Writing a winning proposal requires two tasks to be preformed with great competency: Unfortunately, your wonderful presentation of reasons for winning is unlikely to be seriously considered if you have not first eliminated reasons for losing. It is obvious why this is so. A Source Selection Evaluation Board faced with the task of evaluating 40 or more competitive proposals is more likely to look for an easy way to reduce the number of proposals than it is to fully evaluate every proposal. This easy way to reduce the number of proposals is by finding a proposal to be non-responsive. A non-responsive proposal is one that omitted required information, or failed to address a required topic, or put required information in the wrong proposal section. Omitting a minor item, that does not materially impact the proposal but is required by the RFP, can be reason for finding a proposal to be non-responsive. A non-responsive proposal does not need to be evaluated further.

Proposals are determined to be non-responsive even if the required information is in the proposal but in the wrong section of the proposal. Some beginning proposal writers make the argument that the information flows better or makes more sense if arranged in a particular manner. That may be a good argument for a novel or an essay but it is not valid in a proposal. Organize the information in your proposal precisely where as RFP requires.

The RFP required information must all be in the proposal and must be located in the proposal where the RFP requires it to be. No exceptions