APMP Client Relationship and Stakeholder Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a 'past performance questionnaire' (PPQ) in a government proposal?
- To gather formal written evaluations from prior customers that document quality, timeliness, and customer satisfaction (Correct answer)
- To document the company's internal performance review process
- To provide a financial audit of past contract costs
- To list all contracts performed in the past five years without evaluative data
Correct answer: To gather formal written evaluations from prior customers that document quality, timeliness, and customer satisfaction
PPQs are formal references completed by prior customers and submitted as part of the proposal to demonstrate proven performance.
Question 2: Why is it important to select past performance references that are closely relevant to the proposed work?
- Because evaluators score relevance, and unrelated past performance contributes little to the proposal's score (Correct answer)
- Because only references from the same agency count toward past performance credit
- Because the RFP requires references from the same contract vehicle
- Because unrelated references inflate the proposal page count unnecessarily
Correct answer: Because evaluators score relevance, and unrelated past performance contributes little to the proposal's score
Relevant past performance demonstrates the contractor can do the same type of work; unrelated examples provide little assurance to evaluators.
Question 3: What is 'relationship capital' in business development?
- The trust, goodwill, and credibility built through sustained positive interactions with customer stakeholders (Correct answer)
- The financial value of a company's customer portfolio
- The number of contracts held with a specific government agency
- The investment made in customer entertainment and hospitality
Correct answer: The trust, goodwill, and credibility built through sustained positive interactions with customer stakeholders
Relationship capital is an intangible asset built through consistent delivery, responsiveness, and genuine engagement with customer stakeholders over time.
Question 4: How should a proposal team handle negative past performance that may be reviewed by evaluators?
- Address it proactively by describing the situation, corrective actions taken, and lessons learned (Correct answer)
- Omit it and hope evaluators do not find it in CPARS
- Dispute the negative rating through legal channels before proposal submission
- Replace it with a similar project from a subsidiary or affiliate
Correct answer: Address it proactively by describing the situation, corrective actions taken, and lessons learned
Proactively addressing known issues shows accountability and demonstrates the organization has matured, which can mitigate evaluator concerns.
Question 5: What is 'CPARS' and why is it significant for proposal past performance?
- The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, a government database of official contractor performance ratings (Correct answer)
- A federal procurement portal for submitting proposals electronically
- A DCAA audit system for reviewing indirect rate proposals
- A past performance questionnaire format required by all federal agencies
Correct answer: The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, a government database of official contractor performance ratings
CPARS ratings are the government's official record of contractor performance and are a primary source evaluators use to assess past performance.
Question 6: What is a key principle of the APMP approach to customer-focused proposals?
- Write from the customer's perspective, focusing on their needs and how the solution benefits them rather than describing your own capabilities (Correct answer)
- Focus primarily on describing the company's history and technical expertise
- Mirror the exact language and structure of the RFP in all responses
- Emphasize lowest price as the primary differentiator in all proposals
Correct answer: Write from the customer's perspective, focusing on their needs and how the solution benefits them rather than describing your own capabilities
Customer-focused proposals demonstrate empathy and understanding by framing every response around the customer's problems, priorities, and outcomes.
APMP Client Relationship and Stakeholder Management 2
What is the purpose of a 'past performance questionnaire' (PPQ) in a government proposal?