Discriminators

A real discriminator passes three tests: it is true and provable, the customer cares about it, and the likely competitors cannot say the same. A cleared staff already on site, a performance record on a near-identical scope, or a tool the agency already uses can qualify. Size, years in business and commitment to quality usually do not, because every bidder says them.

Proof is what turns a discriminator into an evaluated strength: a metric from a past contract, a CPARS rating, a named certification or a reference the evaluator can check (see past performance).

Discriminators are the core of win themes and the reverse side of ghosting: what you have that a competitor lacks. Place each one where the matching evaluation factor is scored, and state the benefit to the customer, not just the feature.

A common mistake is finding discriminators after the proposal is written. They should come out of capture, when there is still time to build one, for example by teaming with a partner who fills a gap.

Discriminators also need to be stated in the evaluator's language. An evaluator writes strengths against the factors and subfactors in Section M, so a discriminator described in your internal jargon may not be recognized as a strength at all. Name the factor, state the feature, prove it, and spell out the benefit to the agency, such as lower risk, faster delivery or less burden on government staff. That structure makes it easy for an evaluator to copy your point into the evaluation report, which is exactly what you want.