Worked example · US state & local contract bid writing
A 125,000 sq ft janitorial RFP read six days before the deadline, after the walkthrough had closed. We show why the honest call is no-bid, and what to have ready for the next cycle.
Worked example against a live public notice. The notice is real and publicly available. The bidder, Pecan Row Building Services LLC, is a fictional company with invented facts, written to show our method. This is not client work and no bid was submitted.
The public notice (real)
The notice may have closed or changed since we read it. Always work from the current version on the portal.
The bidder (fictional)
Commercial janitorial services · San Antonio, Texas · 22 employees, mostly part-time evening cleaners
Every fact about this company is invented for the example.
Step 1 · Read the notice
Step 2 · Gates
Submission route (RFP 2.1, 5.1)
Email PDFs to the two named addresses with the exact subject line; no portal account needed. The AACOG Vendor Packet goes as a separate, separately named PDF.
Small business and HUB status (RFP 3.1.2)
No set-aside. HUB certification (invented) helps AACOG's 10% aim but adds no points to the score.
Insurance (RFP 3.4.1, 6.3)
A $5,000,000 products/completed operations aggregate is required and proof is pass/fail. The firm's aggregate is $2 million (invented). A letter of insurability might bridge it, but a broker cannot be relied on to produce one in six days.
Geography and site knowledge (Appendix A; Addendum 1)
Both buildings are in San Antonio, so travel and response times are fine. The firm missed the walkthrough and Addendum 1 says no more are anticipated.
Capacity threshold (RFP 3.1.3)
About 125,000 sq ft at the stated frequencies. The firm's largest single contract is 60,000 sq ft (invented); the case would rest on the combined portfolio and would score weakly on the 40-point experience factor.
Deadline (RFP 5.1)
Six days from reading to 4:00 p.m. Central on 18 September, with questions closed on 8 September. There is no way to test a pricing assumption once it is made.
Step 3 · The honest call
Step 4 · The matrix
Instructions tell you how to submit. Evaluation criteria tell you how you are scored. The matrix holds both together.
RFP 3.1.3
Pass/failMinimum eligibility: demonstrated commercial janitorial experience and capacity to service about 125,000 sq ft at the stated frequencies.
RFP 2.1.1; 2.1.4; 5.1
Pass/failEmail PDFs to the named addresses with the exact subject line by 4:00 p.m. Central on 18 September 2026; no hard copies.
RFP 5.2; 5.4
Pass/fail8.5x11, 10-point minimum, numbered pages; Executive Summary 1 page, Narrative 5 pages, up to three projects at 2 pages each.
RFP 5.5.1; 5.5.2
Pass/failFixed order of contents; Main Proposal and Vendor Packet as two separately named PDFs.
RFP 3.4.1; 6.3
Pass/failProof of insurance: CGL with $5,000,000 products/completed operations aggregate, $1,000,000 personal and advertising injury, $50,000 damage to rented premises, $5,000 medical expenses per person.
RFP 4.2.2; Attachment F
ScoredSeparate monthly and annual price per facility, combined totals and rates for additional services, inclusive of labour, supplies, overhead and profit.
RFP 4.2 (Experience & Qualifications)
ScoredComparable contracts, references, key personnel and past performance.
RFP 4.2 (Staffing, Service & QC Plan)
ScoredStaffing levels, day-porter coverage, schedule, supervision, QC, emergency response and backup staffing.
Appendix A 6.8.2; Addendum 1 Q18
ScoredDay porter on site 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday to Friday; one porter may cover both facilities.
Appendix A 6.15
ScoredOne-hour response for sanitation/disinfection needs and for water extraction and drying.
Appendix A 6.17; RFP 1.5.1
ScoredDocumented quality-control program, announced and unannounced inspections, deficiency correction in AACOG's timeframe, monthly service and QC reports.
RFP 6.1; 6.2; 3.5.3; Att. B–E
Pass/failSigned Acknowledgment, Debarment, Non-Discrimination and Lobbying certifications; the Vendor Packet; a corporate authorisation statement.
RFP 3.1.4
Pass/failCertify non-debarment under EO 12549 / 29 CFR Part 98 and compliance with Texas Government Code 2252.001 et seq.
RFP 2.2; 2.3; Addendum 1
InfoCommunicate only with the named procurement contacts; questions closed 8 September; no further walkthroughs anticipated.
| Ref | Requirement | Type | Where we answer it | How it is scored | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFP 3.1.3 | Minimum eligibility: demonstrated commercial janitorial experience and capacity to service about 125,000 sq ft at the stated frequencies. | Pass/fail | Executive Summary and Relevant Experience | Staff eligibility review; then feeds Experience & Qualifications (40 points) | Risk |
| RFP 2.1.1; 2.1.4; 5.1 | Email PDFs to the named addresses with the exact subject line by 4:00 p.m. Central on 18 September 2026; no hard copies. | Pass/fail | Submission checklist | Late or misdirected proposals are non-responsive | Gap |
| RFP 5.2; 5.4 | 8.5x11, 10-point minimum, numbered pages; Executive Summary 1 page, Narrative 5 pages, up to three projects at 2 pages each. | Pass/fail | Document template | Responsiveness check | Can meet |
| RFP 5.5.1; 5.5.2 | Fixed order of contents; Main Proposal and Vendor Packet as two separately named PDFs. | Pass/fail | Table of Contents mirrors 5.5.1 | Responsiveness check | Can meet |
| RFP 3.4.1; 6.3 | Proof of insurance: CGL with $5,000,000 products/completed operations aggregate, $1,000,000 personal and advertising injury, $50,000 damage to rented premises, $5,000 medical expenses per person. | Pass/fail | COI or letter of insurability, after the certifications | Pass/fail | Gap |
| RFP 4.2.2; Attachment F | Separate monthly and annual price per facility, combined totals and rates for additional services, inclusive of labour, supplies, overhead and profit. | Scored | Attachment F Pricing Schedule | Pricing 40 points: completeness, reasonableness, competitiveness, overall value | Gap |
| RFP 4.2 (Experience & Qualifications) | Comparable contracts, references, key personnel and past performance. | Scored | Relevant Experience: up to three project sheets | 40 points | Risk |
| RFP 4.2 (Staffing, Service & QC Plan) | Staffing levels, day-porter coverage, schedule, supervision, QC, emergency response and backup staffing. | Scored | Narrative (5 pages) | 20 points | Can meet |
| Appendix A 6.8.2; Addendum 1 Q18 | Day porter on site 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday to Friday; one porter may cover both facilities. | Scored | Narrative: porter routine | Within the 20-point plan | Can meet |
| Appendix A 6.15 | One-hour response for sanitation/disinfection needs and for water extraction and drying. | Scored | Narrative: on-call pair and equipment | Within the 20-point plan (emergency response) | Can meet |
| Appendix A 6.17; RFP 1.5.1 | Documented quality-control program, announced and unannounced inspections, deficiency correction in AACOG's timeframe, monthly service and QC reports. | Scored | Narrative: quality control section | Within the 20-point plan | Can meet |
| RFP 6.1; 6.2; 3.5.3; Att. B–E | Signed Acknowledgment, Debarment, Non-Discrimination and Lobbying certifications; the Vendor Packet; a corporate authorisation statement. | Pass/fail | After the Narrative, in 5.5.1 order | Responsiveness check | Can meet |
| RFP 3.1.4 | Certify non-debarment under EO 12549 / 29 CFR Part 98 and compliance with Texas Government Code 2252.001 et seq. | Pass/fail | Attachments B and C | Eligibility | Can meet |
| RFP 2.2; 2.3; Addendum 1 | Communicate only with the named procurement contacts; questions closed 8 September; no further walkthroughs anticipated. | Info | Bid calendar | Not scored; every unasked question becomes a pricing assumption | Risk |
Step 5 · Response excerpt (fictional bidder)
Staffing. The Titan Building (six floors) would have an evening crew of six with a working lead; Titan Plaza (one floor) a crew of two. Addendum 1 allows after-hours cleaning, so daily service would run from 6:00 p.m. One day porter would cover both facilities from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, as Addendum 1 Q18 permits, based at the Titan Building with a fixed midday visit to Titan Plaza. A site supervisor would inspect both buildings weekly, and a named alternate would stand in (Appendix A 6.16).
Quality control. Each crew lead completes a nightly task sheet by floor. The supervisor scores one full building inspection a week on a 20-point checklist and logs every deficiency with the date it was corrected. The monthly service and QC report to AACOG (RFP 1.5.1) lists inspections, deficiencies, corrections and any consumables issue, and the supervisor attends any AACOG inspection, announced or not (Appendix A 6.17).
Response. A two-person on-call pair carries the portable extractor and disinfection kit on the crew van and would reach either building inside the one-hour window in Appendix A 6.15, day or night. Special services beyond the base scope are done only on written authorisation and invoiced separately from the recurring service (RFP 1.6.4).
Why this stays a draft. The plan can be written; the price cannot be trusted. Attachment F needs separate monthly and annual prices per facility, built up from floor type and frequency, and Addendum 1 confirms no square-footage or floor-type breakdown will be issued and no further walkthroughs are expected. With the insurance gate unmet and six days left, the honest call is to keep the draft and bid the next cycle.
Relevant experience excerpt (fictional facts)
Pecan Row Building Services LLC has cleaned three multi-tenant office buildings in San Antonio since 2019, 2021 and 2023, of about 30,000, 50,000 and 60,000 sq ft. Each is a five-night service with monthly and quarterly floor-care cycles, and the largest includes a weekday day porter from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Each contract has been renewed at least once, and each sheet would give the client contact, the annual value, the task list and frequencies, and the names of the supervisor and lead on the account.
The honest weakness is size. Combined, the three sites come to about 140,000 sq ft, which is more than the AACOG scope; no single site comes to half of it. The sheets would present the combined crew of 22, the supervisor's depth and the porter routine as evidence of capacity. On a 40-point factor that asks for comparable contracts, that case is likely to score in the middle band, not the top, against a firm that already runs a single 125,000 sq ft account.
What to take from this
Read the service page for this market: US state & local contract bid writing.
Tell us what your business does. We’ll help you see where to look next.
