Government RFPs, RFAs, RFQs, etc., are not exactly written for easy reading. Many are filled with jargon, confusing terminology and -- worst of all -- contractual language and clauses that seem to have been written by people from another planet. Maybe that is a bit harsh, but the fact is that all or most of the contractual stuff contained in these documents is legal mumbo-jumbo that normal people don't always understand.
If you receive a government solicitation that contains contractual language or terms that you don't understand, you can contact the government Contracting Officer whose name and contact information usually appears on the cover sheet or cover letter, and ask for a more detailed explanation or guidance. Or, if you are fortunate enough to have a contracts specialist or attorney on your own staff, you can ask him or her to interpret the confusing language for you. Or, you can try reading applicable portions of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) to see if they will shed more light on the matter.
There are also a couple of "secret sites" on the web where you can get help with your contracts-related questions. Well, OK, so they're not really secret, but they don't often turn up high in the search engines. Here they are -- check 'em out:
- Discussions on Federal Contracting from the wonderful Where in Federal Contracting site. These are various forums that are populated by the people we need the answers from -- government contracts professionals. They ask and answer questions from one another, but you can ask questions too, and you don't have to give your name or the name of your organization. You do need to register to ask a question, but registration is free. Note: there is also a Q&A forum on grants, but it doesn't seem to be very popular.
- Ask a Professor from the Defense Acquisition University operates along the same lines. Questions and answers are categorized by topic area and, like the site above, you can read the Q&As submitted by others.
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