Mastering the Questions to Ask in a Government RFP Response: Tips and Strategies

Not all questions are created equal in the GovCon RFP world.

Are you constantly disappointed at the Q&A responses you receive in your government contract (GovCon) request for proposal (RFP) responses? As humans, we’re naturally curious. Asking questions is a core instinct, so it makes perfect sense why asking questions in response to a GovCon RFP would be simple. Right?

Wrong. Like, way wrong.

There is an art and science to the RFP Q&A game, and extreme tact and strategic planning are crucial to this often-overlooked facet of the procurement cycle. This is one chance to get your name back in front of the client during a no-contact period. It’s a way to potentially influence the bid. It’s also a way to potentially annoy contracting officers or give away information about your bid to competitors. 

It can be a fine line. However, if done correctly, the Q&A opportunity for any GovCon RFP could prove critical to securing a competitive edge and leveling the playing field when competing against an incumbent.

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The Basics of Government Contracts Q&A

GovCon RFPs are different from commercial RFPs. If you have a question about a commercial RFP, you may get a response or you might not. Commercial clients are not required to offer a Q&A opportunity for proposing contractors. However, for GovCon RFPs, the Q&A process is a highly-controlled undertaking where clients are required to both provide a chance for contractors to ask questions and also provide timely responses or subject their resultant award to protestation.

First, the basics: the Q&A process is a formal opportunity for bidders to ask questions about the project or solicitation before submitting their proposals. Government agencies often issue RFPs with detailed requirements and specifications. These documents are large, have gone through multiple reviewers, and have a lot of regulations they need to follow. This complexity for the agencies issuing requests can often mean these solicitations have errors, unclear aspects, or commentary that requires further explanation. Bidders need to get clarification in order to submit the best proposal possible.

During the Q&A period, potential bidders can submit questions to the contracting agency to clarify these points. Typically, the agency will gather all the RFP questions, answer them in writing, and share the responses with all prospective bidders.

The Q&A process ensures that all interested parties and stakeholders have a full understanding of the project requirements, which is crucial for crafting accurate and competitive proposals and pricing. The Q&A period also helps maintain fairness by providing every bidder access to the same information, leveling the playing field and reducing any potential advantage one company might have over another in the proposal writing process.

And if you’re a small business or disadvantaged or 8(a) business that doesn’t have the luxury of larger teams of experienced professionals on staff, the Q&A opportunity can prove even more valuable. But it can become a strategic dance of deciding what information will help further your contract, and what questions could hinder it. 

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Using the Q&A as an Advantage in the RFP Process

So here are some secrets and key techniques to use as you’re working through your proposal process and the Q&A on a GovCon proposal. These will help you use your questions to drive valuable responses:

• Follow Q&A instructions – Be on time with requested deadlines. Don’t stray outside of the instructions for how to ask questions, by what medium, and in what format. Failure to do so could negate any response you receive or even get you kicked out of the competition. And if they don’t provide a template, build one to demonstrate your organization right off the bat. Remember, their interview starts with your first communication.
• Simplify by being direct and specific – Don’t allow the client a chance to reply with “we cannot provide that information” – include the assumed answer or suggested response and ask for confirmation. (e.g., Not “Who is the incumbent contractor providing the requested services?” Instead, “We understand that Company XYZ is the current incumbent for the requested services. Please confirm.”).
• Include reference information – Cite the document, page number, and section number which requires clarification. If they can’t find it, they can’t address your concern. Make it easy where you can.
• “Ghost” your competition – Should you uncover a deficiency amongst the incumbent contractor or your competition, ask for clarification in a way that forces the client to emphasize that such a deficiency will be disqualifying or detrimental.
• Be confident – We’ve all been told “there’s no such thing as a dumb question.” And you’re smart. If you find it confusing, others will as well. And most often the client will appreciate you asking a question that serves the good of the group.
• But don’t be ignorant – You’re smart, but you still need to be thorough. Make certain the RFP doesn’t already answer a question you’re asking. Doing so wastes the client’s time and could create the wrong impression of the type of partner you’ll be in the future.
• Ask about page count  – Many government solicitations will include a limit on page counts. These can be a helpful way for you to focus your RFP response and really highlight differentiators. It can also be hard to keep your response under the page limit. Clarify what is included in the page limit and what can be used as addendums. For example, if they ask for a project management plan detailing implementation or ongoing contract support, find out if that needs to be included in the page count. 
• Ask about pricing – Pricing plays an outsized role in the evaluation criteria. So get it right. Ask the questions you need to understand how to offer the most competitive price. But make sure you don’t give away the information or methodology you use to develop your pricing model.  
• Think about the deadline – Don’t be afraid to ask about a deadline extension if needed. But be careful to word the request with the benefit for the agency. If you’re asking to extend the deadline, say why and how this will help the agency get better responses to their bids.  
• Connect with subcontractors about Q&A – Make sure your subs have a chance to ask questions too. Give them time to review the RFP or RFI, look at everything from staffing to the vendor selection process, and pain points to ensure they have a chance to ask the right questions too. 
• Don’t give away your “secret sauce” – Always remember your questions and corresponding answers will likely be seen by all interested bidders. Don’t give anything away! Be it a differentiator you offer or insider knowledge you’ve gleaned as a result of your capture efforts, keep those distinctions to include as part of your unique strategy.
• Review your questions prior to submitting – Double-check your questions being careful to only include those that will add value and credence to your response while helping to optimize your evaluation score. If they don’t, reword the question until it will, or delete the question. Questions should always be designed to swing the bid in your favor.

With this framework in mind, you can ask laser-focused questions that give you the information you need to write a rock-solid proposal. The more you can lead agencies toward providing the information you want, the more well-crafted your response can be.

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Sample Questions to Ask During Q&A of a Government Solicitation

Want to know some types of questions to ask during a GovCon RFP Q&A? Here are some ideas of question structures that can help you gain a strategic advantage:

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Questions that can help support your advantage over competition 

Sometimes government solicitations have a requirement that may not be the best way to perform the job. If you’ve worked in the field and industry and know a better way, you can use a question to help cement your advantage. For example, you could build a question like this: 

• Solicitation requirement, change, potential benefit. 

So if the RFP requirements include vendors performing work using a specific software tool or hardware and you know there is a better way, you could ask “The SOW requires work solicitations to be performed in [XYZ software tool]. Would [agency] consider approving the use of an alternate product or platform that meets the performance criteria but offers [enhanced capabilities, better integration with industry standards, or significant cost savings over the life of the contract]?” 

You could also reference how past performance or similar projects helped to shape your experience for why you believe this is a benefit for the agency. 

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Questions that can reshape a solicitation in your favor

Sometimes government contracts require big things that may keep small or disadvantaged businesses out of the running. It’s worth it to find out if those are deal breakers for this agency. For example, you can build a question like this:

• Solicitation requirement, change, potential timeframe. 

If the contract requires you to be FEDRAMP certified before implementation, that could be a big roadblock for smaller businesses. It’s a time consuming process that would definitely be worth it if you won this contract, but has less of an ROI without the contract already in place. So you could ask a question like “The RFP requires FEDRAMP certification, would the [agency] consider allowing the vendor to complete FEDRAMP certification within 90 days of contract award?”

Still need help stepping up your GovCon RFP Q&A game? Reach out and we can set up some time to help you gain valuable insight into what questions to ask or anything else that’s got you scratching your head. Contact us today to see the new heights your business can reach with Summit Strategy.