A Proposal Compliance Matrix is a cross-reference table that tells proposal evaluators where they can find responses to specific Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements. It helps ensure proposal managers that the proposal responds to and complies with all the Proposal requirements. A Compliance Matrix should form part of each proposal volume and is normally requested in an RFP.
Definition: A proposal compliance matrix maps RFP requirements to the proposal outline to ensure all RFP requirements are addressed and the customer knows where to find those addressed requirements.
Purpose of a Proposal Compliance Matrix
A proposal compliance matrix has four (4) purposes:
- It shows you what requirements must be addressed in a given section.
- It enables you to validate that all requirements have been responded to.
- It makes it easier for you (and potentially your customer) to understand the RFP and how to navigate your response to it.
- It helps the RFP respondent create a proposal outline to ensure everything is addressed.
Developing a Proposal Compliance Matrix
A proposal compliance matrix should be started at the very beginning of proposal writing and should list all the requirements contained in the Proposal Outline for each volume. The Compliance Matrix should include the elements for both the RFP and the proposal response.
Sample: Compliance Matrix
The technical writers for each proposal section are responsible for identifying the specific location of the proposal requirements. Once the proposal is written, the Technical Writers should verify that full compliance has been achieved and that the Compliance Matrix is complete and accurate.
A proposal compliance matrix is made up of a simple table. The first column of the matrix is the heading for the proposal. Each section of the RFP also gets a column. Each row in the matrix links each proposal section with one or more RFP requirements. RFP requirements can be entered into the matrix cells either as full text or just the RFP paragraph numbers (depending on the length of the RFP).
| Proposal Page/Sec Number |
RFP Requirement | Statement of Work | Section L | Section M | Comments |
| 1.2 | Purpose Statement | L-1 | M-1 | ||
| 2.0 | Services to be Performed | L-2 | M-2 | ||
| 2.1.1 | Six-Sigma Execution | L-5 | M-5 | ||
| 3.2 | Earn Value Management | 1.0 |
Table: Example Proposal Compliance Matrix
AcqNotes Tutorial
AcqLinks and References:
- Sample: Compliance Matrix Sample
- Sample: Compliance Matrix 1
- Sample: Compliance Matrix 2
- Sample: Requirements Traceability Matrix
- Article: How to Construct a Contract Compliance Matrix by Tom Reid
Updated: 4/15/2022
Rank: G2.5