Introduction
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.607 specifies four reasons why a government agency may reject proposals. The first reason is that the government already has access to the proposal’s main ideas from another source without any restrictions (FAR 15.607, 2022).
Discussion
The proposal’s resemblance to a recently announced competitive acquisition criterion is the second reason (FAR 15.607, 2022). The third potential reason is the proposal’s lack of relevance to the activity’s objective (FAR 15.607, 2022). The fourth and final reason is the idea is not being viewed as meritorious because it lacks an inventive and original method, strategy, or concept (FAR 15.607, 2022). It can be inferred that all four reasons point towards some sort of redundancy which renders the proposal unfit for acceptance by the governmental agency.
If the proposal is turned down, it is critical for the program manager (PM) to comprehend the reason behind the agency’s decision. It may be useful to take the rejection as a learning experience, among others (Khatib et al., 2022). The exact reason chosen by the agency may, in fact, be an insightful criticism. Harnessing such feedback can be used to enhance the PM’s ability to write competitive proposals in the future. In other words, this knowledge can assist in enhancing future submissions by forcing the author to avoid the same errors and ensure that the proposals are in line with the agency’s mission and requirements.
Conclusion
Furthermore, the opportunity cost must also be taken into consideration. If the proposal was turned down because of an ongoing necessity for competitive acquisition, one might have lost a crucial chance to land a contract (Kirtley & O’Mahony, 2020). Therefore, one may want to consider pursuing opportunities in other areas where there is less competition. Overall, it can be said that awareness regarding the potential causes of proposal rejection can be essential for increasing the chances of winning contract bidding processes.
References
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), 15.607 (2022). Acquisition.gov. Web.
Kirtley, J., & O’Mahony, S. (2020). What is a pivot? Explaining when and how entrepreneurial firms decide to make strategic change and pivot. Strategic Management Journal, 44(1), 197–230. Web.
Khatib, M. E., Alhosani, A., Alhosani, I., Matrooshi, O. A., & Salami, M. (2022). Simulation in project and program management: Utilization, challenges and opportunities. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 12(04), 731–749. Web.