Step 6: Don't Use the Deadline

Welcome back to Gateway to Government’s blog and the Seven Steps series! I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend and is ready to continue learning how to do business with the government through the Gateway program. Today we will take a look at how deadlines can impact government contracting.


Step 6 – Don’t Wait Until the Last Second

Though this may seem like another obvious idea, time and time again we have seen people submit their information just minutes before the deadline – only to find a major problem with no time to correct it. Every government bid and every bid we send you will have a deadline – a date and time – prominently displayed. This 'timestamp' is the absolute last chance to submit your information – if the bid is not full, complete, and accurate or is not received by that deadline, all of the time and effort you have put into your project will have been to no avail. The government will NOT accept late bids! Delivery or sending timestamps are also not important – it is when the document is received that matters, not when you mail it. If your bid gets delayed in the mail, or you get a flat tire trying to deliver it just before the deadline... Too bad! For this reason it is highly recommended that none of our clients use the final deadline.

By sending your details in well ahead of this time, we can work out any kinks or issues there may be with your submission. We review all of the bids and make sure they arrive on time in the right hands. This will help to ensure that your bid is submitted in the best possible fashion and that your experience is as painless as possible!