One Sentence Cost Him $4 Million
How to win by getting the basics right
Contractors often obsess over pricing, past performance, or slick proposal graphics when chasing government contracts. Those matter — but I’ve seen multimillion-dollar opportunities lost for a much simpler reason: mistakes that could have been easily avoided.
Here are three of the most common, and most costly, mistakes I saw as a Government Contract Specialist:
Mistake #1: Ignoring the RFP Instructions
One contractor submitted what should have been the winning proposal — except it didn’t follow the RFP’s very specific, and highly-detailed formatting and submission requirements.
I asked my Contracting Officer if rejection was fair for something that seemed minor in the big picture. His response:
“We are contracting for complicated stuff. If they can’t follow simple RFP instructions, how can we trust them with the complex contract requirements?”
Under FAR Part 15, compliance with RFP instructions is a legitimate evaluation factor. Don’t risk it. When compliance with RFP instructions is utilized as an evaluation factor, your proposal isn’t just about content — it’s also a test of your discipline and attention to detail. If the RFP requires specific information to be included on the cover sheet, include it. A specific subject line required for the submission email? Use it. Do not exceed page limits. Skipping or bending instructions tells the government you can’t (or won’t) follow rules, and that’s a risk they may not be willing to accept.
Mistake #2: Failing to Address Every Requirement
Every requirement in the RFP must be addressed in your proposal.
Contractors sometimes assume the government already “knows” they can do something, so they don’t bother stating it outright. That assumption can cost you the award.
When I worked for the Navy, our RFP required contractors to show they could deliver equipment onto a restricted base. A well-known contractor — someone we’d used many times before — submitted a near-perfect proposal. He assumed we “already knew” he could access the base since he had done so in the past, and failed to address the requirement in his proposal.
Here’s the reality: during evaluations, our government source selection team used a checklist drawn directly from the evaluation criteria listed in the solicitation. Every single requirement had to be addressed in the proposal itself. Because this contractor didn’t explicitly state he could deliver on base, his proposal was found to be technically deficient. That omission cost him a $4 million contract.
The lesson: don’t make evaluators guess. Spell out how you meet each requirement. Even if you think it’s obvious, include it.
Mistake #3: Submitting at the Last Minute
Proposal deadlines in government contracting are unforgiving. Even one minute late can result in rejection. Yet contractors still push submissions to the last possible second — and sometimes lose everything because of it.
I once had a contractor who hit “submit” at the last minute, only to have his computer initiate a forced system update. His proposal reached my inbox with only 20 seconds to spare. If the timestamp had been later, I would have been required to reject it. No exceptions.
Things happen: emails glitch, uploads stall, power goes out, laptops freeze. That’s why submitting early is part of risk management. Don’t let a technical hiccup cost you a contract.
Final Takeaway
Winning government contracts isn’t just about dazzling the evaluators with your technical brilliance. It’s also about proving you can follow instructions, meet requirements, and respect the process.
Don’t be the contractor who loses millions because of a missing sentence, a skipped instruction, or a last-minute glitch. By mastering the basics — follow directions, address every requirement, and submit early — you give yourself a real advantage.
In government contracting, doing the small things right signals you’re ready to handle the big things too. It’s not the flashy extras that win — it’s the discipline to get the fundamentals right.