How to respond to an RFP and stay compliant
How do I respond to an RFP and make sure it is compliant?
Build a compliance matrix before you write. List every instruction and requirement in the solicitation, especially Section L (instructions to offerors) and Section M (evaluation factors for award) in the FAR uniform contract format. Note where your response addresses each one and who owns it. The matrix becomes the checklist your whole team works from, from the first outline through the final page-count and formatting review on the morning the response is due. An evaluator checking your proposal against the solicitation will look for every item on that list. A single missing form or exceeded page limit can remove an otherwise strong offer from the competition before anyone reads its technical approach. Check every row. Write to that structure, then check every row before you submit.
Last reviewed October 12, 2026.
Five steps to a compliant response
Read Sections L and M first
FAR 15.204-1 lays out the uniform contract format. Section L tells you how to prepare the proposal. Section M tells you how it will be scored. Requirements also hide in the statement of work and the attachments.
Turn every “shall” into a row
One row per requirement, with the solicitation reference, the section of your response that answers it, the owner and the due date.
Outline the response to match Section L
Use the solicitation’s order and headings so an evaluator can find each answer where they expect it.
Write to the evaluation factors
Spend the most words where Section M puts the most weight. Where to spend your words.
Check every row before submission
Page limits, fonts, file formats, signed forms and required attachments are all on the list. A response that misses one can be set aside before anyone reads it.
Quillify builds the matrix with the draft
Choose “Draft a proposal for this” on any solicitation in Quillify. The draft arrives with a compliance matrix listing each requirement by category, where the draft addresses it, what your team must do and the risk if it slips. Your team ticks rows off together or downloads the matrix as a CSV.
Before you submit, Quillify evaluates the draft against the solicitation and Apply fixes turns the findings into edits. Need a one-page company summary for the same buyer? Start with a capability statement.
Who asks this most
The answer above is the same whoever you are. What Quillify does about it is not.
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