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The Advantage Consulting Network
"Profit Oriented Business
Solutions"
TABLE OF CONTENTS
· BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.
· NEWS.
· NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY.
· ARTICLES.
· PREFERRED PRICING FOR OUR
CLIENTS
· POINTS OF CONTACT.
· PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING SCHEDULE.
· NETWORKING CALENDAR.
Link
to October Newsletter.
The Advantage Consulting Network provides
information on business opportunities, teaming opportunities, events, and
services that may help you in your business development efforts. If you
do not wish to be on our Network, e-mail Debra
Giles and we will remove you from the Network. Advantage Consulting, Inc. makes no
warranties, direct or implied, regarding the accuracy of the information
presented.
_____________________________________________________________________
Business Opportunity:
The following opportunity summary has been provided by
epipeline.com, a government contracts database subscription service. The
opportunity is the best available public information and has been
verified within the past few weeks.
Human
Systems, Simulation and Engineering Research, Development, Test and
Evaluation Support Services -
11-19-07
1. If
you want the free full summary of this target go to http://login.epipeline.com/limitedDisplay?ID=FITDUSA4288&FLAG=SUMMARY. This target is only
available for a short period of time.
2.
If you need help designing and executing your capture program or proposal
to win this procurement contact Doug Allston, at dallston@acibiz.com of Advantage Consulting or
call 703-642-5153
______________________________________________________
News:
Fraud,
Bribery and Waste
On November
15, the “Washington Post” reported the Justice Department has proposed
new regulations for companies doing business with the government that
would require contractors to report themselves if any employees or
subcontractors violate a criminal law related to a contract worth more
than $5 million while the work is being done. Contractors who fail to
report could be suspended or barred from doing business with the
government for up to three years.
Current regulations
provide that contractors can voluntarily report themselves but the new
rules will make it mandatory because so few companies do so voluntarily.
The new rules will also require companies to set up internal controls to
ensure adequate documentation, adherence to proper procedures and other protocols
to catch fraud and other such crimes. The government would also be
required to consider whether a company had been ethical and performed
past work on federal contracts with integrity. According to the Post, the
decision to implement the changes stems from the growing number of cases
of fraud and bribery, many of which happened during reconstruction
efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Companies will have until mid-January to comment on the proposed
regulations.
_____________________________________________________________________
Networking Opportunity:
Nothing at this time!
_____________________________________________________________________
Articles:
Will a Program be Funded? – 11-26-07
We provide market research to a
wide range of firms as support for business development and acquisition
activities, with emphasis in the defense IT and defense services sectors.
Our research encompasses the use of a myriad of databases, Federal
websites, announcements, briefings, industry meetings and conversations
with people in the industry. The result of research is a compilation of
best estimates on what the Government is planning to fund. The forecasts
that we and others provide to your firm are just that, a forecast, and as
such require primary contact on a face-to-face basis by your people with
agency influencers and decision makers. In making those contacts your
firm needs to ascertain not only that they are meeting with the right
people but that they are sending the right people from your firm to the
meeting. Your representatives need to deliver a value-based reason to be
briefed by the Government person. Your persons need to be able to extract
from what they are learning that which they need to know to make a viable
pursuit decision. They need to be able to determine who within the client
organization will "champion" a procurement to take it through
the stages of funding. For more information on this topic please contact
Sid Jaffe, sjaffe@acibiz.com
at 703-642-5153.
_____________________________________________________
Look Out, the Devil is
in the Details – 11-26-07
The
phone rang briskly and I picked it up.
The voice at the other end asked about proposal support resources
but when I asked about details of the RFP, the customer and the
requirements, the speaker could not answer the questions. To help those who might be calling in
the future, I thought it would be useful for prospective clients and for
our audience in general to have some basic guidelines to use in planning
your proposal resources augmentation projects. There are several questions you need to
ask before you make that call.
The
first major question to be addressed is “What do we want the consultant
to do?” There are two major types
of proposal projects. The first type is a staffing function to provide a
temporary employee such as a technical writer or a technical expert or
some specifically trained person to work under the guidance and direction
of the client’s employees. This
requirement is frequently the easier of the two types to fill. The second
type of requirement is to provide a portion of, or all of, the client
proposal management team. These
consultant duties can involve proposal or volume management, subject
matter expertise, single technical functions, evaluators, red team
reviewers and other very senior personnel resource needs. In this second type, the client must
decide how much authority, as well as how much responsibility, the
consultant managers will have and all parties must understand the limits
of that responsibility and authority. The proposal chain of command must
be clear and accepted by all parties.
The
second major question is, “Where will the assignment be based?” For management and production
assignments this is normally on site.
Other assignments can be off site or remotely based as long as
good communications exist for them.
The
third question is, “What are the specific requirements for the
position?” This is a question that
is frequently not addressed or is not addressed fully. The consultant’s mission and
prospective duties drive the requirements.
The
fourth question is, “When will we need this position filled and for how
long?” It is advisable to identify
alternative requirement periods if it appears that a solicitation
schedule will slip.
The
fifth question is, “How much can we spend on proposal augmentation?” Companies may ask for guidance on the
range of costs but the company must agree to a budget amount before we
can create a contract.
Finally,
the sixth question addresses any special or important amplifying items
that need to be considered. Some
examples of these items are security clearances, language proficiency,
specific technical knowledge and project travel requirements.
When
I receive a request for resource augmentation support, I ask four
questions.
1. When do you
need the consultant and for how long?
2. What is your
budget for the position or positions?
3. What is the solicitation (RFP) for and
who issued it?
4. Are there
other items to be considered? Some of these might be: Location of assignment, qualification
of consultant, special requirements that must be considered (such as
those listed above). Operational
and administrative command structure, et c.
If
the initial call indicates we can support the client’s requirement, we
will meet with the client or schedule a conference call to discuss the
proposal effort in more detail and resolve any uncertainties. Want more
information, contact Bill Hamilton, bhamilton@acibiz.com at 703-405-8912 and let’s talk.
_____________________________________________________
So It’s True What They say About
Source Selection Boards – 11-26-07
Rob
Ransome, one of Advantatge Consulting’s proposal consultants, has the following perspective on
how Evaluation Boards operate in evaluating proposals. You can better
write to this audience after you take our Technical Writing workshop.
J.P. Richard, jprichard@acibiz.com
•
Looks for short cuts, particularly when evaluating many or large
proposals
•
Reads Executive Summary, Section Introductions, Graphics, and
Graphic Captions
•
Jumps from Graphic to Graphic and reads Graphic Captions (Comic
Book Reader)
•
Usually skims all the proposals to understand “the norm,” then
rereads for content and scoring. Therefore the proposal must be
“skimmable” and create a positive impression from titles, headlines,
bullet charts, graphics, and action captions.
•
Body text is the last item read, if read at all. Prepared
by Ransone Associates
_____________________________________________________
“Proposals Can be Fun!!” –
11-26-07
Sounds
crazy, eh? Truth is; however, that while the last thing the average line
manager or member of the technical staff wants to hear are the words, “we
need to put together a proposal team,” from our perspective, writing
proposals are as much a part of the business development process as
developing relationships, finding potentially winnable opportunities,
“capturing” those opportunities, and making the “right” bid/no bid
decisions. But when it gets down to writing and bidding, it seems far too
many people don’t want to be involved.
There
are two aspects to every proposal – managing the process and preparing
(writing) the document. It should be the objective of every person in
every firm to ensure a focus of putting together responses that will win
the competitions it chooses to enter. Seems logical, but the obvious fact
is that more firms lose than win. The answer to the question “how much
does it cost to write a losing proposal?” is obviously “the same as
writing a winning proposal.”
So
what are your options? If managing or writing proposals is a major
struggle in your firm, the first thing to do is consider, for example,
calling us. We have relationships with about 100 professionals who are
expert in both aspects of the proposal process who will work directly
with you toward producing that “winner.” We also have relationships with
people who can assist with pricing, graphics, and final production to
help with those issues as well.
While
you are considering our assistance, we remind you that if you’ve been
working steadily with a government customer for years, your staff has
likely earned their trust and confidence, and may have remarkable
knowledgeable about their requirements, inner workings and so forth. That
being said, they are probably some of the best persons to be on a
proposal team. Remember, they are viewed by your client as a “solution
provider”, not a sales or marketing person, and can make all the
difference in preparing that winner.
Before
this happens; however, remember that those staff members may not have a
clue how to put together a proposal, so before you “draft” them, consider
adding to their professional skills in both proposal writing and
management. We can help you with both the physical tasks involved as well
as helping you make the right decision about pursuing and bidding that
new opportunity. Remember, for example, that if the first time you see an
RFP is when it appears in FedBizOpps (or similar), the odds of you firm
winning are probably no better than 5 in 100. We want you to go after the
“winnable” opportunities that you can prove you have a high probably of
winning – “feelings” and opinions don’t count.
So,
whether all you need is the training that will bring your team up to a
professional level in their ability to manage or write that winner, or
consultant support to help you get the job done, Advantage
Consulting can help. We can’t guarantee a win, but they
can help your firm be the “winners” everyone wants to talk about. Give me
a call. Mike Berger, mberger@acibiz.com,
(703) 642-5153, or cell (703) 861-0726.
_____________________________________________________
Business
Development is Local – 11-19-07
One
of the variables in winning business that I find unappreciated is
geography. In a business that is dependent on developing trust and
confidence to win the business, the ability to get in front of a
potential client is extremely important. If you have to fly half
way across the country to be able to personally meet with a potential
client while your competitor can literally fall out of bed and meet him
or her for breakfast, you have a problem.
Trust
and confidence is also the product of shared experience and values.
When the DC beltway bandit, in their nice suit, flies into a place like Lawton Oklahoma
to meet with the government there is little or no shared
experience. The DC bandit owns a tuxedo and the other (may or may
not) own a suit. The one knows how to get dressed up and the other
considers dressing up to be clean boots. Not a lot of shared
experiences or values.
Beyond
the lack of shared experience is also the lack of a shared
community. A lot of Commands and Agencies located outside the
Beltway have their own community and the people in those communities take
their community seriously. If you do not live in that community and
participate in it, you are not someone to trust. I have joked that
in North Carolina,
the locals would ask, “Does my Daddy know your Daddy and if not why are
we talking.” These people are serious. Their community
is their life and the life of their family. Why would they give you
business that could be going to one of their own people; someone who
lives in their community?
Now
there is a time when being the “sophisticated” outsider is an advantage,
namely when you
have skills their local contractors do not have. Be careful
however, this “sophistication” is often more in the outsider’s head then
in fact. You will have a much higher probability of winning if you
have a local office and you hire some local people. You can blend
the best of both worlds, the local community they know and trust with the
skills beyond the local community’s contractors.
Questions
and comments to Doug Allston at dallston@acibiz.com.
_____________________________________________________
What is a Proposal Manager? - 11-19-07
If
you wonder what it takes to be a good proposal manager, consider the
definition below. Rob Ransome, a seasoned, independent proposal manager,
described that person in a recent presentation. He gave Advantage
permission to pass this on to our mailing list. Do you still want that
job or would you rather that we provide you one of our experts? jprichard@acibiz.com
A
Proposal Manager is one who must direct 30 to 50 authors, who don’t want to
be there, in responding to several
thousand requirements that he disagrees with, scattered throughout a
several hundred page RFP that screws up the way he wants to write his
proposal, and include several dozen win strategies that are of no
interest to the customer, from two of more companies who are in violent
disagreement, in a painfully page-restricted proposal with an impossible
but inviolable due date, so that in only three days 30 to 50 government
evaluators, who don’t want to be there, can find the answers to questions
someone has hidden somewhere in the RFP, so that the Source Selection
Authority can make a decision that is the least risky to his own career,
and that he can justify to the losing bidders’ Congressmen! Prepared by
Ransone Associates.
________________________________________________________
There is a Goose That Lays a Golden Egg for Small
Business! – 11-19-07
Oh to
be a small business that wants to be big! “Money is tight”, you say, “I really
do not know where to begin.” “I am a technologist not a
business man.” “I think I need help but don’t know how
to ask for it.” “Do I really have to use a
consultant?”
There
are times when the use of a professional consultant is money well
spent. The art and science of business development can be a
difficult place to explore on your own. Exploration takes time and
time is the only resource we cannot create. The use of professional
consultants frequently does save a company time and money.
There
are times, however, when small companies are handed golden nuggets of
information at very slight cost or even free. Many associations have
active programs to help small business and many charge very little for
them. For example, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics
Association (AFCEA) presented two workshops for small business this fall
with more to come. One event, held October 30, was a
conference supporting small business development in the Army with a heavy
list of strong Army speakers. This conference provided an
opportunity for a small company to get up to speed on opportunities in
the Army market and to meet one-on-one with Army and industry program
managers. Similar sessions addressing the other services are held throughout
the year. In November, AFCEA also
hosted a workshop addressing Small Business “Capture” which gave
companies the benefit of many years of business development experience
and recent experiences of successful companies. Government agencies
hold “industry days” and workshops discussing their needs and offer
opportunities for companies to meet with Government program managers and
contracting officers. These Government workshops are normally offered at
no charge. If you are active in an agency, you will hear additional
information about their specific programs as well. These workshops are in
addition to the networking events we have discussed in the past.
The sessions are more technical or business oriented in nature but also
involve networking opportunities.
Attend
these sessions and learn. You may need to have specific consultant
support later but the education you can receive form this type of event
provides an invaluable base to set you on the way to build your own
growth strategy. Want to get more information about small business
support? Call me at (703) 405-8912 or send an e mail to bhamilton@acibiz.com
and let’s talk.
_____________________________________________________
The Compelling Briefing – 11-05-07
There are more than 15,000
companies, of varying sizes, who identify themselves in some way as
Federal IT Contractors and most of them want to present their
qualifications to every Federal Program Manager who they feel can award
them work. There is no shortage of opportunities for any Program Manager
to learn about the capabilities of contractors. There is a great shortage
of contractors who build long term relationships and present; compelling,
focused, agency/program specific and unique messages that start with a
potential solution of a problem or need that is part of the Program
Manager’s mission. While every contractor wants to be the one to tell a
compelling story in a briefing, it is the exception, rather than the rule
that the Program Manager will see that type of presentation. The truly
compelling and unique presentation is the result of the contractor
conducting market research, multiple face-to-face meetings with technical
staff people on the program, an in depth evaluation of their company’s
real capabilities, resources and strengths. To be truly compelling the
firm must take the time to position themselves with the prospective
customer and to have established a relationship at some level with the
Program Manager prior to the briefing. The follow-up after the compelling
briefing is equally important as the briefing itself. Opportunities in
the Federal marketplace are earned by people in companies who know their
client and maintain that client’s trust and confidence. For more
information on how that process can be best implemented in your company
contact Sid Jaffe, sjaffe@acibiz.com at 703-642-5153.
_____________________________________________________
Let’s Talk Turkey – 11-05-07
With
Thanksgiving just three weeks away, perhaps it’s time to think about how
we feed ourselves. In some firms, the “rainmaker” (sometimes called the
Founder or President), has been the person bringing in all the
opportunities, but that gets more difficult as firms grow in size, so
when that happens it is pretty common to think about hiring a full-time
professional “business developer.”
Business
developers are great people to have around. If their contacts are as good
as they say and they are as knowledgeable as they want you to think they
are regarding target agencies, they can really help a company grow. But
all of them aren’t necessarily that good, and some percent rely on what
they find in FedBizOpps and other sources rather than what they really
know. Good, fair or poor, a firm can rarely support a full-time BD staff
any larger than 1 or 2 percent of the total workforce and, as firms
continue to develop, it becomes all that more difficult for them to
“bring home the bacon.”
So
what to do? The course of action we recommend is to get as many people as
possible involved in the business development process. Yes, we know they
want no part of “selling” or “marketing”, but there is something they can
do that will make a significant impact - - they can LISTEN to their
customers and bring back to the firm all that they hear about needs wants
and requirements.
Is it
that simple? Well no. You can tell them to do this and they may very well
tell you what do to with the suggestion, which is where professional
development comes in. Every “professional” on your staff needs to
understand that helping their company grow is part of their job and, if
they don’t know how to do it (or to help write winning proposals for
example) or are resistant to the idea, then perhaps a bit of education
should be arranged to help them understand their role.
If
you and your company are pondering this challenge, or you simply want to
learn how to do it better, give me a call…before Thanksgiving. Mike Berger, mberger@acibiz.com
at 703-642-5153,
cell 703-861-0726.
_____________________________________________________
Proposal Writing is Easy;
Just Answer the Mail – 11-05-07
Proposal
writing is as much an art as a science.
When we write a proposal in Federal procurement we are really
giving the agency the ammunition they need to select our company for the
job. In most cases, they know all
the potential candidates can do the work but they have to select one
contractor to do it. The agency needs the information you provide to give
them the reasons to select you. You give them that information by
“answering the mail.” They will
tell you what they want and need but they do it in several ways.
About
half of the information you need to discuss is in the RFP. It is a good idea to have several
people on the RFP review team. The
first one should be process and detail oriented. This person is looking for requirements
for form and structure of the proposal as well as identifying specific
“boilerplate” requirements and for delivery requirements. A second person should analyze the
statement of work and sections L and M in great detail and determine
where they support each other and where they disagree. Don’t forget, the Government may use
parts of old solicitations and may have incorporated pieces as annexes or
appendices. Sometimes the
structure gets very confusing even though the basic RFP structure is
followed.
A
third person, or maybe persons, should read the RFP to determine what the
RFP did not say. This person or persons must be
intimately familiar with the agency and the people it. It is their job to tell you the other
50% of the required information and that is based upon their knowledge of
the agency and not what the agency has written in the RFP.
Once
the capture team has all of this information, they can put together the
complete outline to bid and win.
This is the “mail you must answer.
When you answer the mail, you need to address all items of concern
that the agency lists whether applicable to you or not. If items are not applicable, say so,
but be sure you address them.
Finally even though a point or points is addressed in several
ways, don’t assume that one response is enough. A team of people will review the
proposal and they may not talk to each other. You don’t have to say the same thing
many times but you will have to address the subject as many times as it
is indicated to be addressed.
There
are many tips to proposal writing.
These are only a few of them. And, by the way, proposal writing is
not easy but it can be an exciting challenge. Want to discuss proposal preparation
in more detail call Bill Hamilton, bhamilton@acibiz.com at 703-405-8912 and let’s
talk.
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