Flodoc AI

Guides & Playbooks

Field-tested advice for AEC proposal teams - how to win more work and spend less time assembling it.

Guide

8 min read

How to Write an SF330 That Wins Work

A practical guide to the Standard Form 330 for architecture and engineering firms - how the sections are scored, the mistakes that cost points, and how to map your team and projects to the evaluation criteria.

Playbook

8 min read

The Government RFP Playbook for AEC Firms

How to respond to public-sector RFPs and RFQs without losing points to compliance: reading the solicitation, tracking every requirement, and aligning your response to how it's scored.

Guide

8 min read

How to Write an SOQ That Wins Municipal Work

A practical guide to Statements of Qualifications for city, county, and local-agency pursuits - how QBS evaluators score them, what to put forward, and how to map staff and projects to the criteria.

Guide

10 min read

Qualifications-Based Selection for State & Local AEC Work

How QBS works for city, county, and state design contracts - the Brooks Act model, state mini-Brooks statutes, evaluation factors, and how to win without competing on price.

Playbook

11 min read

The Local Agency RFQ Playbook for Engineering Firms

How to respond to city, county, and local public agency RFQs without losing on compliance - from SOI to SOQ to interview to negotiation.

Guide

10 min read

How Water & Wastewater Firms Win Public-Sector Work

What utility owners score in QBS pursuits - plant type and scale, licensed staff, funding-agency experience - and how to map your team and projects to each RFQ.

Guide

12 min read

Winning Federally Funded Local Infrastructure Pursuits

When city and county projects use federal dollars, QBS and agency rules stack. How to show funding-agency experience and stay compliant without confusing a municipal SOQ for an SF330.

Checklist

10 min read

AEC RFP Compliance Checklist

A practical, section-by-section checklist for AEC proposal teams: what to verify before you submit so a strong response isn't disqualified on a technicality.

Buyer's guide

11 min read

Best Proposal Software With a Built-In Design Editor (2026)

Most AEC proposal tools make you finish the document in Word or InDesign. Here are the few that let you match content and design the final proposal in one place - and when each is the right pick.

Buyer's guide

10 min read

Best AI Proposal Software for Small & Mid-Size AEC Firms (2026)

Enterprise proposal platforms are overkill for a 10-100 person firm. Here are the AI-first proposal tools that fit small and mid-size AEC firms - and which one fits your bottleneck.

Buyer's guide

10 min read

Best AEC Proposal Software Without Ecosystem Lock-In (2026)

Some proposal tools are only worth it if you adopt their whole ecosystem - a DAM, an ERP, or Microsoft 365. Here are the AEC proposal tools that stand on their own.

Guide

8 min read

SF330 Sections A-I Explained: What Each One Is Scored On

A section-by-section walk through Part I of the SF330 - what Sections A through I ask for, how Sections E, F, and G are evaluated, and how to complete each one against the criteria.

Guide

8 min read

SF330 vs SF254 (and SF255): What Changed and What to Use

The SF330 replaced the SF254 and SF255 in 2004. Here's how the old forms map to SF330 Part I and Part II, why they were consolidated, and which form to use today.

Guide

10 min read

SF330 Template & Checklist: How to Structure a Winning Submission

There's no shortcut around the official SF330 form, but a reusable content structure and a pre-submission checklist make every one faster. Here's how to template your SF330.

Guide

8 min read

SOQ vs Proposal: The Key Differences (and When You Need Each)

An SOQ proves your firm is qualified; a proposal details how you'll deliver the work and at what price. Here's how they differ, how QBS uses each, and which a solicitation is asking for.

Guide

8 min read

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Template & Example Structure

A reusable SOQ structure for engineering and architecture firms: the standard sections, an example outline mapped to QBS criteria, and a pre-submission checklist.

Guide

9 min read

QBS vs Low-Bid Selection: Why Qualifications Come First for Design

Low-bid awards to the cheapest responsive price; QBS ranks design firms on qualifications and negotiates fee after selection. Here's the difference and why the Brooks Act mandates QBS for A-E work.

Guide

8 min read

RFQ vs RFP vs ITB: Which Solicitation Is Which (and How to Respond)

RFQ, RFP, and ITB are three different ways public owners buy work - selecting on qualifications, on value, or on price. Here's how to tell them apart and what to submit for each.