ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to solicitation documents and the need to manage pre-proposal communications. Government contractors are provided with recommendations for preparing solicitation documents and managing pre-proposal communications with respect to their subcontracting process. Designating email as the only method for posing questions is recommended to facilitate handling questions and providing feedback to all prospective contractors, creates a uniform and rapid method of communications, and provides the capability to prepare a paper or electronic trail of the pre-proposal activities. Alternative methods for managing pre-proposal communications include conducting a pre-proposal conference; questions posed verbally; questions posed via letter, overnight courier, and email; providing a website for posing questions and posting agency responses; submitting questions via email; and posting questions and responses to the website. The primary objective of a pre-proposal communications management plan is to respond to legitimate questions in a timely manner while treating all prospective contractors equally.
