Win More Federal Government Bids—Focus On The People

Win More Federal Government Bids—Focus On The People

Winning contracts requires connecting with the right people at the right time in the right way with the right offering. This is indeed a tall order, but you absolutely can take steps to make it happen.

Connecting Before the Bid

Summit Insight consistently helps clients build their way to winning proposals with ten proven tactics. And “Connecting” with the influencers and decision-makers is one of the foundation stones.

The final engagement (winning the contract) results from a trusted relationship built over time before the bid. You need to become the top-of-mind supplier when the formal competition begins.

HINT: the real competition starts many months before the bid or Request For Proposal (RFP) is published.

While every Contracting Officer I have ever spoken to says they do not have a favorite vendor going into the competition, the most successful vendors know the players at all the layers long before the bid deadline. That’s not only allowed…it’s encouraged by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (See FAR SubPart 15.201)

How do you make connections? Here are some proven tactics.

Gather Intelligence Prior to the Bid

If you wanted to propose marriage to someone, you wouldn’t set eyes on them across the crowded room, make a beeline for them, go down on one knee, open the ring box, and announce your intentions, would you?

If you saw someone else do that, you’d cringe. You know better! You have to woo them, get to know them, find out what they like, what matters to them, know who they hang out with, go on a coffee date…

Aha. Ever think of Federal contracting like that? You’re building a relationship with a lot on the line for both partners!

If you see the “perfect” Federal opportunity online, with less than 30 days to go, and you don’t know the buyer, you don’t know their budget, you don’t know the incumbent, and you don’t know the history, your odds of winning are in the single digits.

GovCon is a relationship game. The winner probably built key relationships many months before the solicitation hit the street. The best intelligence doesn’t come from any database. It comes from relationships!

When you see that “perfect” opportunity without a lot of lead time, think twice. It may be that your best move is to back away, get to know the story, and the players at all the layers, and then circle back for the next opportunity when you really know the story.

If this is the agency, the federal buyer, you are meant to serve, then you will keep coming back. This won’t be the only time they ever buy your services. Your odds of winning will be much better if you take the time to get to know them first.

When your Business Development team brings you an opportunity? Ask yourselves, “Who do we know there?” If you only know the Small Business Specialist, remember that person is not your buyer. They can’t award a contract and are not stuck with the consequences (good or bad) of awarding that work to you. Ask, “who are we up against? What do we know about them? Would we need to team? If they don’t know us, why would they choose us?”

Get To Know The Players At Every Layer

No matter how many GSA Schedule categories we have, no matter what our set-asides or contract vehicles, the successful vendors do their homework. Research the decision-makers and influencers in the agency where you want to win. Then you need an action plan to build great relationships with them.

If that sounds like a lot of work, it can be easier using the Summit Insight methodology—the secret sauce we share with our clients. It all starts by discovering and understanding the PALM – Players and Layers Methodology® and downloading the GovCon Personas Guide.

Then, explore what to do, what to say, and what to ask in our PALM – Players and Layers Methodology®. Invest the time to get to know how they work and nurture those relationships. That’s how we hear more about their needs earlier in the buying process. Eventually, we take the opportunities to respond to (or even help develop!) the specifications within a Sources Sought Notice, Request For Information (RFI), or RFP.