Cross-Reference Compliance Matrix

Sweety Valechha

Have you heard of Cross-Reference Compliance Matrix - or how a matrix maps Requirements (Section C) to Evaluation Criteria (Section M) and Instructions (Section L) to make sure everything in RFP is considered while writing a winning proposal?

I am interested in discussing more on this topic and know your views on how it's created, when to create it, and challenges (if any).

Mattie Scull

Hey Sweety,

I have some experience with these matrices! Mostly through APMP work, but I've made them for a bid or two. The main benefit is that it is an easy map for an evaluator to refer to where an answer to a requirement is within a response. It is a good item to add to a proposal to prevent disqualification and makes the evaluators jobs easier, especially if the RFP is poorly written or no submittal instructions have been included.

The best time to create these is when there are requirements throughout the RFP that aren't perfectly laid out in the submittal instructions or if the proposal is laid out without using the format of the RFP (which I wouldn't necessarily recommend). Usually, proposal managers will create this in an excel document when they first read the RFP and when planning the proposal. They will update the final placement of the requirements in the proposal once they have page numbers (so usually one of the last steps).

There shouldn't be too many challenges as this mapping exercise prevents risk. The biggest challenge is that this is normally a manual, time consuming process (unless you are using our Requirements Analysis tool). Other challenges may be if you want to respond to a statement in the RFP but it doesn't appear within the submittal instructions for the proposal layout.