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Resources
Cavalry Consulting is committed to helping great companies excel. Below, you'll find some of the documents, websites, and tools we like to keep close at hand. Now you can use them, too.
Templates
Capabilities Statement Template
Use this template to build a capabilities statement that contains all the information that the government is looking for. You can also use it to ensure your current version includes the right details.
Small Business Resources
This is a plain language guide from the DoD Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) that summarizes the steps to becoming a successful federal contractor with helpful links and resources. This is a great resource for new contractors.
Doing Business with the Department of Defense
This two-page document provides a step-by-step approach to doing business with the DoD. It is a great resource for new contractors.
This is a basic introduction to government contracting for small businesses. The resources on this page answer use plain English to answer questions that are frequently asked by contractors.
DoD Small Business Strategy 2023
This outlines the goals of the federal government related to small business contracting.
This is a useful site for capture and forecasting, providing links to the individual small business office websites within Army, Air Force, Navy, and many others.
How the Government Buys Services
Services Acquisition Guidebook
This is the guidebook written for DoD acquisition teams. It details a disciplined seven-step process on how services like construction, architect-engineering, and base operations support are acquired. Contractors can use this to understand what is going on behind the scenes to communicate more effectively and proactively.
Acquisition of Services Pathway
This is an interactive version of the material in the Services Acquisition Guidebook, with additional references.
DoD Market Research Report Guide – Services Acquisition
This guide is written for DoD acquisition teams. It provides best practices for conducting and documenting market research to establish standard processes and reports, allowing for enhanced collection and sharing of market research across the DoD. The market research report shows contractors how the government makes set-aside decisions, giving clues to why responding to sources soughts, maintaining and updated profile in Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS), attending industry days, and conducting capabilities briefings is so important. The market research report template is included in this link.
Independent Government Cost Estimates
Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCEs) are often developed during the procurement process and drive many decisions in the federal acquisition strategy.
- Techniques to building an independent Government cost/price estimate
- GAO Report on the use of IGCEs in Service Contracts
- Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) Handbook for Services Acquisition
This guide provides consolidated information on the DoD cost estimating process and points the reader to additional references and training for specific estimating topics. Contractors can use this to understand how estimates are developed on the government side.
Contract Pricing Reference Guides
These five guides cover price analysis, quantitative techniques, cost analysis, advanced issues in contract pricing, and negotiations. They are intended for government acquisition professionals, which means the perspective provides insight that can be useful for contractors.
Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
This website hosts public reports that provide insight into the DoD’s cost assessment and estimating activities. This will be helpful for those who love to browse reports and data.
Search hourly labor rates using the same database that GSA uses in their independent government estimates. Use awarded hourly ceiling prices from Multiple Award Schedule contracts in one tool, or Bureau of Labor Statistics unburdened hourly wage rate information in another tool.
How Proposals Are Evaluated
Source Selection Procedures (Department of Defense)
This document provides the Department of Defense (DoD) procedures for conducting competitively negotiated source selections and outlines a common set of principles and procedures for conducting such acquisitions in accordance with applicable statutes and regulations. By reading this document, contractors will better understand how to write successful proposals.
Decision Document with Best Suited
This shows an example report of how offerors are evaluated. This is what a summary report of the full evaluation could look like, including data from all offerors. It allows contractors to see the Government’s point of view, which helps prepare better proposals and presentations.
Selection Decision Document of Task Order RFP
This document shows the decision-making process that the SSEB Chair must go through to select the awardee. It answers some of the most commonly asked questions that contractors have during discussions, showing what may be happening behind the curtain.
Competitive Source Selection Policy
This page provides additional links related to Source Selection, Best Practices from Peer Reviews for Competitive Acquisitions, and more.
Forms, Downloads, and Other Resources
If your proposal or contract requires “DD Form X,” find it here.
Looking for an SF24, SF330, or other Standard Form? Find all current templates here.
Otter.ai is our favorite tool for proposal writing. We recommend using it to record and transcribe interviews with Subject Matter Experts for technical narratives.
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