Submitting your company’s bid proposal close to the deadline can be risky and provide serious consequences.
There have been many scenarios where the federal government has rejected proposals submitted before, but received after, the deadline due to technical glitches. In submitting a proposal for a government contract, it is on the business to ensure that the proposal is received prior to the exact deadline specified on the receipt of the proposal.
The deadlines for solicitation are strictly enforced unless: The Agency receives the proposal before the contract is awarded, the contracting officer determines that accepting the late proposal would not unduly delay acquisition; and
(i) the proposal was submitted electronically and received at “the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for the receipt of proposals,”
(ii) the proposal was “received at the Government installation” and was “under the Government’s control” before the solicitation deadline, or
(iii) it was the only proposal that the Government received.
(FAR 15.208(b)(1)(i)-(iii))
This applies not only to Defense and IT contractors, but also to health care companies competing for government contracts.
(See FAR 15.208(b)(1): “Any proposal, modification, or revision, that is received at the designated Government office after the exact time specified for receipt of proposals is ‘late” and will not be considered.”; see also FAR 52.212-1(f)(2): “offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received at the Government’s office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is ‘late’ and will not be considered.”)