Most proposals do not lose on price or capability. They lose on compliance — a missing form, an unanswered requirement, a page limit exceeded, a submission portal that closed while the file was uploading. Evaluators are instructed to score what is in front of them, and a response that omits a required element frequently never reaches scoring at all.
What we do
- Bid/no-bid assessment. Before anything is written, an honest read on whether this is winnable and worth the effort. Not every solicitation you are eligible for is one you should pursue.
- Compliance matrix. Every requirement in the solicitation, mapped to where it is answered. This is the single highest-value thing in a proposal and the thing most often skipped.
- Technical narrative. Your approach, written against the evaluation criteria in the order the evaluator will read them.
- Management and staffing. Who does the work, their qualifications, and how the engagement is run.
- Past performance. References assembled and presented in the required format.
- Pricing narrative. The justification alongside the numbers. We do not set your prices; we make sure the reasoning is legible.
- Forms, certifications and representations — completed correctly and in full.
- Submission. Assembled to spec and submitted with time to spare, not at the deadline.
Where responses fail
- A mandatory requirement is not addressed, so the response is ruled non-responsive before evaluation.
- The narrative describes the company instead of answering the evaluation criteria.
- Formatting instructions — page limits, font, margins, file naming — are treated as suggestions. They are not.
- Questions are not asked during the Q&A window, so an ambiguity is guessed at rather than resolved.
- Work starts too late, so the last day is spent on assembly rather than on quality.
Working with us
Bring us the solicitation as early as you can. We can work to a short deadline, but the quality of a response is largely determined by how much time exists to ask questions, gather references and revise.
We work alongside your team rather than in place of it. The technical substance has to come from the people who will do the work; our job is to make sure it is complete, compliant, and written to be scored well.
We do not fabricate past performance, personnel or capabilities. If a solicitation requires experience you do not have, the honest routes are teaming or not bidding, and we will tell you which we think applies.
Common questions
How much notice do you need?
More is better. Three weeks is comfortable for most solicitations. We take shorter timelines where the scope is manageable — call and ask.
Do you help find opportunities as well?
Yes. Opportunity identification and bid/no-bid guidance are part of our government contracting support.
Can you guarantee an award?
No. Anyone who does is either misleading you or misunderstands how evaluation works. What we control is compliance and quality of presentation.
What if we lose?
Request a debriefing. Agencies will tell you how you scored and where you fell short, and that information makes the next response materially stronger. We help you request and interpret it.
Where we work
We deliver nationwide, remotely. Federal registrations, federal and foundation grants, and proposal work are not tied to geography — most of our engagements never require anyone to be in the same room.
In California we work across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County and the wider Inland Empire, plus San Diego, Ventura and the Central Valley. State-specific programmes such as Cal eProcure and California SB certification are, by definition, California only — everything else travels.
Our office is in downtown San Bernardino. See all service areas.
Further reading: What actually goes on a capability statement
Get Proposal Support
- Call (909) 454-7076 — the fastest route. Monday to Friday.
- Book a consultation — pick a time that suits you.
- Email us about Proposal and RFP Support — opens a message already titled, so it reaches the right person.
If you only want to know whether you need this at all, ask. There is no charge for that conversation.
Related: capability statement development · SAM.gov registration