Many solicitations limit offerors to a small number of past performance references and define what counts as recent and relevant. A firm with a long history faces a selection problem: which contracts best demonstrate that it can do this work? A firm with a short history faces a different one: which of its few contracts will hold up best under evaluation? In both cases, the choice deserves deliberate thought, not a last-minute grab from the content library.
Start with the solicitation’s definitions
Read the past performance instructions and evaluation criteria closely before choosing anything. Note:
- The recency window, such as work performed within a stated number of years, and whether ongoing contracts must have a minimum period of performance completed
- How relevance is defined, usually in terms of scope, magnitude and complexity, and sometimes customer type or contract type
- Whether references from teammates, subcontracts, commercial customers or state and local governments are allowed and how they will be weighed
- Whether the evaluation includes questionnaires, and who must complete them
- Any limit on how many references may come from each team member
A contract that falls outside the recency window or fails the relevance definition can waste one of your limited slots.
Map candidates against the requirement
List every contract that could qualify, then build a simple matrix. Put the major task areas of the new statement of work down one side and the candidate contracts across the top. Mark which contracts demonstrate which task areas, and add rows for size, contract type, customer and your role. The goal is coverage: a set of references that, taken together, shows experience with every significant part of the requirement, with no area left unsupported.
The same matrix helps you judge magnitude. A contract much smaller than the new requirement may show the right skills but raise questions about scale; pairing it with a larger reference can address that.
Weigh quality and evidence, not just fit
A perfectly relevant contract with weak government evaluations may hurt more than a somewhat less relevant one with strong ratings. Consider for each candidate:
- What government evaluations say about it, since evaluators can review them whether or not you cite the contract
- Whether a reference is available, reachable and willing to respond during the evaluation period
- Whether you can document results with specific, verifiable facts
- Whether you were the prime or a subcontractor, and how clearly your portion can be described
Balance the team and finalize
On team proposals, decide early whose contracts will be cited, consistent with the solicitation’s rules and with each firm’s role in the new work. A teammate’s reference is most persuasive when that teammate will perform the related work. Then confirm the final list with the references themselves, prepare the write-ups and recheck every contract number, value and date against your records.
Keep the matrix after the proposal is submitted. Updated after each new contract, it becomes a running inventory that makes the next selection faster. Agencies may also consider information you did not submit, so choose and describe your references honestly. The FAR’s past performance evaluation rules are in Part 15 at acquisition.gov.