FEDERAL SECTOR REPORT

Talking to yourself can endanger your chances of winning proposal competitions. Yet, many contractors and grantees do it as a means for proposal reviews. They do it by relying excessively on insiders for reviews.

The problem is analogous to a corporate board of directors with too many insiders, where there is an inherent vested interest in buddies who manage, direct, or operate various business services and functions. The game becomes one of justifying in-place business strategies rather than demanding accountability.

The remedy is to bring capable outsiders into the review process. This should begin with an early review of the "win strategy," where outsiders should bluntly tell you why and how you may lose. This is not an exercise in self-flagellation, because it should lead to one of two outcomes:

• You will gain a more realistic view of the hurdles that you MUST overcome and prepare a better proposal, or
• You will terminate the investment in the proposal, thereby saving many dollars for use in pursuing better opportunities.

Outside reviewers come in several flavors. Some are knowledgeable about the market segment: They know the agencies, competition, and histories of past competitions. Some are technical reviewers: They can evaluate how your "solution" rates in terms of quality and competitiveness. Yet others are business reviewers who can analyze your business model, supply chain, business practices, and cost efficiency. In rare cases, reviewers may be able to fulfill several of these functions.

Your specific proposal competition will determine the types of reviewers that you need. Pick wisely, and you may increase your chances of winning.

BUILDING ONLINE TRAINING AND USER SUPPORT INTO PROPOSALS

Many federal proposals need to offer first-class online support. We're talking about interactive approaches that go far beyond a routine "web site." The possibilities are becoming truly exciting:

• Online ordering and order tracking (everyone's doing this, anyway)
• Online information and technical documentation (ditto--everyone's doing this, too)
• Interactive problem-solving wizards (bingo, this is a plus)
• Interactive training that is well designed as first-class distance learning (another big plus)
• Online collaboration among stakeholders (another plus)
• Real-time online technical support (if your project is big enough to support it).

Be creative and explain the advantages thoroughly in your proposal. Once you implement leading-edge online support, you can use these projects to demonstrate the benefits to prospective customers. This can be a competitive edge if you really develop practical solutions that improve the quality of your projects.

FEDERAL NEWS BYTES

Accessibility of information technology (IT) has dominated the agenda for federal agencies in June 2001. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, requires federal agencies to ensure that computer systems are accessible to individuals with disabilities, except when undue burden would be imposed on the federal agency. Overwhelmingly, IT vendors are being required to certify that their products comply with the extensive, detailed accessibility rules.

At the P2C2 Group, we are also noticing that grant applicants are being asked to explain their plans for accessibility--not only in terms of physical access to facilities but also access to computer systems and employment. Everyone in the Federal Sector needs to get smart, quickly, about solutions for accessibility. It's the law and also a good idea.

LINK OF THE MONTH

One of my favorite links for distance learning and instructional technology is http://www.syllabus.com/. Approximately 300,000 educators read Syllabus Magazine, and it includes features about real-world course development projects on a wide range of subject matter. Both the magazine and the web site have information about products, conferences, and courses as well.

HOME PAGE

I have been updating the contents of the Chief Information Officer's web site at Department of Labor and have also completed an acquisition planning project for a new research laboratory at Treasury's ATF. Associates have been busy developing competitive proposals in response to RFPs for contract services. Our work at both Labor and Treasury is through Cornet Technology--a first class engineering, IT, manufacturing, and professional services company.

It is with great pleasure that the International Association of Fire Fighters (the AFL-CIO union of career fire fighters) has become a client. The IAFF's education staff is talented, savvy, and a delight for proposal competitions. We also had the pleasure of working with their recent teaming partners--the International Association of Fire Chiefs, an Arizona State University (ASU) professor who is recently retired from a top position in the Phoenix fire department, and ASUonline.

Another project team that has given us great pleasure involves the Early Childhood Leadership Institute (University of the District of Columbia), the Education Development Center of Massachusetts, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The team included some of the nation's foremost experts in reading and literacy readiness for young children.

Within the next week or two, we hope to catch up with Jerusa Wilson, the dean of graduate studies at Coppin State College (Baltimore). He has been immersed in a proposal competition concerning research and evaluation for Maryland's criminal justice system.

CONSULTING SERVICES

We provide enterprise-level management consulting services for federal agencies and the contractors who support them. Our areas of specialization are Capital Planning and Investment Control, Enterprise Architecture, strategic planning, performance evaluation, and acquisition support including work statements. Our consulting specialty includes experience in many related areas such as CIO program support, earned value management, risk management, the C&A process for security, and customer satisfaction surveys.

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