How to Read an RFP: A Section-by-Section Guide to the Uniform Contract Format

A federal Request for Proposal can run hundreds of pages. Buried in those pages are the specific instructions that determine whether your proposal gets evaluated or rejected, and the evaluation criteria that determine whether you win or lose.

Most RFPs follow a standard structure called the Uniform Contract Format (UCF), defined in FAR 15.204. Understanding this structure lets you quickly find the information that matters and avoid wasting time on sections that don't directly affect your proposal.

This article breaks down each section of the UCF, explains what to look for, and shows you how to extract the requirements that drive a winning response.

The Uniform Contract Format at a Glance

The UCF organizes RFPs into four parts containing thirteen sections:

Not every RFP uses this exact structure. Some agencies use modified formats, and commercial item acquisitions often use simplified formats. But the UCF is the default for negotiated procurements, and understanding it helps you parse any solicitation.

Part IV First: Where to Start Reading

Counterintuitively, the best place to start reading an RFP is near the end, in Part IV. Sections L and M tell you how to structure your proposal and how it will be evaluated. Without understanding these sections, you can't interpret the rest of the document effectively.

Section L: Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

Section L is the instruction manual for your proposal. It specifies:

Proposal structure: How many volumes, what each volume should contain, and how volumes should be organized. Common volumes include Technical, Management, Past Performance, and Price/Cost.

Formatting requirements: Page limits, font size, margin requirements, file formats for electronic submission, and restrictions on graphics or fold-out pages.

Submission requirements: Where to submit, when to submit, how many copies, and any special handling instructions.

Content requirements: What specific information must be included in each volume and section.

Compliance is binary. If Section L says your technical volume cannot exceed 50 pages and you submit 51, your proposal may be rejected without evaluation. If it requires Times New Roman 12-point font and you use 11-point, you risk disqualification.

Read Section L line by line. Highlight every instruction. Build your proposal outline directly from this section.

Section M: Evaluation Factors for Award

Section M tells you how the government will score your proposal. It typically includes:

Evaluation methodology: Is this a Best Value tradeoff where technical excellence can outweigh price? Or Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) where the cheapest compliant proposal wins?

Evaluation factors: What categories will be scored? Common factors include Technical Approach, Past Performance, Key Personnel, Management Plan, and Price/Cost.

Relative importance: How do factors rank against each other? 'Technical is significantly more important than Past Performance, and Past Performance is more important than Price' tells you where to focus your effort.

Subfactors and criteria: What specific elements within each factor will evaluators assess?

Rating scales: What constitutes Exceptional vs. Very Good vs. Acceptable?

Section M drives your proposal strategy. If Technical Approach is weighted heavily and includes three subfactors, allocate your best writers and most page space to those subfactors. If Past Performance is pass/fail, ensure compliance but don't over-invest.

Aligning L and M

In a well-written RFP, Section L instructions align with Section M evaluation factors. Each evaluation factor has corresponding instructions in Section L telling you what to submit.

When they don't align, you have a problem. If Section M says you'll be evaluated on 'Key Personnel qualifications' but Section L doesn't specify what information to provide about key personnel, you need to make assumptions or submit a question.

Before writing, create a matrix mapping each Section M evaluation factor to its corresponding Section L instruction. Any misalignment needs resolution, either through the Q&A process or through reasonable interpretation.

Part I: The Schedule (Sections A through H)

Once you understand L and M, return to the beginning and work through Part I.

Section A: Solicitation/Contract Form

The cover page. Contains the solicitation number (you'll reference this constantly), issuing agency and contracting officer contact information, proposal due date and time, set-aside status (small business, 8(a), HUBZone, etc.), and NAICS code and size standard.

Check the due date immediately. Verify the set-aside status matches your certifications. Note the contracting officer's name and contact information.

Section B: Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

Section B describes what the government is buying at the line-item level and specifies the pricing structure.

Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs): Each deliverable or service category gets a CLIN. Your pricing must match this structure exactly.

Pricing structure: Is this firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, time-and-materials, or a hybrid? The contract type affects how you build your cost proposal.

Quantities and options: Base period quantities, option year quantities, and any ceiling amounts.

Section B (or sometimes Section L) also specifies how prices must be justified. For cost-type contracts, you may need detailed breakdowns of labor categories, labor rates, overhead, G&A, and fee.

Section C: Description/Specifications/Statement of Work

Section C is the heart of the RFP. It describes what you'll actually do if you win.

For products, Section C contains specifications (functional, performance, or design requirements).

For services, Section C contains either a Statement of Work (SOW) with prescriptive description of tasks, a Performance Work Statement (PWS) with outcome-focused results, or a Statement of Objectives (SOO) with high-level goals expecting offerors to propose their own approach.

Read Section C to understand the work. But write your proposal to address Section L instructions and Section M evaluation factors. Section C tells you what the government wants done; Sections L and M tell you what the government wants to see in your proposal.

Sections D, E, and F: Packaging, Inspection, and Delivery

Section D (Packaging and Marking) covers requirements for how deliverables must be packaged and labeled. Section E (Inspection and Acceptance) defines where, when, and how the government will inspect and accept deliverables. Section F (Deliveries or Performance) contains the period of performance, delivery schedules, and location of work.

These sections matter for contract performance but rarely require extensive proposal content unless Section L specifically requests discussion of your delivery or quality approach.

Sections G and H: Administration and Special Requirements

Section G (Contract Administration Data) contains administrative details like invoicing instructions, points of contact, and funding information. The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) is often identified here.

Section H (Special Contract Requirements) contains contract-specific requirements that don't fit elsewhere. May include security clearance requirements, key personnel restrictions, organizational conflict of interest provisions, small business subcontracting requirements, government-furnished property or equipment, and special reporting requirements.

Part II: Contract Clauses (Section I)

Section I lists the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses incorporated into the contract. These clauses, required by law or regulation, define standard terms and conditions.

Your contracts team should review Section I for unusual or burdensome clauses, clauses that create compliance obligations, flow-down requirements for subcontractors, intellectual property and data rights provisions, and termination provisions.

Section I rarely requires proposal content, but the clauses bind you if you win. Know what you're agreeing to.

Part III: Attachments (Section J)

Section J lists all documents, exhibits, and attachments. This may include technical specifications and drawings, data requirements (Contract Data Requirements List or CDRLs), government-furnished information, pricing templates, past performance questionnaires, security requirements (DD Form 254 for classified work), and sample deliverables or formats.

Attachments often contain critical requirements not found in the main RFP text. A pricing attachment may specify the exact format for cost breakdowns. A CDRL may define deliverable requirements in detail not captured in Section C.

Part IV: Representations (Section K)

Section K contains certifications and representations you must make about your company: small business size status, place of manufacture, tax compliance, debarment status, and organizational conflicts of interest.

Most certifications reference your SAM.gov representations. Ensure your SAM profile is current and accurate. Some RFPs require completing additional forms in Section K and submitting them with your proposal.

Building a Compliance Matrix

As you read the RFP, extract every requirement into a compliance matrix. This matrix becomes your roadmap for proposal development.

What to capture: Every 'shall,' 'must,' 'will,' and 'required' statement. Every question in Section L that must be answered. Every evaluation criterion in Section M. Every deliverable in Section C. Every special requirement in Section H.

This process, sometimes called 'shredding' the RFP, ensures nothing gets missed. A single overlooked requirement can disqualify an otherwise excellent proposal.

Common Reading Mistakes

Starting with Section C: Contractors often dive into the work description first. But without understanding how the proposal will be structured (Section L) and evaluated (Section M), you can't write an effective response.

Ignoring attachments: Requirements buried in Section J attachments are as binding as requirements in the main document.

Missing implicit requirements: Not every requirement uses the word 'shall.' Phrases like 'the contractor is expected to' or 'in accordance with industry standards' also create obligations.

Assuming alignment: Don't assume Sections L, M, and C are perfectly coordinated. Map them explicitly and identify gaps.

Reading once: Complex RFPs require multiple readings. First pass for structure. Second pass for requirements. Third pass for details and implications.

When to Ask Questions

Most RFPs include a Q&A period where offerors can submit questions and receive clarifying answers via amendment.

Ask questions when requirements are ambiguous or contradictory, when Sections L and M don't align, when attachments are missing or referenced incorrectly, when requirements seem impossible to meet, or when you need clarification on evaluation approach.

Don't ask questions that reveal your competitive strategy or that could be answered by reading the RFP carefully.

Questions and answers become amendments to the solicitation and may change requirements. Monitor for amendments throughout the proposal period.

Conclusion

Reading an RFP is not passive. It's an active process of extraction, mapping, and analysis. The contractors who win understand that every RFP contains the instructions for its own solution. Your job is to find those instructions and follow them precisely.

Start with Sections L and M to understand structure and evaluation. Work through Section C to understand the work. Build a compliance matrix to track every requirement. And read the entire document, including all attachments, before assuming you understand what's being asked.

The time you invest in reading pays dividends in writing. A thorough understanding of the RFP prevents wasted effort on non-responsive content and ensures your proposal addresses what evaluators are actually looking for.

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