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Winning in government contracting is a game of precision. AI can absolutely help—triaging RFPs faster, sharpening language, and double-checking requirements—but it’s not a magic “write my proposal” button. Think of AI as a power tool in the shop: use it well and you’ll work faster and cleaner; use it wrong and you’ll be patching holes for weeks.
Below is how we actually use AI day-to-day, what it’s suitable for, and the hard lines you shouldn’t cross.
Where AI does help (today)
Drafting assistance—when you provide the right inputs.
AI is effective for turning your past language, templates, and policies into a quick rough draft. Feed it a safety plan template or prior cyber narrative and ask for a version mapped to Section L/M. You’ll still need a human to tailor, cite, and align to evaluation factors, but you won’t be starting from a blank page.
Clarity passes for emails and Q&A.
Before you send questions to the CO, have AI suggest clearer phrasing. If the re-write changes the meaning, that’s a signal your original wasn’t clear enough. Use it as a mirror, not an oracle.
Requirement spot-checks.
Paste a section (not your entire solicitation) and ask AI to pull out bonding, insurance, or submission format requirements—then verify in the source. It’s a solid second set of “eyes,” not a substitute for your entire compliance matrix.
Light data assistance.
With the right inputs (past awards, keywords, basic volumes), AI can summarize patterns or help structure price-to-win analysis steps. It won’t replace your analyst, but it can accelerate prep and presentation.
Guardrails that never change: professional oversight, compliance first, and final human edit—every time.
What not to do with AI (seriously, don’t)
Don’t paste sensitive or protected information into public models.
That includes contractor bid/proposal info, source selection data, proprietary pricing, PII/CUI—any of it. The Procurement Integrity rules (FAR 3.104) strictly prohibit disclosure of source selection info; treat public AI tools like the open internet. Use enterprise or private environments with clear data-handling terms instead. Acquisition.GOVeCFR
Don’t let AI “interpret” the whole RFP for you.
AI can miss nuance or invent answers. Use it to find clauses and create checklists, then confirm line-by-line. Your compliance rests on your matrix and human review—not a chatbot summary.
Don’t assume it’s up to date.
Federal policy on AI is evolving. Agencies must manage AI risks and set governance under OMB M-24-10; some restrict generative AI to public data only. If your model isn’t connected to current, authoritative sources, it may cite outdated rules. Cross-check against primary guidance. The White HouseGAO Files
Don’t outsource judgment.
AI writes fluent sentences; it doesn’t make capture decisions. Bid/no-bid, teaming, and pricing strategy still require SME and proposal-pro oversight. (If you need a gut check, our team does this every day.)
A practical, safe AI workflow for proposal teams
1) Build a “safe feed” library.
Create a scrubbed proposal asset library: sanitized past performance bullets, approved resumes, graphics, and boilerplate (e.g., safety plan, QA, cybersecurity). Use those to seed AI-assisted drafts so outputs are grounded in your voice and facts.
2) Use targeted prompts—by section.
Drop only the relevant part of the solicitation (say, Section C for scope or L for instructions) plus your outline. Ask: “Map our approved cyber narrative to L.2.a–L.2.c with page limits; flag gaps vs. M factors.” Then paste the source citations you expect the draft to reference.
3) Lock in compliance, then polish.
Run AI to generate a requirements checklist; a different pass for acronyms; and a final pass for readability (grade 10–11). Finish with human Pink/Red/Gold Team reviews. AI is your editor’s assistant, not your editor-in-chief. (We can run the full Pink-to-Gold cycle or step in for Red Team only.)
4) Keep governance tight.
Adopt a simple policy: where AI is allowed, what data can/can’t be used, and approval steps. OMB M-24-10 expects agencies to manage risk—mirror that discipline as a contractor. Use enterprise AI tools or private sandboxes when handling anything that isn’t already public. The White House
Real talk: AI speeds you up—but it won’t win for you
AI is phenomenal at production: drafts, tables, summaries. Winning is about positioning: capture strategy, differentiated solutioning, price-to-win, and crisp, evaluator-focused writing. Marry both and you get speed and score.
If you’d like help wiring AI into a compliant, repeatable proposal process—or just want a Red Team to pressure-test an AI-assisted draft—our team’s here for it. Start at our Government Proposal Writing Services or explore Federal Teaming Support if you need partners to fill gaps before you bid. (Teaming smart is often the fastest path to “yes.”)
