By: Chuck Doyle, GovBD, REI Systems

A recent GAO Protest decision was released late May regarding the timeliness of proposal submission. What should be gleaned from the decision is simple – Follow the guidelines in the FAR or your proposal will be rejected.

In conclusion, the offeror’s submissions were rejected for a variety of reasons: a bid proposal was delivered on time but not “received” by the agency prior to the deadline, the size of an attachment exceeded the agency’s system, and a proposal was submitted but not signed until 23 seconds after the deadline – all which ended up in a rejection.

Considering how much your organization invests in winning a proposal only to have it rejected, what types of issues arise from a proposal submission that is not accepted? None that will be welcomed by an executive team – loss of potential revenue which could be in the millions over a few years, the significant waste of valuable B&P resources, and potentially ruining good standing relationships with teaming partners or even with the agency expecting to evaluate your submission.

This protest decision comes at a time where it is integral to be efficient and effective as a Business Development (BD) and proposal team. What if a system were able to update your BD, proposal, and executive team of upcoming proposal due dates? Are there any other ways that you imagine a system could benefit your BD and proposal efforts?

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