Tagging Documents for Submission

"Tag" documents for a proposal before uploading them in Symphony by following these instructions. (An instructional video on this topic is also available at the bottom of the page). 

1. Prepare the Document

The comments in a PDF document are described as “tags” in Symphony.

• Comments are used to provide references for validation (see Figure 1).
• All proposal documents should be in Adobe (.pdf) format. We do not recommend using the PDF portfolio feature. 

Figure 1. Comment Feature in Adobe. 

Tags must match in both the PDF(s) and Symphony. 

• We recommend using an overarching or generic keyword for simplicity in claiming solicitation-specific scoring elements.
• Evaluators will use the tags (comments) to find support for the claims. 

A tag could be "Performance" with an explanation (ex. Performance - NAICS, Performance – Contract Award, Performance - Customer) in the document, and users only need to enter "Performance" in the tag field in Symphony. The evaluators will search for the word "Performance" and find every instance it appears in the comments.

The reference file and tags become links in the evaluation tool that open each document to the position of the first tag. The evaluators are then guided from comment to comment, similar to using a Find feature when they review a proposal. 

• Add tags throughout the PDF document(s).
• Tags for a specific claim can be used more than once in the PDF document.
• Tags are verified by using a "Find function" (Ctrl+F). 
• Use one tag per claim (scoring element) in Symphony to be consistent (see Navigating Open Market Solicitations).

2. Upload Documents to My Company

In My Company, Projects/Past Performance, users can add and remove documents, and edit/update the reference tags as needed. 

1. Add or Edit a Project.
2. Upload the supporting document(s) (see Figure 2). 
   • Project files should be reusable across multiple solicitations. (See Documenting Projects/Past Performance).
3. Reference the Documents in the Project Details (see Figure 3). 
4. Save the Project.

Figure 2. Project Documents upload screen 

The Symphony Tag Legend only applies to the Project Details in the Company assets because this data is the most reusable (see Table 1). The recommended tags are:

Table 1. 

Figure 3. Project Details use the Symphony Tag Legend.  

3. Reference the Documents in a Proposal

The most important part of “tagging” is that the PDF comment matches the reference used in Symphony for the Performance Factors to earn additional points for the solicitation. (See Using Symphony for Proposal Intake). 

1. Use the Solicitations tab on the Dashboard.
2. Start or Continue a proposal Submission.
3. Select the Projects/Past Performance tab in a proposal.
4. Add or select a project.
5. Begin or Modify the Performance Factors for a project.
6. Pick the reference document(s) (see Figure 4).
7. Enter the “tags”.
8. Save and Complete.

 Figure 4. Add Performance Factors to projects in a proposal.

Watch this video for a brief overview.

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