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
2
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.
46
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: [email protected]
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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