How to Write a Past Performance Section That Wins Contracts

Past performance is one of the most misunderstood sections in a federal proposal. Most small businesses either undersell what they've done or copy-paste project descriptions that don't connect to what the government actually cares about. Done right, past performance can be your strongest differentiator — even if you're early in your contracting career.

Why Past Performance Matters So Much

Federal evaluators use past performance to answer one question: *Can this company actually deliver?* It's a risk management tool. The government wants evidence that you've done similar work, on time, within budget, and without causing headaches.

On many solicitations, past performance is worth 20–40% of your evaluation score. That means a weak section can cost you a contract even if your technical approach is excellent. This isn't a formality — it's a core part of how you win.

What Evaluators Are Actually Looking For

Before you write a single word, understand the evaluation criteria in the Request for Proposal (RFP). Most RFPs specify exactly what "relevant" past performance means for that specific contract.

Evaluators typically assess:

• Recency — Was the work performed within the last 3–5 years?
• Relevance — Is the scope, size, and complexity similar to this contract?
• Quality — Did you meet or exceed performance standards?
• Customer satisfaction — Would the client hire you again?

Read the RFP's evaluation criteria section carefully before selecting which projects to include. Not every project you've done belongs in this section.

Choosing the Right Projects

This is where most small businesses make their first mistake — they include every project they've ever touched instead of selecting strategically.

Pick 2–5 projects that best match the work described in the Statement of Work (SOW). If the solicitation asks for IT support services for a federal agency, don't lead with a commercial construction project just because it was large.

When selecting projects, ask:

• Does the dollar value come close to this contract's size?
• Did we perform a similar technical scope?
• Was the customer a federal agency, a prime contractor, or a comparable client?
• Can we get a positive reference from this customer if called?

If you're newer to contracting and don't have many federal projects, you can use relevant commercial experience, subcontract work, or work performed by key personnel. Many RFPs explicitly allow this — check the instructions.

The Structure of a Strong Past Performance Entry

Each project write-up should follow a consistent structure. Evaluators are reviewing dozens of proposals. Make their job easy.

1. Project Identification

Start with the basics:

• Contract number (if federal)
• Contract title and description
• Customer name, agency, and point of contact with phone and email
• Period of performance (start and end dates)
• Contract value (total and your portion if a subcontract)
• Contract type (firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials, etc.)

Don't skip the point of contact. Evaluators verify references. If your contact information is wrong or outdated, you may receive a rating of "unknown" — which is often treated worse than a marginal rating.

2. Scope Description

Write 2–4 sentences that describe exactly what you did. Be specific. "Provided IT support services" tells the evaluator nothing. "Provided Tier 1 and Tier 2 help desk support for 3,500 end users across 12 federal locations, maintaining a 98% first-call resolution rate" tells them everything.

Use the same language the RFP uses when describing the work. If the solicitation says "network infrastructure management," use that phrase — not your internal terminology.

3. Relevance Statement

This is the section most proposals leave out entirely, and it's a missed opportunity.

Don't make evaluators guess why your project is relevant. Tell them directly. Write 2–3 sentences that explicitly connect your past work to this contract's requirements. Something like:

*"This effort directly mirrors the requirements of this solicitation — both involve multi-site IT support for a federal civilian agency with a distributed user base and strict SLA requirements."*

Evaluators are busy. Spell out the connection for them.

4. Accomplishments and Outcomes

This is where you differentiate yourself from every other bidder who does the same type of work.

Go beyond describing what you did — describe how well you did it. Include:

• Metrics and measurable results (cost savings, uptime percentages, on-time delivery rates)
• Challenges you overcame and how you solved them
• Commendations or awards received on the contract
• CPARS ratings if you have them (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System)

If you reduced costs by 12%, say so. If you delivered a major milestone two weeks early, say so. Numbers build credibility fast.

Common Mistakes That Hurt Your Score

Even experienced contractors make these errors:

• Writing generic descriptions that could apply to any company
• Including irrelevant projects just to fill space
• Leaving out points of contact or providing outdated ones
• Forgetting to address recency — if a project is older than 5 years, acknowledge it and explain why it's still relevant
• Not tailoring the relevance statement to this specific RFP
• Ignoring page limits — if the RFP says two pages per project, use two pages strategically, not just to fill space

Each mistake chips away at your score. Evaluators notice.

When You Don't Have Much Past Performance

New contractors worry that limited federal experience will disqualify them. It won't — as long as you're strategic.

Here's what you can do:

• Use subcontract experience on federal contracts and list the prime contractor as the customer reference
• Highlight key personnel experience — if your project manager ran a similar program at a previous employer, that can count under many RFP rules
• Use commercial contracts that are similar in scope and complexity
• Consider teaming with a more experienced prime contractor to build your record

The government explicitly recognizes that small businesses have limited past performance history. A well-written entry with solid commercial references almost always beats a blank section.

Formatting and Presentation Tips

Presentation matters more than most people think. A cluttered, hard-to-read section signals poor proposal management — and evaluators draw conclusions from that.

Keep formatting clean:

• Use consistent headers for each project entry
• Use tables for project identification data (contract number, value, dates) — it's faster to scan
• Use bullets for accomplishments, not dense paragraphs
• Make sure font size and margins comply with the RFP's formatting requirements exactly

If the RFP uses a specific past performance template, use it. Don't improvise a format when one is provided.

One Final Rule

Every sentence in your past performance section should serve one purpose: reducing the evaluator's perception of risk. If a sentence doesn't do that, cut it.

Your goal isn't to impress — it's to make a federal evaluator feel confident that awarding you this contract is a safe, evidence-backed decision.

GovRFP helps small businesses track their contract history, identify relevant past performance for new opportunities, and stay organized throughout the proposal process — so you're never scrambling to pull this information together at the last minute.