Winning Government Contracts

Winning Government Contracts shows you the way. It begins at the beginning, assuming no prior knowledge of the government marketplace and its sometimes complicated terminology. Written in a clear, easy-to-understand language by experienced sales and marketing professionals, this book takes you through the registration and bidding process step by step.

He who knows and knows that he knows is wise; follow him. -ANCIENT PROVERB During a long career of public service as a government procurement and contracting official, I am still surprised to find big, successful corporations making the same mistakes that neophytes in government contracting mak~. And this is particularly true in the matter of writing proposals, which are the crucial element in most major procurement awards. It's true enough, as many suspect, that the big, well-known company has something of an edge over the smaller, lesser-known company com peting for any given government contract-psychologically, at least: The typical government executives, whether contracting officials or program managers, tend to have a bit more faith in the ability of the large company to carry out the program successfully. All things being equal, then, the big company is more likely to get the nod. However, because the large companies are well aware of that, many tend to become "fat, dumb, and happy"-they try to coast or rest on their laurels. That is, they get careless about making a strong enough case for themselves in writing their proposals. And when they lose, often to smaller companies, they are both puzzled and outraged. They have for gotten that all government procurement is a competition-usually both technical and cost competition-and that the "little guy" can win against the "big guy," if he tries hard enough. And especially if the bigger guy is a bit careless and does not put out his best effort.

Corbett shares what he learned in his 35 years of experience in the competitive proposal field. Starting with the strategic Bid-No Bid decision, all the way through to the post submittal activities, the process of organizing and writing proposals is laid out in clear steps.

How to Get Government Contracts demystifies the process of how a company can enter the government market, win its first and subsequent contracts, and then grow itself into a multi-million-dollar government contractor within a couple of years. It offers an insider’s view into the latest best practices that government contractors use to succeed in an increasingly competitive market, and it shows exactly how your company can apply these techniques to build a strong business. Many companies venture into the government market with a certain naiveté and pay a hefty price to find out that there is much more to winning a contract than writing last-minute proposals in response to publicly posted solicitations. To stop the bleeding of precious resources, they need to step back to learn how professionals win business in the federal arena. This book shows you how to find, for example, the best potential customers and opportunities for your company. It also explains the secret to winning consistently by conducting pre-proposal preparation (also called "capture") and practicing a disciplined, process-based approach to proposal development. This book provides a recipe for winning government contracts over and over again, the way seasoned government contractors do it. After reading this book, you will know exactly what to do to position your company to win a government proposal before a solicitation becomes public, including building customer relationships, gathering intelligence, developing a "win strategy," performing competitive analysis, selecting the best teammates, and developing a solution. As a result, you will apply professional techniques to organizing your proposal effort, outlining a proposal document, and writing RFPs that persuade evaluators to award the contract to you.

The United States federal government is the biggest customer in the world. It buys 20% of all the services and products produced in the U.S. But of the 22 million registered U.S. companies, fewer than 2% of them seek out this market. Why? Because small business owners don’t know where and how to get these contracts. Winning Government Contracts will change that. It begins at the beginning, assuming no prior knowledge of the government marketplace and its sometimes complicated terminology. Written in a clear, easy-to-understand language by experienced sales and marketing professionals, this book takes you through the registration and bidding process step-by-step. All the terms used in government contracts are explained in plain English. Winning Government Contracts shows you where to find the sales opportunities on the Internet, then guides you through every step in your quote, whether submitted electronically or on paper—explaining the jargon and outlining the exact information that needs to be entered. You will learn how to download drawings and specifications, understand shipping and packaging requirements, and find out how much the government is currently paying for an item before you submit an offer. The book also highlights areas where beginners need to be particularly careful, such as remembering to include shipping costs when you offer the government your best price! After the offer has been submitted, the book explains how to find the results of the bid—which company was awarded the contract and its price, as well as the names and prices of all the other bidders. Included is the government’s system of inspection, acceptance, invoicing, and payments, as well as the specific requirements for service contracts such as Statements of Work, Wage Determinations, and Technical Proposals. Whatever your business, the federal government is a marketplace you can enter. Winning Government Contracts will you show the way.

WIN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS will show you how to get in on the action--in just 10 easy-to-understand steps. by following our practical advice, you'll be accurately listed in the federal procurement system, allowing you to start receiving bid leads for lucrative federal contracts.