Two small businesses learned the hard way that requests for proposals should be read carefully.  From GovCon:

...[T]wo separate offerors protest an award by the Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, for construction services in Guam. ... The solicitation required offerors to propose two qualified site safety/health officers, one for each of the work sites required the solicitation. Both protesters only proposed one safety/health officer, and thus their proposals were each assessed a significant weakness by the Navy.

GovCon's advice on this point is sound:  "It is essential that contractors make sure their proposals are written in a clear manner so that it is apparent to the government that all solicitation requirements will be met. Don’t require the agency to assume anything."

Head over to the full report for more information on the decision.

Another great post from Stefan Töpfer, this time on concerns related to "data fragmentation," a process that has accompanied many of us in the move to take advantage of the benefits of big data and cloud-based software .  His first reason, the double entry of data, is one that is easy to overlook when you've moved only part of your data to a new system, but still must rely on an older or more compliant system as well.  Head over to the full post to see the other four concerns he has.  IT Business Edge has some great statistics on data fragmentation that you may find useful if attempting to tackle it in your own business.

Don’t bore people with unnecessary details about your business. They don’t need to know that you were the first to bring a product to the market or that you borrowed money from your parents to get started – just boil it down to what your product or service can do to improve the life of the person you are talking to at that moment.

Stefan Töpfer gives good advice on successfully pitching your business.  Our favorite is above, but head over for the other four.

Small Biz Trends has given us the heads up for the upcoming National Small Business Week.  Head over for the list of this year's winners.  Basic information on the event:

The U.S. Small Business Administration has chosen winners for the 2014 “Small Business Person of the Year” in the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam... Every year the SBA chooses its Small Business Person of the Year in each state and territory.  The awards recognize business owners and key executives in small businesses for their outstanding achievements and successes in their businesses and also their contributions to the nation... This year’s winners will be honored in Washington during National Small Business Week, on May 15-16, 2014.  A national-level Small Business Person of the Year winner will also be announced at that time.

Responding to RFPs can be a foot in the door. If you don’t have a personal connection or referral to an organization, responding to its RFPs can help you convince your target customer of your business’s value. Yes, you’re likely to face some competition, but if you know that your prices are competitive, bidding on projects is likely to help create opportunities

Kathryn Hawkins at the Intuit blog writes about a number of pros and cons regarding RFPs.  But consider her cons simply as advice on the best way to approach RFPs and you'l be better served.  Great advice, head over and read the rest.