1. Attention to Detail in Competitive Procurements Prepared By: Steve Kramer and Chris Whyte Procurement All Hands July 2, 2013

2. Why is attention to detail important? Details can be the key to successful competitions, maintaining schedules, avoiding protests, and successfully defending protests. Protests can cause extensive delays and hundreds of thousands of dollars in NASA resources. RFP problems, evaluation problems, and protests result in NASA resources being diverted from other key duties.

3. RFP Tips for Section L & M Tailor the requested proposal instructions to your requirement. If not important and/or you don’t think it will result in a discriminator, then don’t ask for it. Samples are great. HOWEVER, don’t blindly copy a sample without understanding what and why we are requesting it. – If you don’t understand the language, ask questions! Ask the previous CO, or your PM, Associate, and/or SEB Manager. – Ask yourself, “Do we need this evaluation criteria for this procurement?” Work with your customer(s) and share training guidance with your customer(s). Remember to complete ALL CO fill-ins

4. Mission Suitability Sections L & M Should Mirror each other Section M is not an opportunity for creative writing! Inconsistent language between Section L and Section M leads to ambiguity and confusion which increases the risk of developing findings inconsistent with the RFP. Result=PROTEST! Consider using numbering and or headings when developing Sections L and M. They can be deleted prior to posting the RFP. Prior to the review cycle, read Sections L & M side-by-side to ensure quality and consistency. It may be helpful to cut and paste Section L into Section M and then modify. Use words such as effectiveness, efficiency, reasonableness, adequacy, etc. to describe how the Government will evaluate the offeror’s proposal. It is desirable for all evaluation team voting members to read and review applicable RFP areas, particularly Sections L and Section M prior to RFP release and ask questions if they don’t understand. Use template language for L&M for Safety & Health and SBU.

5. Example of Sections L & M Mirroring Section L: Describe the procedures for determining applicability of subcontracting, if any, and for managing subcontracts. The offeror's planned usage, if any, of subcontracting agreements shall be addressed. The offeror shall discuss its plans for addressing any problems that arise as a result of the proposed organization structure or poor and/or non-performance of subcontracted portions of the contract.

6. Mirroring Continued: Section M:

7. Evaluation Findings Details and impact statement are critical to well written evaluation findings Example: – Significant Weakness: The offeror does not adequately describe the utilization of the Engineering Model (EM). The EM is not adequately addressed in the schedules that the offeror proposes for the Implementation Phase. There is limited discussion concerning the use of the EM for system level testing. The offeror fails to demonstrate an understanding of the use of an EM as a proven method of reducing program risk. Failure to utilize the EM will significantly increase cost and schedule risk, which appreciably increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

8. JOFOC tips and common mistakes Tell the complete story: – Include appropriate background information and history – Include schedule milestones – How/why did we get into this situation? – How will we avoid getting into this situation again? Make sure dates are consistent and correct – 30 days does not always equal one month Make sure numbers are consistent and correct – Government estimate should be consistent in PR, spreadsheets, and JOFOC – Double check mathematical calculations for accuracy Use Microsoft Word for spelling and grammar checks. Print and read carefully before submitting for review.