APEX: How to Make Informed Bid “Go/No Go” Decisions (2024 Update)

This training is designed to provide an in-depth review of the Federal Government’s Uniform Contract Format (UCF) structure and contents, and how to use that information to make better Bid “Go/No Go” decisions.

It is widely recognized in government contracting that most companies have limited Bid and Proposal (B&P) budgets and that it often takes a significant amount of time, money, and resources to develop a responsive and competitive proposal. Furthermore, under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the government does not reimburse a company’s B&P costs. Those costs are considered a normal “cost of doing business” and are allowable under government contracts as an indirect expense to the extent that those costs are allocable and reasonable. Just because a company believes it can deliver the required government products and/or services doesn’t mean that its proposal will be competitive and result in a contract award. Given the fact that there are no guarantees that a company will win any government contracts and recoup all or a portion of their B&P costs, it is important for a business to carefully choose which contract opportunities they want to pursue.

One way of getting the most out of a limited B&P budget and increasing your company’s contract win rate is by conducting bid “Go/No Go” evaluations. These evaluations help prospective offerors assess their core competencies, resources, and potential competitiveness in light of the government’s solicitation requirements, evaluation factors, and stated basis of award.

If you are new to the government marketplace, applying the tips and strategies discussed in this course will help you focus on contract opportunities that align with your core competencies, better understand the government’s UCF structure/requirements, and increase your competitiveness.

If you are a seasoned government contractor, this course will provide you with strategies to achieve a better return on your B&P investments, increase your competitive edge, and improve your contract win rate.

Here is a summary of what you’ll learn:

• How requirements, acquisition policies, and thresholds drive government procurement strategies and how this information can be used to fine-tune market capture efforts.
• Required business capabilities for government prime contractors and subcontractors.
• How to locate attractive contract opportunities that align with your company’s core capabilities and competitive strengths.
• How to use the Uniform Contract Format (UCF) to better understand the government’s requirements, proposal instructions, and source selection methodologies.
• How to build and perform critical bid “Go/No Go” evaluations based upon the government’s UCF requirements, procurement strategy, and basis of award.
• How to address and mitigate identified UCF capability shortfalls to improve your competitiveness and chances of winning government contracts.
• How to demonstrate “responsibility” when your company currently does not have all of the capabilities to successfully complete the government’s contract requirements.
• How to evaluate the government’s UCF requirements and conduct bid “Go/No Go” evaluations to improve your company’s government contract win rate.

This session will also include two handouts of the presentation documents and lifetime access to the course within the Govology.com platform. If you join the live session, you will also have the opportunity to ask your most pressing UCF and bid “Go/No Go” evaluation questions from a highly experienced, award-winning contracting professional who’s been on both sides of the government/industry market.

Target Audience:

• New contractors seeking to learn how to use the Uniform Contract Format (UCF) to perform bid “Go/No Go” evaluations and win their first government contract.
• Seasoned government contractors seeking to refine their market capture strategy, improve the fidelity of their bid “Go/No Go” evaluations, and increase their contract win rate.