ensure full compliance. Our experience is that GSA will use any small non-compliance reason to reject your proposal to reduce the enormity of evaluating hundreds of proposal.

Fedmarket’s OASIS Model Proposals:

  • Reduce proposal writing costs
  • Ensure compliance
  • Simplify task of deciding to submit a bid (by reading the simplified template formats)

The model proposals costs are valuable and worth the savings in staff time in making a bid/no bid decision.

The final OASIS RFPs will not change significantly from the current draft RFPs.

Purchasers of the draft OASIS Model Proposals will receive an updated version of the models within 2 days of the issuance of the final RFP.

OASIS Model Proposal Text  – Get a head start on your OASIS bid with a model proposal.
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Call 888-661-4094, Ext. 2 for more information or to purchase by telephone.

Why Proposals Lose

Fedmarket uses a structured RFP-driven proposal process that ensures proposal compliance. We win a majority of the proposals we write and almost all of the multiple award (IDIQ) bids. Yet some of the single award proposals we write proposals lose. Why, because the customer:

  • Was stretching its capabilities and experience and corporate egos hate to admit it.
  • Did not write the critical technical content required to win (a proposal service company usually cannot write complex technical solution content. This has to come from the customers technical staff or proposal library.
  • Won technically but lost on price.
  • Did not understand what the customer asked for in the RFP, e.g., they wanted experience in building barracks and the fact that you built huge shopping centers did not score points.

And sometimes the customer just wanted to work with the company they know and love.

OASIS Requirements

GSA is accepting proposal submissions from prime contractors only. Subcontractor experience and teaming arrangements are not part of a proposal submission. The solicitation evaluation criteria are weighed in favor of:

  1. Large, multiple professional services contract experience
  2. Federal contract experience
  3. The education and experience of the two required contract management resumes
  4. The sophistication of the offerors account and purchasing systems and professional certifications

OASIS Minimum Experience Requirements

Requirement OASIS Unrestricted OASIS Small Business
Number of Projects Five (5) distinct projects, each as a prime contractor Five (5) distinct projects, each as a prime contractor
Project scope of work includes core disciplines (Core disciplines: Program Management Services, Management Consulting Services, Scientific Services, Engineering Services, Logistics Services, and Financial Management Services) One (1) of the six (6) core disciplines One (1) of the six (6) core disciplines
Project scope of work involves performance and/or integration of core disciplines At least four (4) out of the six (6) core disciplines At least three (3) out of the six (6) core disciplines
Project award value At least $ 5 Million Per Year At least $ 3 Million Per Year
Project closing date Have been completed within the past five (5) years prior to the solicitation closing date or be ongoing with at least one (1) year of performance completed prior to the OASIS solicitation closing date Have been completed within the past five (5) years prior to the solicitation closing date or be ongoing with at least one (1) year of performance completed prior to the OASIS solicitation closing date
Cost-reimbursements contract type At least one (1) project must be for work performed under a Cost-Reimbursement contract type At least one (1) project must be for work performed under a Cost-Reimbursement contract type
Federal projects At least three (3) out of the five (5) required) projects must be for work that was for the federal government under a contract or task order awarded by the federal government At least three (3) out of the five (5) required) projects must be for work that was for the federal government under a contract or task order awarded by the federal government