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?

Exclusive 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

As Trump administration approaches, what's next for contractors?

As the clock ticks down to the end of the Obama era and the start of the Trump administration, federal contractors are wondering, what’s next?