Writing a proposal response for the government is like writing a resume for a job. When you are applying for a job, you use your general resume and tailor it to the job that you are applying to. It’s essentially the same thing when you are responding to a solicitation. You have to customize each response to each solicitation to show that you are the right company for the job. Obviously, a response for a solicitation is a bit longer than a resume, so below are a few tips to keep in mind to write a successful proposal.

So you finally have your GSA contract in place – what happens now? There are a number of things you can do as a contractor to ensure opportunities are carefully monitored that will improve your chances of getting federal contract awards.

In June 2013, media stories emerged about how senior officials at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) pressured subordinate contracting officers to award and extend large federal contracts despite unfavorable terms and inflated pricing. A report by the Office of Inspector General showed that large technology contractors such as Deloitte LLP, Carahsoft Technology Corp. and Oracle Corp., representing more than $900 million in U.S. government spending in fiscal year 2011, had indeed received favorable treatment by GSA managers.

The recent Ashley Madison hack doesn’t just have divorce attorneys and spouses scrambling. Federal, municipal and plenty of private sector employers are all on high alert. And they should be.

The GSA Multiple Awards Schedule Program’s Professional Services Schedule (PSS) Migration, has been somewhat of a distant mirage over the last year. Since January, multiple stories and webinars have been released discussing the upcoming collapse of eight GSA schedule contracts into one. While some components of the PSS Migration have moved forward, in large part the migration has only resulted in pushing back deadlines. It appears however, that the GSA is finally ready to move forward.

The two most common procurement platforms for small and emerging government contractors to find and compete for business are FedBizOpps and GSA eBuy. However, if you are relying solely on these two avenues you are missing the vast majority of the federal procurement picture.