How to Write Unsolicited Proposals for State and Local Government

What Is an Unsolicited Proposal?

An unsolicited proposal is a written offer submitted to a government agency on the vendor's own initiative -- not in response to a formal solicitation like an RFP, IFB, or Broad Agency Announcement. It proposes a new or innovative solution that the vendor independently conceived and developed, addressing a need the agency may not have formally defined or budgeted for.

At the federal level, unsolicited proposals are governed by FAR Subpart 15.6, which establishes the standards for what constitutes a valid submission, how agencies must evaluate them, and how proprietary information is protected during the review process. Many SLED jurisdictions have adopted similar frameworks, though the specific rules vary by state.

The key distinction: in a standard procurement, the agency identifies a need and asks the market for solutions. In an unsolicited proposal, the vendor identifies the need and brings both the problem definition and the solution to the agency. This reversal of the procurement initiation creates both the opportunity and the complexity of the unsolicited proposal pathway.

"An unsolicited proposal is not an uninvited sales pitch. It is a structured, technical document that demonstrates innovation, feasibility, and mission relevance with the same rigor as a competitive proposal. The difference is that you are defining the evaluation criteria, not responding to them."

When Should You Use an Unsolicited Proposal?

Unsolicited proposals are not a shortcut around competitive procurement. They are a specific mechanism for a specific situation: your solution is so unique that no existing solicitation, contract vehicle, or procurement category covers it.

Conditions That Favor Unsolicited Proposals

• Genuine innovation. Your technology or approach solves a problem the agency does not yet know it has, or solves a known problem in a fundamentally different way.
• No existing solicitation. There is no active RFP, IFB, or cooperative purchasing category that covers your capability. If there is, you should compete through that channel instead.
• Agency mission alignment. You can demonstrate a clear connection between your solution and the agency's published strategic objectives, even if those objectives have not yet translated into procurement actions.
• Urgency or criticality. The agency faces a pressing challenge -- infrastructure failure, cybersecurity risk, regulatory deadline -- where waiting for a formal solicitation process would create unacceptable risk.

Conditions That Do Not Favor Unsolicited Proposals

• Your product competes in an established category. If agencies are already buying similar solutions through RFPs or cooperative contracts, an unsolicited proposal is inappropriate and will be returned.
• You are responding to a known requirement. FAR 15.6 explicitly excludes proposals that are "advance proposals for a known agency requirement that could be procured through competitive methods."
• You are primarily seeking funding. An unsolicited proposal must solve a specific agency problem. Proposals that read as grant applications or R&D funding requests without a clear operational benefit are rejected.

The Strategic Calculation

The unsolicited proposal is most effective for market entry -- establishing your first foothold with an agency that has no other way to acquire your innovation. Once you have proven the concept and built past performance, scaling is better achieved through cooperative purchasing vehicles or competitive solicitations where your past performance gives you an advantage.

What Are the Required Elements of an Unsolicited Proposal?

FAR Subpart 15.6 establishes the baseline structure that most SLED jurisdictions mirror. A valid unsolicited proposal must include:

1. Title and Abstract

A concise title describing the proposed effort and an abstract of approximately 200 words that summarizes the proposal's key elements. The abstract should enable a non-technical reviewer to understand what you are proposing and why it matters.

2. Objectives and Method of Approach

Clear, specific objectives for the proposed work and a detailed description of your technical approach. This is the heart of the proposal -- it must demonstrate both the innovation of your solution and the feasibility of your implementation plan.

Be specific. "We will use advanced analytics to improve procurement efficiency" is not an objective. "We will deploy a predictive maintenance system that analyzes IoT sensor data from municipal water infrastructure to identify pipe failure risk 6 to 12 months before critical events, reducing emergency repair costs" is an objective.

3. Anticipated Results and Agency Benefit

Quantify the expected outcomes wherever possible. What problem does this solve? What does success look like in measurable terms? How does the proposed solution advance the agency's published mission or strategic plan?

Connect your solution explicitly to the agency's priorities. Reference their strategic plan, published technology roadmap, budget narratives, or executive statements that signal the need your proposal addresses.

4. Key Personnel and Organizational Capabilities

Identify the personnel who will perform the work, with relevant qualifications and experience. Describe your organization's facilities, equipment, and past performance on similar work. If you are a startup without extensive past performance, emphasize the credentials of your team and the maturity of your technology.

5. Cost or Price Breakdown

Provide a detailed cost breakdown including:

• Labor categories, rates, and hours
• Materials, equipment, and travel
• Overhead and indirect rates
• Preferred contract type (firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials)
• Period of performance and key milestones

Cost realism matters. Agencies expect pricing that reflects the actual cost of performing the work, not a loss-leader designed to win the first engagement.

How Do State-Specific Rules for Unsolicited Proposals Work?

The SLED landscape includes over 100,000 individual government entities, and unsolicited proposal rules vary significantly across jurisdictions. Three states illustrate the range of approaches. <!-- GREEN: factual descriptions of public statutes and programs -->

Virginia: The PPEA Framework

Virginia is a national leader in structured unsolicited proposal processes through the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act (PPEA). Under PPEA, state and local agencies -- including school boards, cities, and counties -- can accept unsolicited proposals for public infrastructure and education facility projects.

How PPEA works:

1. A vendor submits an unsolicited proposal to a qualifying agency
2. The agency reviews the proposal for viability and mission alignment
3. If accepted for further evaluation, the agency must advertise for competing proposals to ensure transparency
4. The agency evaluates all proposals (original and competing) and may negotiate with the preferred proposer
5. A submission fee (typically 0.5% of total project cost, up to $25,000) is required for evaluation

Recent Virginia PPEA activity (2025-2026):

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Virginia takeaway: PPEA provides a structured, transparent pathway for unsolicited proposals, but it is designed primarily for large infrastructure and education facility projects. The submission fees and competing proposal requirements make it a high-stakes channel suited for firms with significant capital and unique engineering or technology solutions.

North Carolina: P3 Guidelines for Transportation

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) established procedural guidelines in August 2025 for soliciting and evaluating unsolicited proposals for Public-Private Partnership (P3) projects.

Key features of the NC framework:

• NCDOT may negotiate with the proposer without being bound by any specific provision in the original proposal
• The state reserves the right to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and competitive proposals once a UP is deemed viable
• The focus is on transportation infrastructure -- roads, bridges, transit, and related systems
• The evaluation considers both the technical merit and the financial structure of the proposed P3

North Carolina takeaway: The NC P3 guidelines provide maximum flexibility for the state to shape the final project scope, which means your unsolicited proposal should be a starting point for negotiation rather than a take-it-or-leave-it offer. The state will restructure the deal to serve its interests.

Massachusetts: Strategic Realignment and Category Management

Massachusetts has taken a different approach through its Operational Services Division (OSD). Rather than establishing a formal unsolicited proposal framework, Massachusetts is pursuing strategic realignment of statewide contract categories under Category Managers who are responsible for comprehensive management of their procurement domains.

In 2026, the OSD implemented a statewide contract procurement schedule that illustrates the shift toward managed innovation:

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Massachusetts takeaway: The state is actively seeking "next-generation e-procurement systems" and has requested expressions of interest from vendors on capabilities like AI-driven contract summarization and enhanced user experience. While this is not a formal unsolicited proposal channel, it signals that vendors with innovative procurement technology can influence upcoming solicitations by engaging with Category Managers during the pre-solicitation phase.

How Do You Protect Intellectual Property in an Unsolicited Proposal?

The fear of disclosing proprietary technology to the government is the most common barrier for innovative firms considering unsolicited proposals. The protections are real but require deliberate action.

Federal IP Protections (FAR 15.609)

At the federal level, FAR 15.609 provides specific protections:

• Government personnel are prohibited from using proprietary data from an unsolicited proposal to create a solicitation or negotiate with another firm without the offeror's approval
• Offerors must mark proprietary data with required legends that trigger these protections
• The government must return or destroy proprietary data if the proposal is not accepted

State-Level IP Protections

State protections vary and may be less explicit than federal rules. Before submitting an unsolicited proposal to a state or local agency:

• Research the state's specific rules for handling proprietary information in unsolicited submissions
• Mark all proprietary data clearly with restrictive legends, even if state rules do not explicitly require it
• Consider filing patent applications before submitting proposals that contain patentable innovations
• Limit the proprietary detail in the initial proposal to what is necessary for evaluation -- save the deepest technical details for negotiation after the agency has expressed interest

The Practical Balance

You must disclose enough technical detail for the agency to evaluate your proposal's feasibility and merit. But you do not need to provide manufacturing specifications, source code, or complete algorithmic details in an initial submission. Frame the proposal around what your solution does and why it works, with sufficient technical evidence to establish credibility, while reserving the how for protected discussions under a Non-Disclosure Agreement or during contract negotiation.

What Are the Most Common Mistakes in Unsolicited Proposals?

Mistake 1: Proposing Something That Is Not Actually Unique

The most fatal error. If your solution competes in an existing market category, agencies will -- and should -- return your proposal and direct you to competitive solicitation channels. "Unique" means there is no other way for the agency to acquire this capability through existing contracts or solicitations.

How to test uniqueness: Search SAM.gov, state procurement portals, and cooperative purchasing contract databases (Sourcewell, NASPO ValuePoint, OMNIA Partners) for existing contracts in your product category. If similar solutions are already available through competed vehicles, your product is not unique enough for an unsolicited proposal.

Mistake 2: Writing a Sales Pitch Instead of a Technical Proposal

An unsolicited proposal is a formal government document evaluated by technical, cost, and contracting professionals. It must meet the structural requirements of FAR 15.6 or the equivalent state standard. Marketing collateral, pitch decks, and capability statements are not unsolicited proposals.

Mistake 3: Failing to Connect to Agency Mission

Your innovation may be technically impressive, but if you cannot draw a direct line from your solution to the agency's published mission, strategic plan, or identified challenges, the proposal will not advance. Reference specific agency documents -- their strategic plan, budget justification, technology roadmap, or published pain points -- to demonstrate mission alignment.

Mistake 4: Submitting to the Wrong Office

Unsolicited proposals must be directed to the agency's designated point of contact for such submissions, typically identified in the agency's unsolicited proposal guidelines or the office responsible for the relevant technical area. Sending a proposal to the agency's general inbox, procurement office, or an individual employee you met at a conference is not a valid submission.

Mistake 5: Ignoring the Competing Proposal Requirement

In states like Virginia (PPEA) and North Carolina (P3), agencies that accept an unsolicited proposal for further evaluation must advertise for competing proposals. Your unsolicited proposal opens the door, but competitors may walk through it. Plan your pricing and technical approach with the expectation that you will face competition in the evaluation.

Mistake 6: Underpricing to Win the First Contract

Agencies evaluate cost realism. A price that is clearly below the cost of performing the work raises red flags about performance risk. Price your proposal to reflect actual costs and a reasonable margin. The goal is a sustainable engagement, not a loss-leader that creates a negative past performance reference.

How Does the 2026 FAR Overhaul Affect SLED Unsolicited Proposals?

Executive Order 14275, "Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement," has triggered the most comprehensive FAR rewrite in decades. The 2026 overhaul spans multiple FAR parts with draft rules and reports due throughout the year: <!-- GREEN: EO 14275 and FAR case schedule are public record -->

The overhaul's emphasis on plain language, procurement agility, and common-sense reform has implications for SLED procurement that go beyond the FAR itself. SLED agencies that model their procurement codes on federal standards are expected to follow with parallel simplifications. Holland & Knight's analysis of the 2026 landscape notes that "receptivity toward non-traditional procurement pathways, such as Unsolicited Proposals, has reached an all-time high." <!-- YELLOW: Holland & Knight analysis characterization; verify exact language -->

Practical implications for SLED unsolicited proposals:

• Simplified evaluation standards at the federal level may encourage SLED agencies to adopt more streamlined unsolicited proposal review processes
• The emphasis on agility favors vendors who can bring innovative solutions to agencies faster than traditional RFP timelines allow
• FAR Part 15 changes (covered in FAR Case 2026-003) may directly affect the Subpart 15.6 rules that many SLED agencies mirror for unsolicited proposals
• Increased emphasis on commercial items and solutions creates more space for commercial technology firms to engage SLED agencies through non-traditional channels

What Success Factors Determine Whether an Unsolicited Proposal Gets Accepted?

Based on the analysis of Virginia PPEA, North Carolina P3, and federal UP frameworks, the following factors consistently determine whether unsolicited proposals advance:

1. Genuine uniqueness. The solution addresses a need that cannot be met through existing solicitations or contract vehicles. This is the threshold requirement -- without it, nothing else matters.

2. Clear mission connection. The proposal explicitly ties its benefits to the agency's published strategic priorities, budget narratives, or operational challenges.

3. Technical feasibility. The proposed approach is credible, detailed, and supported by evidence (prototypes, pilot data, relevant past performance, or team credentials).

4. Reasonable cost. The pricing reflects the actual cost of performance with transparent methodology. Neither artificially low nor unreasonably high.

5. Operational readiness. The vendor can begin performance within a reasonable timeframe. Agencies are more receptive to proposals that address current needs rather than distant future capabilities.

6. Compliance with submission requirements. The proposal meets the structural and procedural requirements of the target jurisdiction's unsolicited proposal framework. Procedural non-compliance is the easiest reason for an agency to reject a submission without substantive review.

The Bottom Line

Unsolicited proposals are one of the most effective tools for market entry in SLED government contracting -- if your solution is genuinely innovative and you execute the submission with the same discipline and rigor as a competitive proposal response.

The 2026 procurement environment, shaped by the FAR overhaul and SLED agencies' increasing receptivity to non-traditional pathways, is creating a broader opening for innovative firms. States like Virginia and North Carolina have established structured frameworks that provide clear processes for submission and evaluation. Even states without formal UP programs, like Massachusetts, are signaling openness to vendor innovation through expressions of interest and pre-solicitation engagement.

The unsolicited proposal is not a mass-market tool. It is a precision instrument: one agency, one solution, one opportunity to define the evaluation criteria on your terms. Used correctly, it establishes the beachhead from which you can scale through cooperative purchasing, direct solicitations, and competitive recompetes.

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Aliff Solutions is designed to help government contractors identify the right opportunities and time their market entry. Our Win Probability Calculator can help you assess whether a given opportunity warrants the investment of an unsolicited proposal, and our platform tracks agency procurement patterns to surface the signals that indicate receptivity to innovative approaches. Explore our services to learn how our team supports SLED market entry strategy.