DOT's Quick Tip: How to Increase Your RFP Submittal Score

Guest Author: Karen Lorenzini, P.E., DOTomation Senior Strategist

Never forget that the Evaluation Team members are reading anywhere from 2 to 100 proposals. What can you do to help them give you points AND, in case the scoring is close at the end, remember your team as being the most qualified to serve their needs?

DOT's Quick Tip: Organize Your Proposal Correctly to Increase Success 

The evaluators may read each team’s proposal through from start to finish. If the scoring criteria are in clear sections, however, it is equally (or more) likely they will read the proposals by section, scoring each section one at a time across all teams. For example, they may read and score all 100 Technical Approaches first before moving on to Project Manager (PM) Experience.

Organize your proposal into the bite-sized sections they’ve clearly listed in the RFP/Q, and/or based upon the scoring criteria provided. For example, if the scoring criteria are separated into Technical Approach, PM Experience, etc., use these as section headings for your proposal. Why? So that the CST can easily find the information to give you points. 

Be aware that material outside these headings may not be scored, so keep it brief or consider including it at the top of the first section. Generally, it is a good idea to address the sections in the order of the selection criteria OR at least well-labeled in the order you prefer.

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