Proposal win rates

I was reading Grant Thornton's 13th Annual Government Contractor Industry Highlights Book and came across some interesting numbers about proposals:

• Survey participants report a 33% win rate from proposals for non-sole source business. The win rate jumps to 58% when the company establishes a special business unit, such as a joint venture or a limited liability corporation to bid the work.

"The Annual Government Contractor Industry Survey was developed by Grant Thornton for
companies considering entering the government contracting arena. We hope that existing industry participants will also find the survey results of interest. Survey findings provide a comprehensive look at the industry as a whole, as well as detailed information on the day-to-day business of being a government contractor."

So basically, if you are writing proposals to the governement: caveat emptor.

You can order the full report through Melissa Ford (T 703.847.7553; E Melissa.Ford@gt.com)