Welcome to Advantage Consulting

Many of our readers have asked that we provide classes near them-around the U.S. and overseas. During 2012, we are inaugurating a webinar series. The workshops are in the areas of Business Development for the Technical Staff, Capture Management, Proposal Management and Basic Federal Contracting. Each workshop has the same content as the workshops delivered in our DC Metro area office.

The sessions are instructor led with a limited number of participants. A workbook is included that provides screen shots of the presentation to facilitate note-taking. Outlines for each of the five courses are provided on our website www.acibiz.com in the Workshops Directory. Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and one-on-one follow up for private Q&A, at no additional fee.

The fee for each of the seminars is the same as our fee for our on-site in DC classes. During January and February, we are reducing the standard workshop fee by $125 for webinar training for those who register before January 31. Please contact Sid Jaffe at sjaffe@acibiz.com or 703-642-5153 to register or for additional information.

Specific dates for the workshops will be determined based on responses received.

Y--Job Order Contract (JOC) - CONSTRUCTION SERVICES AND REPAIRS FOR VARIOUS FACILITIES WITHIN THE NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING COMMAND NORTHWEST AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

If you want the free full summary of this target go to: http://login.epipeline.com/limitedDisplay?ID=FOSRDUSA19888&FLAG=SUMMARY. This target is only available for a short period of time.

If you need help designing and executing your capture program or proposals to win this procurement contact Sid Jaffe, at 703-642-5153.

Updating Your Company's BD Skills-Conveniently and Cost Effectively
By Bill Hamilton, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

Last spring, a client sent us a new employee for training in our Business Development and Capture workshops. The student came from the commercial world and had no background in Federal business development. The company was surprised by the capabilities the employee demonstrated after participating in our workshops. Within a short time, the student became a pivotal member of the business development team, including providing more effective proposal development support.

A company has two ways to increase business development capabilities. The first is by buying an "expert," usually with a commensurately high salary, whom many companies fire quickly because they expect impossible instant results for such a high salary. The second way is to grow your own capabilities through professional development programs like our workshops. In the case of the client discussed above, they had a person who had experience from another environment that the client believed it could use; by providing a solid professional development program, they received a greater return than would otherwise have been possible.

We host students nearly every month that are not only in a workshop to gain confidence, but to learn basic information. Many have little or no Federal business background and need additional knowledge to help them produce results. They come from other careers, other parts of their company or from other industries. Some come from long distances, seeking to expand their knowledge of Federal business and the Federal acquisition process.

For companies not located near our offices, many do not have the numbers of staff to warrant a full on-site workshop package at their company. As well, many small businesses do not have the revenue base to support sending students to our workshops in our offices because of the travel and per diem expenses it would incur.

With current technology, we are now able to better address these client needs. In 2012, we are offering webinar workshops that provide sound tools, tactics and techniques necessary to develop and conduct a successful business development program, including better proposal development. Like our other workshops, they offer new skills to experienced business developers and also provide better skills for people entering the often challenging area of Federal business development. Each workshop is presented in segments to enable the student to fit them into their busy schedules. As well, each workshop offers each registered location a one-on-one consulting period with our staff to discuss a problem or situation in as much detail as needed.

We are excited to be able to bring our consulting support to large and small companies and to say yes to the many requests we have received. Workshops and their schedules are driven by the interests and requirements of our clients. Want to discuss your needs and requirements? Contact me at bhamilton@acibiz.com or by telephone at 703-642-5153 and let's talk.

Many small-and mid-sized Government contractors feel they don't have the funds and resources to work long procurement cycles-especially when they are looking at several different programs some of which are three or more years out. There is no question that funds and resources are always constrained, but the issue of deciding where and when to apply them is manageable. The key is to have a continuous qualification and review process.

A program that requires three years to go through the procurement cycle encompasses 1,095 days. During that period there are indicators from the Government that the procurement is both going forward and likely to be funded. The contractor needs to have a tracking system to track the progression of the projected program through predictable indicators. This tracking starts at "Day 1,095" and works down to "Day 0" when the RFP hits the street. Along the way, the contractor is continuously reviewing their "pursue / no pursue" option to decide on the use of funds and resources.

To learn more about this process and related tools contact Sid Jaffe, sjaffe@acibiz.com at 703-642-5153.

Business Development-Spend Wisely on Your Business Tools!
By John Bender, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

When was the last time you assessed how well your BD process was working? Have you invested in your business development process and tools so that you can remain (or become) competitive? Now may be the time to correct deficiencies and find a tool to reinforce the processes you want.

The best of intentions and even training won't help if you make BD too hard for the folks who do it. Homegrown administrative systems often get in the way rather than assist the BD process. We continue to see a significant shift toward buying packaged, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) applications because the real cost of creating your own tools is becoming more apparent.

We have researched and found proven systems specifically focused on helping a government contractor's BD process become more effective. Contact John Bender at 703-642-5153 or jbender@acibiz.com for details on what is available and what might work best for you and your company.

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.