After weeks of work, the proposal is submitted, and then there is often a long silence. For new contractors, the post-submission phase can be confusing. This question-and-answer guide explains what generally happens next in a negotiated federal procurement. Specific procedures vary by agency, vehicle and solicitation.
What happens right after submission?
The contracting office typically checks whether proposals were received on time and are complete. Late proposals are generally not considered, with narrow exceptions described in the FAR. Proposals then go to an evaluation team, which may include technical evaluators, past performance evaluators and price analysts, working under the direction of a source selection authority.
Evaluators assess each proposal against the evaluation criteria in the solicitation, documenting strengths, weaknesses and deficiencies.
Will the government contact me during evaluation?
It might. The FAR distinguishes between different types of exchanges:
- Clarifications are limited exchanges, for example to resolve minor clerical errors or clarify past performance information, typically when the government plans to award without discussions.
- Discussions are negotiations with offerors in the competitive range, which may allow offerors to revise their proposals.
Many solicitations state that the government intends to award without discussions. In that case, your initial proposal should be your best offer, because you may not get a chance to improve it. Respond to any government communication promptly, precisely and within the stated deadline.
What is a competitive range?
If the government decides to hold discussions, it generally establishes a competitive range made up of the most highly rated proposals. Offerors outside the competitive range are notified and may request a debriefing. Offerors inside the range typically receive evaluation notices identifying weaknesses or deficiencies, discuss them with the government and submit final proposal revisions.
As for how long evaluation takes, there is no single answer. Some evaluations take a few weeks; complex competitions can take many months. Delays can result from the number of proposals, discussions, funding status or agency workload. The contracting officer may provide updates, but it is generally not helpful to contact evaluators or program staff directly about the procurement during evaluation. Questions should go to the contracting officer.
How will I learn the result?
Unsuccessful offerors are generally notified, and in many procurements the award is publicly announced on SAM.gov. For some set-aside procurements, the government notifies unsuccessful offerors of the apparent successful offeror before award, which matters for size or status protests. Read any notice carefully, because it may start the clock on important deadlines.
What should I do while I wait?
- Save a complete, final copy of what you submitted, including all files and amendments acknowledged.
- Keep key personnel informed and engaged so they remain available.
- Hold an internal lessons-learned session while the effort is fresh.
- Prepare for possible transition activities if you win.
- Keep working your pipeline.
If you lose, request a debriefing when available. Deadlines for requesting debriefings and filing protests are short, so if you think something went wrong in the evaluation, talk to a government contracts attorney quickly.