Winning That Government Contracting Award · Session 3 of 4
How to Read a Federal RFP
Brandon Mason · Maryland Small Business Development Center
Friday, October 2, 2026
Before we start
Scan your worksheet
- Point your phone camera at the code. Or click the link in the Zoom chat.
- Fill in page 1 now. Name, email, business, where you are today.
- Open today's practice solicitation too. Its link is in the chat.
Link is in the Zoom chat
Don't hit Submit until the last slide. When you do, the slides, the compliance matrix template and every link land in your inbox.
Today
What we're covering
- 01The anatomy of an RFP: Sections A through M
- 02The reading order that actually works
- 03The five sections that drive your proposal
- 04Sections that still need a response
- 05Building the compliance matrix
- 06Traps that catch small businesses
Our practice RFP
We read a real one today
Today's practice solicitation
Janitorial and Carpet Cleaning Services
- Solicitation: W912DR26QA051
- Buyer: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District
- Where: 125 recruiting offices, 29 in Maryland
- Set-aside: Total Small Business Set-Aside
- Due: July 13, 2026 (awarded Sept.)
Real, and awarded.
Link is in the Zoom chat (DoD's PIEE site, no login). We read it together all class.Part 1 · Anatomy
Sections A through M
| Group | Sections | What you do with them |
|---|---|---|
| Drive your proposal | A · B · C · L · M | Cover page, pricing, the work, instructions, evaluation |
| Need a response | H · J · K | Special requirements, attachments, reps & certs |
| Read, then sign | D · E · F · G · I | Packaging, inspection, delivery, admin, FAR clauses |
13 sections. About 5 drive what you write.
Part 1 · Anatomy
Our RFQ, mapped to A through M
Different labels.
Same five questions. Ours arrives as separate attachments.The reading order that actually works
Part 2 · Reading order
A → L → M → C → B
Stop. Don't read A through M.
The cover page
Section A · Cover page
Two minutes, five facts
- Solicitation number: goes on every question and every page you submit
- Type: sealed bid (IFB), RFP, or RFQ
- Issue date and due date: your clock starts
- Contracting officer: the one person you ask questions
- Issuing office: who is buying
- Page count: how big a lift this is
Check the type box.
Sealed bid = price decides. RFP = they score your approach too.Your instruction manual
Section L · Instructions
The recipe
- How many volumes: technical, price, past performance
- What goes in each, and in what order
- Page limits per volume
- Format: font, size, margins
- How and where to submit, and by when
- What not to send
If L says it, you do it.
No exceptions. 51 pages on a 50-page limit can be thrown out.Worksheet checkpoint · Section A
Read the cover page and the instructions
Open the practice solicitation. In Section A of the worksheet: the due date and time, how to submit, and one instruction you could get wrong.
Link is in the Zoom chat
How they'll score you
Section M · Evaluation
Two ways to win
Best value trade-off
Quality can beat price
A stronger proposal at a higher price can winLPTA
Pass, then cheapest
Meet the technical bar; lowest price wins- The factors, their weights, and the sub-factors in order
Ours: LPTA. Technical, past performance, price.
The work
Section C · The work
Find every "shall"
A SOW tells you how; a PWS tells you the result. Either way, every shall gets an answer.
- Every "the contractor shall" is a requirement
- Performance standards and how they're inspected
- Where, when, and how often
- Period of performance: base + option years
- Required staff, clearances, certifications
The pricing structure
Section B · Pricing
How they want the money
| Pricing region (ours) | What you price |
|---|---|
| MD / Northern Virginia | Every site in the region, every line |
| Eastern PA / DE | Every site in the region, every line |
| Western PA · Central PA · WV | Bid only the regions you can serve |
- Contract type: ours is firm fixed price
- Labor rates by category × hours, at or above the wage determination
- Leave a line blank and you're incomplete
Worksheet checkpoint · Section B
Find the scoring and the "shalls"
Section B of the worksheet: how this one is evaluated, two "the contractor shall" statements from the PWS, and one question you'd ask the contracting officer.
Link is in the Zoom chat
Sections that still need a response
Part 4 · Response required
Don't skip these
Check every attachment for an action item.
Building the compliance matrix
Part 5 · Compliance matrix
Every requirement, one row
| RFP ref | Requirement | Instruction (L) | Scored under (M) | Proposal section | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PWS 1 | Quality Control Program in 30 days | Vol I: staffing & mgmt plan | Technical | 1.2 QC program | Draft |
| PWS 1.2 | Keep inspection records | Vol I: technical approach | Technical | 1.3 QA/QC | Outline |
| PWS 10 | Provide all equipment & supplies | Vol I: equipment list | Technical | 1.4 Equipment | Not started |
| Wage det. | Pay SCA rates | Vol III: price | Price | Price schedule | In review |
If only one tool leaves with you, make it this one.
Part 5 · Compliance matrix
Six steps to build it
Build the matrix before you write a single word.
Found in our RFQ
Spot the conflict
- Evaluation Criteria: 3 similar projects in the past 5 years
- Past performance questionnaire: 2 references in the past 3 years
- The questionnaire calls relevant work "crane support and inspection"
Ask. In writing.
That's what the question deadline is for.How it ended
Who won
| Awardee | Based in | BPA value on the award notice |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Cleanz LLC | Germantown, MD | $4,956,097 |
| Greenfield International Corp. | Woodbridge, VA | $4,979,445 |
| Integrity Core Alliance LLC | Austell, GA | $2,853,298 |
Three small businesses. One is from Germantown.
Part 6 · Watch for these
Traps that catch small businesses
Can sink you
- Breaking a format or page-limit rule
- Missing a "shall"
- Treating the attachments as FYI
- Missing the due time or time zone
Costs you points
- Reading it once instead of three times
- Writing to what you do, not to Section M
- Skipping the Q&A window
- Writing before building the matrix
Today
What to remember
What's next
Submit your worksheet
Monday, Oct 5 · 10:00 a.m. · Session 4
Basics of proposal writing
- Writing to the evaluation criteria
- Structuring each section
- Standing out in a stack of 20
- Bring your compliance matrix
Worksheet · Section C
Write your one step, then submit.
Your inbox gets: this deck with notes, the compliance matrix template, the practice solicitation link, and acquisition.gov.
Questions?
Brandon Mason · Maryland SBDC
bwmason@umd.edu
No-cost, one-on-one consulting. Register as an SBDC client: mdsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/signup
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.