Five things to check before submitting

In Florida, a responsive bid is one that conforms in all material respects to the solicitation. In plain words: if you leave out something the agency asked for, your bid can be thrown out before anyone looks at your price. These five checks catch common problems. Do them the day before you submit, not an hour before.

1. Format and page limits

Check every formatting rule: page limits, font size, file type, file names, and how sections must be ordered or tabbed. If there's a page limit, evaluators may simply stop reading at the limit. Check whether the agency wants one combined file or separate files.

2. Every required form, filled in and signed

Make a list of every form the solicitation asks for, then tick each one off against what's in your bid. Common ones include the bid or proposal form, forms many Florida solicitations include, such as a public entity crimes statement or a drug-free workplace form, conflict-of-interest forms and references. Check each form is signed by someone authorized to sign for your business, and notarized where it says so.

3. Every addendum acknowledged

Go back to where the bid is posted and check for addenda one last time. Many solicitations require you to acknowledge each addendum, often on a form or on the bid form itself. Missing one can make your bid non-responsive, and an addendum can quietly change quantities, dates or requirements you priced against.

4. The price form, complete and correct

• Every line item filled in, even if the price is zero or the line doesn't apply (follow the instructions for those).
• Unit prices times quantities equal the line totals, and the lines add up to the grand total.
• Prices entered in the units the form asks for: per month, per year, per visit or lump sum.
• Option years priced if the form asks for them.
• Nothing written outside the boxes, and no conditions added unless the form allows it.

5. How and when to submit

Re-read the submission instructions: the method (portal, email or sealed envelope), the exact address or upload location, the due time and time zone, and the labeling on envelopes. If it's a portal, log in a day early and make sure your account works and your files upload.