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Past Performance

How to manage and select Past Performance in Proposals V2, including contract setup, writeups, and aligning experience to proposal requirements.

Written by Matt Miller

Overview

The Past Performance feature allows you to store, manage, and reuse prior contract experience across proposals. Once configured, Past Performance records can be selected and included in proposal responses, supporting compliance with solicitation requirements and strengthening proposal credibility.

Past Performance records are linked to Contracts and become available for proposal use when the related opportunity is marked as Outcome = Won.

If you started with Document Package, Past Performance requirements may already be identified as part of the workflow. You can then select and align the appropriate records within this tab.

How is Past Performance Used in Proposals?

Past Performance is incorporated into your proposal by selecting relevant contract records and associating them with your response.

This process includes:

  • Preparing contract data

  • Creating or attaching writeups

  • Selecting relevant past performance for the proposal

Step 1: Mark Opportunities as Won

  • Navigate to your pipeline and open the opportunity record.

  • Ensure the Outcome field is set to Won.

  • Only opportunities marked as Won will appear under Contracts and be available for Past Performance selection.

Step 2: Verify Contract Records

Navigate to the Contracts section and open the contract record.

Confirm the following fields are populated:

  • Agency

  • Total Contract Value

  • Company Value

  • Period of Performance (POP)

  • Role (Prime or Subcontractor)

  • Workshare percentage

  • Past Performance Summary

This information supports filtering, selection, and proposal generation.

Step 3: Create Past Performance Writeups

Navigate to your proposal and click Add Past Performance Writeup.

You can choose one of the following:

Create New Past Performance Writeup
Use the built-in editor to create and manage Past Performance narratives directly within NextStage.

Attach External Past Performance Writeup
Attach existing content from SharePoint or upload files.

This allows you to reuse CPARS reports, proposal writeups, or contract summaries.

Step 4: Select Past Performance for the Proposal

Click Add Past Performance to select contract records.

Use filters such as:

  • Agency

  • Role

  • Contract value

  • Period of Performance

  • Status

Select the contracts that align with the solicitation requirements, then click Add Selected.

Step 5: Review Selected Past Performance

Selected records will appear under Selected Past Performance within the proposal.

You can:

  • Review records

  • Remove records

  • Confirm alignment with proposal requirements

These records are now linked to the proposal.

How Past Performance Is Used

Selected Past Performance records support:

  • Proposal Outline generation

  • Past Performance volume development

  • Pink Team Draft creation

  • Compliance alignment with solicitation requirements

This ensures your proposal reflects validated and relevant contract experience.

Best Practices

  • Mark all awarded opportunities as Outcome = Won

  • Complete Contract fields for accurate filtering and selection

  • Maintain clear and concise Past Performance summaries

  • Attach supporting documentation when available

  • Select records that closely align with solicitation scope and requirements

  • If using Document Package, review identified requirements before selecting records

Expected Outcome

Your proposal includes relevant, validated Past Performance aligned to solicitation requirements and ready for use in the outline and draft.

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