FEDERAL SECTOR REPORT

• Federal contracting officers will have the option of limiting the competitive range to those contractors who rank highest on evaluation criteria and have a reasonable likelihood of winning. Unless your organization is credible to the procuring agency, and unless you have good technical intelligence from inside the procuring agency, your proposal may be thrown out of the competition even though it complies with specifications. While compliance may be adequate for competitions where the evaluation criterion is lowest price from a responsible offeror, most solicitations place greater weight on technical factors or "best value" than upon low bid alone.
• Multi-phased source selection processes, proposed under procurement reform may screen out all but the most qualified competitors BEFORE requesting a full technical proposal. In these types of procurement, the new rule is "one strike and you're out!" You simply may not have an opportunity to correct proposal deficiencies.
• Oral presentations may carry a great deal of weight in some procurements ... and may in fact serve as the "technical proposal." Your presentation team will have an extremely difficult time if it is unfamiliar with the agency context, its operating style and preferences, or the details of the proposed project. While it is often possible to use writing style to gloss over weaknesses in a traditional proposal, oral presentations have a way of exposing such weaknesses. Having an established, first-hand knowledge of the project requirements, the agency context, and the customer personnel is an extremely powerful advantage.
• Once an RFP has been issued, a wall separates you from representatives of the program office, and, because of "integrity in procurement" rules, you will be required to submit any questions formally to the contracting officer. Yet, before the formal acquisition process, you are free to meet with the program office, collect information about their mission, activities, and preferences; to make presentations about your capabilities and project experience, and to brainstorm about technical methodologies.

Hopefully, we have sold you on the value of pre-solicitation marketing . . . if you were not already sold. All that remains is to do it.

CHECKLIST FOR PRE-SOLICITATION MARKETING

How does your organization rate on pre-solicitation marketing? Find out by working your way through our checklist, which we have organized into three parts: intelligence, marketing, and answers to questions.

#1 Intelligence

Intelligence is the activity of gathering and analyzing any information that will help you win the competition. You need to be active in intelligence gathering BEFORE you conduct pre-solicitation marketing . . . so you don't contact the agency and look like a dummy. Moreover, the information you gather will be extremely valuable when making the bid decision, developing the proposal, and making a presentation.

Does your organization:

[ ] Collect publicly available documents about the agency's missions, projects, budgets, research reports, and personnel?

[ ] Review congressional testimony, appropriations hearings, and GAO reports?

[ ] Ask for information from your teaming partners who have experience at the program office?

[ ] Gather information gained from interviews with job applicants and consultants who currently work for incumbent contractors?

[ ] Search the agency's World Wide Web site for relevant information?

[ ] Identify incumbent contractors through searches of contract award data?

[ ] Pursue unpublished documents under the Freedom of Information Act?

[ ] Identify professional associations and technical societies to which agency program managers belong (and consider joining)?

[ ] Search agency press releases and newspaper coverage (such as The Washington Post)?

[ ] Search for technical, scientific, or management articles written by agency personnel and incumbent leaders of projects?

[ ] Visit the agency library to search for bonus information?

[ ] Search NTIS for reports of previous and/or current contractors?

[ ] Identify university faculty, seminar leaders, and consultants who are popular and well regarded by the agency?

[ ] Maintain most or all of the above in an automated, searchable "knowledge base"?

[ ] Use all of the above to identify key personnel who should be included on your project team?

[ ] Use all of the above to identify potential teaming partners?

[ ] Use all of the above to identify potential technical and management approaches?

[ ] Retain consultants already knowledgeable about the agency or program office, who can provide you with much of the above information.

#2 Pre-Solicitation Marketing

Methods for pre-solicitation marketing must be tailored to the leadership and work style of a particular program office or agency. Some of your decisions must be subtle, and some are obvious, like: don't send penguin-suited non-technical air heads to meet with the scientists at a physics laboratory, and think twice before sending the jeans-and-sweats whizkids to make a pitch to most spit-and-polish admirals.

Some one who already has a good reputation at the agency or program office - a former contract employee, consultant, or (if there has been a respectable lapse of time) a former government employee is a traditional choice. However, a well-known technical or management expert who can command attention because of professional credentials and achievements is an alternative tactic that can work well in today's high tech environment.

There are many circumstances where you should consider the informal approach. Does someone from your organization:

[ ] Participate in professional and technical societies where agency program representatives are active?

[ ] Meet periodically with agency representatives to share a cup of coffee, exchange ideas, technical strategies, and news of accomplishments? (This can be professionally valuable to both parties.)

[ ] Belong to an organization such as National Contract Management Association where you can meet the agency's contracting officers?

[ ] Belong to the appropriate officer's clubs if the program office is part of the Defense Department?

[ ] Deliver technical papers at professional conferences or make presentations at seminars attended by agency representatives?

[ ] Frequent social events attended by agency leaders and/or appropriate congressional representatives?

In maintaining informal relationships, it is always necessary to keep in mind that there is a line that you cannot cross: You cannot ask your government acquaintances to steal your competitor's intellectual property or proprietary information for you, you cannot seek access to government secrets to which you have no right to know, and you can not ask for unfair advantages. Moreover, when a contract competition becomes formal, you cannot use your contacts to bypass the contracting officer. Failure to remember where the line is drawn can result in a criminal indictment.

There are even more varied means for formal pre-solicitation marketing. Does your organization:

[ ] Request formal meetings with agency program managers to obtain a briefing about agency programs and plans?

[ ] Organize symposia and demonstrations to show off your technical methods, solutions, products, and project achievements?

[ ] Conduct fee-based seminars for government personnel (including candidates for contract services)?

[ ] Add agency program and procurement representatives to the mailing list of your newsletters, technical bulletins, and other announcements?

[ ] Invite agency representatives to your organization's open house?

[ ] Offer to give a technical briefing or a technical presentation in the agency's conference room or auditorium?

[ ] Invite the program office to visit another agency where you have a successful project (and where they can hear the other agency give enthusiastic testimonials)?

[ ] Propose to conduct small projects (assessments, plans, training) on a small purchase basis for a well-funded program office where you have little or no contract experience as a means for demonstrating your proficiency?

[ ] Consider gaining agency exposure by subcontracting with incumbent contractors, including 8(a) firms and small businesses?

[ ] Examine the possibility of forming a strategic alliance with a university that supports the agency with scientific research?


#3 Answers to questions

In addition to gaining visibility and organizational credibility within an agency, one of the primary purposes of pre-solicitation marketing and intelligence is to gain answers to questions that will arise during the contract competition.

The information and experience that your organization gains should answer the following questions:

• How does the contract fit into the agency's overall mission, goals, and objectives?
• If there is an incumbent contractor, what is that firm's strengths and weaknesses?
• Who will be the front-running competitors for the contract? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?
• Has the agency had particularly good or bad experiences with certain technical strategies in the past?
• Are there certain project/program management procedures that the agency prefers?
• Are their certain contract deliverables that are of particular importance to the agency?
• What does the agency really hope to accomplish through the contract?
• What do they look for in a proposal?
• Does the contract need to compliment any other agency programs or contracts?
• Who are the decision-makers in the agency?
• What does the agency dislike in contractors and their proposals?
• How will the agency lean in making technical versus cost trade-offs?
• Based on the agency's opinions and experience, who would be good teaming partners?
• Are there certain positions that should be filled by personnel already known to and respected by the agency?
• Are there certain backgrounds or qualifications that the agency may prefer when staffing the proposal?
• What kinds of "past performance" will impress the agency?
• What is the communications style within the agency program? Do they like to read detailed text? Do they prefer to focus on a few carefully selected bullet points? Is it a visual audience preferring diagrams, charts, and illustrations in the proposal or presentation? Are they auditory learners who focus on voices in presentations?

APPLICABILITY TO GRANT COMPETITIONS

Many federal grants have become very competitive. We have found that applying contractor methods to grant competitions can be very successful in terms of winning more revenues for universities, local governments, and nonprofits. However there are certain differences:

• Grant applicants are usually invited to communicate with program officers during the proposal preparation . . . so there is not the same arms-length distancing as is the case for contracts.
• Prospective grantees are often invited to attend conferences and workshops to discuss the grants program. At these, they have an opportunity to learn of agency preferences and priorities, as well as meet program officers.

Notwithstanding, a case can be made for vigorous pre-solicitation marketing for competitive grants: Knowing the agency and program officers in depth is a definite advantage. Having established credibility with the program office is a big plus. Participating in the professional and technical societies to which program officers belong is an advantage. Delivering papers at professional conferences and symposia attended by the government representatives is even better. Being published in scientific journals they read is powerful.

Thus, the marketing style for competitive grants is somewhat different, but WINNING remains a very competitive sport.

CONSULTING SERVICES

Today, years after the above article was written, the P2C2 Group has evolved into an independent consulting firm that provides enterprise-level services to 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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