Ever wonder what the Government team does when they receive a proposal? Regardless of whether it’s hard copy or electronic, the first thing the Contracting Officer does is note the time and date it was received. The second thing? Usually, they check for the compliance requirements as stated in Section L of the RFP. If the solicitation specified font size or margin or other format related requirements, those get checked. And of course, they check the page count.
This is not as simple as glancing at the number on the last page. A good C.O. will usually do some sort of manual, page-by-page count, just in case the software corrupted the count, or perhaps the printed version carried a sentence unexpectedly, throwing the count off.
Which begs the question, if the RFP specified a limit of 30 pages, what do they do when they count to 31 or more? Those pages may get shredded, or some other destruction method, but they DO NOT get turned over to the evaluation team. They never see anything beyond the 30 pages allowed. Doesn’t matter if it ends mid-sentence, they never see it.
You expect page limits to be simple and easy to comply with, but delivering excess pages happens frequently. It is imperative that you clearly understand exactly what the Government means in its page limit statement. Does it include a table of contents? An executive letter? Resumes of key personnel? In order to assure you meet all Section L compliance requirements, you can’t guess on this. If it’s unclear in the solicitation, ask.