How do I address a 'no past performance' situation in a federal proposal?

When you have no federal past performance, emphasize the relevance of your commercial and city contracts by directly aligning them with the federal Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15.305(a)(2) states that past performance evaluations should consider the recency and relevance of the past performance, including performance on commercial contracts, and that the source of the past performance information may include customer surveys, and other questionnaires. This means your commercial work is absolutely relevant. Create a table in your past performance volume that lists each project. For each project, include the client name, contract value, period of performance, and a brief description of the scope. Most importantly, in a separate column, explicitly map the services performed in your commercial and city contracts to the specific requirements detailed in the RFP's Performance Work Statement (PWS) or Statement of Objectives (SOO). For instance, if the RFP asks for weekly lawn mowing, highlight your commercial contracts where you provided weekly lawn mowing for similar acreage. Use client testimonials that speak to your reliability and quality, especially those that mention meeting deadlines and adhering to specifications, as these qualities are highly valued in federal contracting. Focus on quantifiable achievements, like reducing maintenance costs or improving service delivery times for your commercial clients.