Reading a solicitation: Sections C, L and M

The uniform contract format

Most negotiated federal solicitations follow the uniform contract format, sections A through M. Three sections drive your proposal more than any others.

The three that matter most

• Section C, the description of the work: the statement of work (SOW), performance work statement (PWS) or specifications. This is what you will be held to after award.
• Section L, instructions to offerors: volumes, page limits, fonts, file formats, what goes where and when it is due.
• Section M, evaluation factors: how the government will score proposals and the basis for award, such as lowest price technically acceptable or a best-value tradeoff.

Commercial solicitations look different

Solicitations for commercial products and services use the SF 1449 form. Instructions and evaluation factors usually appear as addenda to the clauses at FAR 52.212-1 and 52.212-2 instead of Sections L and M. Read them the same way.

Build a compliance matrix

• List every instruction from Section L and every evaluation factor from Section M, and map each to where your proposal answers it.
• Tie your technical approach to the Section C requirements, in the same order and language.
• Note the Q&A deadline, and check for amendments (SF 30) until the due date; they can change instructions, dates and requirements.
• Follow page limits and formatting exactly. Evaluators may not read pages over the limit.