how to identify winnable government contracts

How To Identify Winnable Government Contracts

May 15, 2013

Opportunity Tracking and SelectionPresented By

Jim McCarthy, AOC Key Solutions, Inc. (KSI)

EAST: Joint Warfighting 2013 Conference May 14-16, 2013

Virginia Beach, VA

Agenda

Direction of Presentation

1. The Big Idea2. Opportunity Identification and Tracking

3. Red Flags and Common

Mistakes

4. Opportunity Selection

Criteria and Hints

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3

BigThe

Idea

Part 1

BigThe Idea

It starts with identifying winnable

opportunities.Get this wrong and you might as well

no-bid to save time and money.

This helps you achieve the winning edge.

Part 2: Opportunity Tracking and Selection

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ID/qualify federal opportunities that best align to company’s core capabilities and business strategies.

ID opportunities well in advance of RFP release to permit sufficient planning and capture activities.

Create scalable data ranging from detailed information on a specific opportunity mega data on a pipeline of opportunities in one or more market sectors.

Opportunity Tracking

Goals and Objectives

Getting Started – How to Focus

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Articulate your strategic interest in the government

contracts sector—strategic or annual plan, mission/vision

Identify products and

services offered by

your company

List core competencies related to your target market

sectors

List key words that describe your products or

services

List desired customers—government agencies, and understand your

business relationship with these customers

Getting Started – How to Focus

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Identify your NAICS codes and Size Standard

Register DUNS and

ORCA ….now called SAM

Identify your performance

location or region (Metro DC, CONUS,

OCONUS etc.)

Identify types of procurementsyou wish to pursue (or exclude) (i.e. Sole Source, 8(a) Set Aside, SB/SDB/WOB/VO, A-76, Unrestricted)

Understand the FAR

Identify types of contracts you wish to

pursue (FFP, Cost Reimbursable,

Incentive Fee, ID/IQ, CPAF, LPTA)

NAICS = North American Industry Classification SystemCCR = Central Contractor RegistryORCA = Online Representations and CertificationsSAM = System for Award Management

Getting Started – How to Focus

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Identify your preferred business model• Prime Contractor• Subcontractor• Sole Source• Partnerships• Joint Ventures• Contractor

Teaming Arrangements

• Identify relevant past performance

Identify other criteria you may wish to employ• Union Contracts• SCA/Davis Bacon• Recompete• New Start• Bonding Required

Identify annual dollar value of contracts sought• $1M-$4.9M• $5M-$9.9M• $10M-$24.9M• $25M-$49.9M• $50M-$99.9M• > $100M

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Government-Provided Tracking Systems

In addition to commercially available databases

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Replaces CCR

Mandatory registration

Agencies use to locate contractors

Searchable for company capabilities, size, location, experience, and ownership

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Government-Provided Tracking Systems (cont.)

System for Award Management

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Lists federal business opportunities

Federal agencies required to use for all contracts over $25,000

Good source of data—but if the first time you see an opportunity is in FBO, you are probably too late

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Government-Provided Tracking Systems (cont.)

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Administered by SBA

Requires SAM registration

Submit your business profile

COs use to ID potential SBs for upcoming opportunities

SBs can use for teaming and joint venturing

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Government-Provided Tracking Systems (cont.)

Dynamic Small Business Search Database

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Repository for all federal contracting data for contracts >$25K

Fair source for– Contracts by agency– Contractor– Contract Value– Period of Performance– Summary SOW

>50 standard reports and specialized reports using >160 customized fields

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Government-Provided Tracking Systems (cont.)

Federal Procurement Data System

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Searchable database for:– Name of awardee– Contract value– Agency– Transaction type– Awardee location– Unique identifier of entity

receiving the award

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Government-Provided Tracking Systems (cont.)

USA Spending.GOV

Database Subscriptions

There are several good commercial subscription systems; Deltek, Centurion

Other Sources for Opportunities

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AssociationsTrade ShowsConferencesSeminarsIndustry DaysAgency ForecastsNetworking

Formal Tracking System

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Opportunity Name

Date

Tracking Number

Agency

Link to Summary SOW

PoP

Incumbent

Contract Value

Points of Contact

Procurement Schedule

Interest Rating

Other Relevant Data

Update and Refresh Tracking System

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Update and refresh tracking system regularly, lest it grow unwieldy…Call it a triage process

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Beware of these telltale signs that trouble is

brewing

Part 3Red Flags

AndCommonMistakes

No Strategic Vision or Plan to Guide

Opportunities

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Red Flag

Too Many Opportunities Tracked

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Red Flag

Too FewOpportunities Tracked

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Red Flag

No or Wrong Opportunity Selection

Criteria

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Red Flag

Too Late Finding Opportunities

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Red Flag

Too Little Pipeline Triage

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Red Flag

Too Late Discarding

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Red Flag

Too Late Positioning

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Red Flag

Too Much Process

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Red Flag

Too Little Process

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Red Flag

Too Unwilling to Say No

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Red Flag

Part 4:

Opportunity Selection Criteria

and Hints

Select Wickets Wisely

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Is the opportunity in my strategic

plan?

Does it match our core

competencies?

Selection Criteria

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Is it a new market or customer?

Do we have the right past performance?

Selection Criteria

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Is this a pop-up?

Have we been

tracking this?

Selection Criteria

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Do I know the customer?

Does the customer know us?

Selection Criteria

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Do we have the right SMEs?

Do we need to

team and are they

committed to us?

Selection Criteria

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Do we know the

customer’s problems and challenges?

Do we have a viable

solution for them?

Selection Criteria

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Do we know the risks?

Are we prepared to take those risks?

Selection Criteria

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Do we have time to write

a quality proposal?

Are we prepared to price to

win?

Selection Criteria

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Do we have personnel

dedicated to the proposal?

Do we have a qualified

PM and other key

personnel?

Selection Criteria

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Do we know our

competitors?

Are any of them

positioned to win?

Selection Criteria

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Do we have any

differentiators?

Can we talk “benefits” not just

“features”?

Selection Criteria

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Can we win? Not can we perform?

Selection Criteria

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HINT!To keep it manageable, review your pipeline

early and often. Triage and eliminate unwelcome targets.

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HINT!Use a laser not a shotgun.

Err on the side of caution and conservatism to select targets. Be practical.

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HINT!Create a Hit Parade of the top 10 targets that you are working. If you add one, take one off the list. Assign a

advocate/champion for each.

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HINT!If you don't have past performance, don't keep it in your

pipeline—unless you intend to team.

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HINT!

Consider teaming to increase your bandwidth and the range of acceptable opportunities.

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HINT!

Develop stringent opportunity selection criteria and stick to them.

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HINT!

Develop rigorous gate reviews and bid/no-bid reviews for each opportunity. Use them.

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HINT!Appoint an opportunity advocate and a contrarian

devil’s advocate. Then let them go at it.

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HINT!Create an opportunity review group. But let

the senior executive make the call. Then stand by the decision.

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HINT!

Avoid Pop-Up Opportunities.

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HINT!

The earlier the opportunity is identified, the better you can position yourself to win.

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HINT!Not all opportunities are winnable.

That is a fact.

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HINT!It starts with identifying winnable

opportunities.Get this wrong and you might as well no-bid

to save time and money.

The Big Idea Repeated

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Questions?

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Jim McCarthy, Owner and Technical DirectorAOC Key Solutions, Inc. (KSI)

703-868-8263Email: jmccarthy@aoc-ksi.com

Founded in 1983, KSI has played a role in winning over $22 billion in government contracts for its clients using the Principle-Centered Winning (PCW) approach to capture and proposals.

Jim is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker on how to unleash the power of Principle-Centered Winning on your organization’s capture and proposal efforts.

Thank you.

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