10 priorities your customers think about the most

If you want to do business with the government, you better hold some General Services Administration contracts.

You also better be closing sales year round.

Those are two pieces of advice you can glean from a survey of government buyers conducted by 1105 Government Information Group, publisher of Washington Technology.

In its annual government buying study, the media company surveyed 100,000 readers of Washington Technology and its sister publications, Federal Computer Week and Government Computer News.

Questions cover topics such as growth in the market, spending priorities, technology needs and how government buyers use contracts.

GSA’s vehicles scored well in their importance as a procurement tool with six contracts placing in the top 10 contracts government buyers are using.

The survey also broke down the buying cycle and found that a significant number of acquisitions are being completed in each quarter of the fiscal year. Lesson: Don’t save your best sales pitch for the fourth quarter, or you’ll miss plenty of opportunities.

Top priorities for government buyers focus on security, efficiency, data and knowledge management and information sharing, according to the survey.

And to win, you need to know and meet your customers' specifications, provide quality support and understand the cost structure of your solution.

The following charts track predictions on whether or not the market will grow; top government priorities; critical decision points on the procurement calendar; and top criteria for making buying decisions.