FEDERAL SECTOR REPORT

TABLES

While not a new phenomenon, text tables have become a frequent and increasingly important element of competitive proposals for contracts and grants. Some government Solicitations even ask for them specifically, identifying them as either "tables" or "matrices." They may carry a considerable amount of weight according to the evaluation criteria, particularly when they concern the offeror's past performance, key personnel, resources to perform the proposed work, or compliance with the terms and conditions of the Solicitation.

Evaluating Your Strategy ... Early. Developing prototype tables early in the proposal process may help you define your strategy for winning. If your preliminary tables indicate that you will not gain the maximum evaluation points, then you need to change your strategy-by adding teaming partners (subcontractors or subgrantees), developing a different mix of personnel, and/or revising your technical approach. If you use this approach, it needs to be done at least four weeks before the proposal due date, while there is still time to alter your strategy.

Scoring Points. For a proposal competition based on evaluation criteria, the objective of a table-as with other proposal elements--is to gain the maximum score (points) for the evaluation criterion that it addresses. If the Solicitation states that 20 points are allotted to the offeror's past experience in performing similar projects, then a table on past experience must win you 20 points or very close to it.

Using the Table as a Summary. In our example about past experience tables, the proposal may contain other important information about past experience-such as narrative summaries of your past projects, a bibliography of papers that you have presented based on project experience, or a topical presentation of your organization's accomplishments in relevant areas required by the Solicitation. In this content, the table becomes a summary, providing the government's proposal reviewers with an easy way of viewing all of your experience quickly and (hopefully) awarding you the maximum number of points.

Organizing the Table. The columns and rows in the table need to be organized to address the evaluation criterion fully and completely-but with very few well-chosen words and/or numbers. In a table about experience, columns might include: the name of the project along with contract or grant number, the agency name (and possibly the point of contact), a very brief summary of the statement of work, and a phrase or sentence describing the project's relevance to the proposed effort. Depending on the specific proposal requirements and evaluation criterion, you might also add columns on other topics such as: period of performance, type of contract or grant, number of customer users served, geographic scope of work, methodologies or technologies involved, dollar amount of the project, the size of the project staff, or the labor categories (disciplines) involved.

Cross-Referencing Other Information in the Proposal. In our example about past experience, I noted that the proposal might also contain narrative summaries of your previous projects or a topical discussion of your organization's achievements (such as by methodology or technology). In your table, you may want to add one or more columns to cross-reference this other information. The past experience table might reference the page number of the project summary and/or achievements, for example. Using MS Word's "bookmarks" is a method I use to reference page numbers of other information, with correct page numbers being updated automatically by Word.

Using Good "Writing Style." You can apply the rules of good writing to tables, even though the format hardly resembles the paragraphs of a Faulkner or Dickens:

• Use parallelism whenever possible: If three of the listings in a column are noun phrases, then write the fourth and fifth listings in the same way. If some are complete sentences, then make all of them sentences.
• Be consistent in how you insert numbers.
• Avoid jargon and trite expressions.
• Avoid hyperbole, such as bragging and overstatement of your accomplishments, because it reduces the believability of your proposal.
• Above all else, communicate clearly and precisely.
  

Just Answer the Question. I worked for years with an attorney who would grow impatient whenever someone (such as me) would give a convoluted answer in response to a question. She would say, "Just answer the question," and that is good advice for a table, which is not the place for digressions, fuzzy responses, or unnecessary information. Every word must help answer the "question" posed by the evaluation criterion.

Tricks of the Trade. Here are some tricks for tables:

• Use the capability of current word processors to print column headings sideways (vertical direction for text), if you need narrow columns, such as for numbers or check lists.
• Consider dropping the point size of table body text to 9 points if you need the space, have at least a 600 dot-per-inch printer, and the Solicitation doesn't prohibit small type for "figures."
• Consider printing the table on 11 by 17-inch paper, making the table a fold-out and providing a lot more room. The result is a very wide sheet without forcing the reviewer to turn your proposal sideways (landscape mode). If you don't have a laser printer that can handle large sheets, rent the use of one at a well-equipped copy center, such as Kinkos.
• Keep column headers relatively brief (2 - 6 words). If you want to make certain that the reviewer "connects" the brief heading to a Solicitation requirement, you can place a legend at the bottom of the table
• Consider annotating the table with subsidiary tables. Recently, I added an appended table for each row in the major (primary) table, thereby providing much more detailed information than was feasible for a single table. Of course, you need to steer the reviewer to the subsidiary table.
• You should organize the table in a way that makes sense to the reviewers. This may be according to the evaluation criteria or the functional requirements of the statement of work. Even personnel tables can have check-offs indicating which types of skills or functional experience each individual (or labor category) possesses.
• Consider inserting a graphics in the table when it communicates something relevant and has the potential for boosting your points. Example: Insert the logo of customer agencies when you cite past experience, especially if these are prestigious, well-known customers.
• Be sure to introduce and explain your table briefly in the body text of the proposal.

Testing Your Table. Make sure that a variety of people (such as on the red team) review your tables to make certain they communicate as effectively to them as they do for you. Different individuals may have different perceptions and reactions.

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