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July 20, 2005

What Color is Your Proposal?

Yesterday I got this sort of panicky-sounding e-mail:

Subject: Technical proposal.
What does a score of yellow in this area mean?

DOD (and sometimes other agencies) sometimes use a color-coded system to evaluate proposals. I interpreted the above e-mail to mean that the writer had received a "yellow" score on her technical proposal and didn't know what it meant.She may have forgotten to look in her RFP, where the meaning of the colors are usually explained.

The color-coded system is usually something like this:

  • Blue - Excellent
    Proposal demonstrates excellent understanding of requirements and approach that significantly exceeds performance or capability
    standards. Has exceptional strengths that will significantly benefit the Government

  • Purple - Good
    Proposal demonstrates good understanding of requirements and approach that exceeds performance or capability standards. Has one or more strengths that will benefit the Government.

  • Green - Satisfactory
    Proposal demonstrates acceptable understanding of requirements and approach that meets performance or capability standards. Acceptable solution.


  • Yellow - Marginal
    Proposal demonstrates shallow understanding of requirements and approach that only marginally meets performance or capability standards necessary for minimal but acceptable contract performance.


  • Red - Unacceptable
    Fails to meet performance or capability standards. Requirements can only be met with major changes to the proposal.


When the government uses a color-coded system to evaluate proposals, the colors indicate the degree to which the proposal has met the standard for each factor that is being evaluated.

Posted by Deborah at July 20, 2005 05:16 AM





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