II.  ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES IN USING ORAL PRESENTATIONS

A.  Advantages.  Oral presentations can potentially reduce the time and costs associated with the source selection process.  For example, certain types of written proposal information, particularly in the technical and management areas, are costly to prepare and time-consuming to evaluate.  It is often easier for an offeror to communicate and explain these capabilities orally and/or visually instead of in writing.  The use of oral presentations also allows for greater face-to-face interaction between the Government and offerors not only during initial proposal evaluations but throughout the selection process, including discussions and the submission of proposal revisions.  This is especially important in those acquisitions where the offeror's key personnel are critical to the success of an acquisition.  Oral presentations may also provide a more level-playing field for offerors with the expertise to satisfy the Government's requirement but little experience in preparing Government proposals.  Other advantages of using oral presentations include:

1.  Enabling offerors to explain their proposal in simple terms or plain English.  In the case of scientific or technical proposal information, subject matter expert evaluators may be able to gain a better understanding of the proposed concepts through oral presentations by their peers.

2.  Making users/customers feel more involved in the contract selection and award process.

3.  Providing a follow-up question-and-answer session which:  (a) allows evaluators face-to-face observation and interaction with key project members, (b) improves depth of understanding behind the written proposal or presentation charts, (c) permits better understanding of the overall approach to meeting the requirement.

B.  Disadvantages.  Using oral presentations may have some potential disadvantages.  In some instances, the offeror's proposal preparation costs may actually increase.  For example, the offeror may decide to spend money to train perfectly competent engineers to be more effective public speakers or presenters.  While this may be good for the employees' personal development, it may unnecessarily increase overall proposal costs.  Potential disadvantages to consider are:

1.  The freedom of dialogue during follow-up question-and-answer periods may be stifled by evaluators' fears of inadvertently conducting discussions.  Mandatory procedures for conducting discussions can be found at AFFARS MP5315.306.

2.  It may be difficult to document and control the exchanges.

3.  Industry may be unwilling to participate.  Small businesses may believe the cost of oral presentations is prohibitive or that they are at a disadvantage when competing against large businesses.

4.  The quality of the presentation may unduly influence the evaluation.

5.  It may be logistically difficult to conduct oral presentations if a large number of proposals are received.

6.  It may be more time-consuming if used in conjunction with written proposals.