The following is a sample outline of a 10-page "white paper" that could be used in a down-select process. In this outline, there are five sections identified, with each section having a page or word limit. The Statement of the Problem and the Critical Issues sections are prepared by the contractor based on his/her reading of the TORP, familiarity with similar problems, and knowledge of the customer’s environment. The Project Approach section describes the technical approach advocated by the contractor to solve the problems/issues confronting the customer. The Suggested Timeline might only be the contractor's best estimate of the project’s duration or it might include subprojects and show their durations and interdependencies. The last section, Relevant Past Experience, is a short summary of the experience of the contractor that may be directly relevant to the customer’s problem.

1. Statement of the Problem -- A brief restatement or elaboration by the contractor of the customer’s problem (1 page or no more than 500 words)

2. Critical Issues -- Discussion by the contractor of critical issue(s) and limitations the customer might face in trying to solve the problem (2 pages or no more than 1000 words)

3. Project Approach -- A description of the technical approach recommended by the contractor and of how it will address each of the critical issues (5 pages or no more than 2500 words)

4. Suggested Timeline -- The contractor’s best estimate of how long the project would take, to include a timeline if scheduling is a critical issue (1 page or no more than 500 words)

5. Relevant Past Experience -- A summary of the contractor’s past experience that is directly relevant to the current problem. Provide the names of organizations, contacts, and current phone numbers. (1 page or no more than 500 words)

Table 1 displays sample evaluation criteria for white papers that use this outline and a simple scoring sheet that might be used to compute a weighted total score for each contractor.

Table 1. Sample Evaluation Criteria and Scoring Sheet

Criterion	Grade [1 - 5] Low - High	Weight [1 - 3] Low - High	Total Score for each Criterion
1. Degree of understanding of the problem and the critical issues confronting the customer		1
2. Realism of the proposed technical approach		2
3. Innovativeness of the proposed approach		2
4. Realism of the suggested timeline		1
5. Depth of directly relevant past experience		3
Contractor’s Total Score

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