Author Archive
Opinion
Polaris RFP sparks small business fears
The solicitation for the $15 billion has sparked fears that small businesses are at a disadvantage and joint ventures are favored in the competition. One protest so far but are others in the works?
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Opinion
NOAA's $8B ProTech 2.0 solicitation brings the latest in streamlined acquisition
The Dec. 2 release of NOAA's $8B ProTech 2.0 RFP probably ruined the holidays for small business contractors but the plethora of streamlined acquisition process also are a harbinger of things to come.
Opinion
Building confidence is key to winning State's $8B EVOLVE contract
To win a spot on the State Department's $8 billion EVOLVE contract, bidders must work on building their customer's confidence.
Opinion
Here's what you need to know when the customer asks you to write the work statement
When your customer issues a statement of objectives instead of a performance work statement, it falls to you to write that PWS. Here's what you need to know to make the most of that opportunity.
Opinion
Do the latest CIO-SP4 amendments create inequities?
NITAAC's latest CIO-SP4 amendments will allow small businesses to use the experience of large business partners in their proposals. The late change might put small businesses without large partners at a disadvantage.
Opinion
Is your proposal's executive summary worth the bother?
Companies spend a lot of time and effort polishing the executive summary that goes with proposals but the truth is many executive summaries never get read. Here's why and what value you can add to these documents.
Opinion
How COVID has changed successful proposal writing
The impact of the COVID pandemic has been profound on government customers and has changed the way they conduct business, which means you need to change how you write your proposals to address your customers' new reality.
Opinion
How to review your proposal to move beyond 'Acceptable'
You want your proposals to be rated higher than "Acceptable" and here are 10 keys to reviewing your proposal and getting it to "Outstanding."
Opinion
COVID 19: What can contractors do? Plenty.
Obviously, your top priority is your family and loved ones but as the dust settles, you need to understand these short- and long-term impacts on your business.
Opinion
A winning proposal isn't always the best
Too many contractors assume because they've won a contract then their proposal was a good one but wins and losses shouldn't be your only measures of success.
Opinion
Beware the dangers of groupthink
Proposal color team reviews don't work because reviewers are too susceptible to the dangers of groupthink.
Opinion
Best-in-class vehicles are rising but agency contracts still rock
The majority of agency spending still flows through vehicles outside the Best in Class designation and that might be where your best opportunities are.
Opinion
Beware the OASIS on ramp. It isn't as easy as it looks
Contractors have reacted positively to GSA's plans to add more primes to OASIS via on ramps but it might take more work than you expect to back up your self-scoring proposal.
Opinion
7 keys to successful solutioning
A compelling solution speaks directly to what the customer values. Here are seven keys to making sure your solution meets your customers values.
Behind the curtain: A look at the government's hidden market
Along with the rise of multiple award contracts, the government has seen the growth of a huge, lucrative market that is largely hidden from view.
Opinion
IT modernization: Another step to contract consolidation
Federal IT modernization will drive more contract consolidation. Here are the risks and opportunities you need to know.
Should you trust DHS' FLASH redo?
Given the problems that the DHS Procurement Innovation Lab had the first time it tried to award the $1.5 billion FLASH contract, small businesses need to exercise caution when FLASH 2.0 hits the street.
Opinion
IT modernization has bipartisan support but where are the dollars?
There is plenty of bipartisan support for IT modernization, from the White House to Capitol Hill, but what's lacking are resources, begging the question, Where's the beef?
Opinion
Can sole-source and innovation go hand-in-hand?
The VA is awarding a sole source contract worth billions to Cerner for a new electronic health record system but can a contract with no competition also bring innovation?
Opinion