Greetings, Servant Leader, and happy Sunday!
How many proposal professionals do we have? Raise your hand.
Project or Program Managers?
Contracts staff?
Of those in GovCon who respond to, support, or live out the requirements of an RFP and resulting contract, the word "shall" holds special meaning. It's like a magical incantation that grabs our attention and usurps our will. When we encounter a "shall statement," we instinctively recognize it as an inviolable order.
For those not as familiar, here are a few examples.
"The contractor shall use Times New Roman, no less than 12 point font, for the body of the proposal."
"All pricing information shall be contained fully within the Pricing Volume."
"The contractor shall hold a Post Award Conference at the contractor's facility within 10 days of award."
"The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and services necessary to perform [specified services] in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract."
Ok, now relax. Take a deep breath. It's Sunday morning--not a time for the Sunday Scaries. Still, each of you familiar with RFPs and Government Contracts recognized the immutable authority within that simple 5-letter word--shall.
Let's shift gears to another immutable authority's shall statement...
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. -- John 3:16-18 (NIV)
One of the most quoted verses in scripture sets the foundation for GovCon's understanding of "shall" as immutable, inviolable, and inseverable. If something as temporal as the United States Government's Federal Acquisition Regulation can wield such authority with such a simple word, why not the literal written Word of God?
I'll leave you with that information, Servant Leader, on this last Sunday in June.
What shall you do with it?
