Posts Tagged ‘government’

Business Development – Acquiring Federal Government Contracts

The U.S. government is the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services. Do you have something the government needs? Then why haven’t you tapped into this market? Think you’re too small? Federal agencies are required to target at least 23 percent of their spending for small businesses and the vast majority of them never reach this goal.

The federal government spent over $650 billion dollars in FY 2009 purchasing a variety of goods and services. Each purchase required that they publicly advertise a formal request for proposal (RFP) of these items and give qualified companies the opportunity to acquire federal contracts. Do you want to take advantage of these possibilities?

The Connector Will Help You Weave through this Maze

Weaving through the requirements and possibilities in federal contracting can be overwhelming. If you already have some type of contracting vehicles in place but need someone to help you with the “Now What?” The Federal Connector is your answer.

Obtaining contract awards takes time, solid strategies, and a lot of patience. Getting registered is just the first step. You’ll need help in building the right relationships with decision makers and gatekeepers. The following outlines how this process will work in my role as a business development consultant for the federal marketplace.

1. Conduct or review current Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis.
2. Determine the type of contracts you want to win from the federal government.
3. Research which agencies buy your services and match their requirements.
4. Determine and develop the best contracting vehicles needed to win the business, including subcontracting partnerships.
5. Develop marketing strategies to build relationships with the federal decision makers, gatekeepers, and large primes already doing business with the agencies.

Phase One. Conduct or review current SWOT analysis.

The SWOT analysis examines organizational Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, providing a realistic overview of strategies that take maximum advantage of strengths and opportunities while minimizing weaknesses and threats.

Phase Two. Determine what business you want to win from the federal government.

Doing business with the federal government offers vast opportunities. Work with your team to determine which products and/or services to offer.

Phase Three. Research which agencies buy your services and match their requirements.

Annual procurement forecasts are issued by every agency, and they include information on each sub-agency. Extensive, ongoing research will be conducted to monitor these reports in search of opportunities matching your service categories.

Phase Four. Determine and develop appropriate contracting vehicles needed to win the business.

A contract vehicle is a method a company uses to pursue and close the deal. To succeed in the federal market, you have to align your company with as many vehicles as possible. Numerous ones exist that include, but are not limited to:

• GSA schedule (renewable five-year contract listing the prices the federal government has agreed to pay for a vendor’s commercial products and services. There are 62 categories and the GSA schedule is the favored purchasing mechanism for most buyers).
• Subcontracting partnerships that take advantage of programs that give preference to a defined class such as minority-owned, veteran-owned, etc.

Phase Five. Develop marketing strategies to build relationships with the federal decision makers, gatekeepers, and large primes already doing business with the agencies.

There has to be a well-positioned, solid relationship with decision makers and gate-keepers when networking the federal market. These types of relationships will result in a long-term rapport with supportive contracting offices. A tactical game plan will be formulated to focus on the following:

The Federal Connector lived in Washington D.C. for over ten years and knows it well. He’ll attend and network at key government-related conferences:

• MedWeek (September, MBDA), NMSDC Annual conference (October), OSDBU conference (April), GSA networking events (ongoing), and targeted agency Vendor Outreach Sessions (ongoing in DC).
• Attend other business and social events such as retirement parties, holiday galas, non-government networking functions, etc., that attract decision makers, etc. Possibly joining their favored organization or association.
• Seek national media opportunities in federal publications such as Federal Computer Week that will extend your credibility and bring business opportunities to you.

Timeline

Procurement officials have stated it could easily take as much as 18 months or more before a company is able to successfully penetrate an agency and receive a contract award. I will, however, leverage my long-term relationships to reduce this timeframe as much as possible.

Pay Scale

Fees are determined on a client by client basis.