Welcome to Advantage Consulting

This week greets the end of the Federal Fiscal Year. The analysts and pundits have examined, commented, sliced and diced the past year; at the end, the most important analysis for your firm is a review of your results. Hindsight is always 20/20, foresight less so. As you review your Business Development results and prepare for the new year, ask yourself and your team:

There are many follow-on questions, but I am sure you get the point. The rules may be in flux but the mission for BD is steadfast and will not happen on its own. Let us know if we can assist your team. Sid Jaffe, sjaffe@acibiz.com at 703-642-5153.

If you want the free full summary of this target go to: http://login.epipeline.com/limitedDisplay?ID=FOSRDUSA20531&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.

So You Think It's Wired For The Incumbent?
By J.P. Richard, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

In a recent discussion with proposal consultants, the issue of so-called 'wired' proposals was an issue. It's wired if the RFP has elements that only the incumbent knows how to answer. It's wired if the evaluation criteria are skewed to favor relevant, but obscure experience or to the availability of proprietary software. It�s wired if there are prohibitions in the instructions against rehiring incumbent staff. Another subtle sign of wiring is if the page limitation is so tight, that only the incumbent, who knows what requirements to ignore, can answer correctly in that space. These are just a few of the most obvious clues. Even if there is no incumbent, for a new project, it can be wired for a favored vendor and most of these clues would be there too.

The first reaction is to drop these RFPs and spend your time on something with a higher probability of win. Sometimes, circumstances (the boss) overrule you though, and you have to respond to a wired RFP. Two themes built into your response will give you the edge you need to win. First, decide who it is wired for, research that firm thoroughly, and then show how you are different than them in your response. Second, remember that the agency has wired it because they don't like change. Your message has to be that there is no risk in changing to you as a vendor; then show them how they may face more risk by staying with the same vendor (i.e. getting behind in technology). Winning a proposal wired for someone else feels even better than just winning, so take a shot at it.

For more proposal tip like this, contact J.P. Richard at jprichard@acibiz.com.

Brown Bag Session 17: Establishing Your Predictability
By Sid Jaffe, President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

Talk to your typical Government manager and you will find them to be more risk adverse than they are entrepreneurial. As such, you and your team's "predictability,' that is, the consistency by which you work and deliver your solutions, is a key element in how you are evaluated. A low price or innovative solution will only go so far if the client can't rely on your delivery of that price and solution on a consistent, predictable basis. Be certain that you and your team pay attention to the details and communicate with your client. Strong predictable performance is the road to add-on work.

A discussion topic with your team can be focused on how they can proactively set the right expectations with the client and how they can ensure that the client sees your firm as predictable and reliable. Clients evaluate your predictability by reviewing your past performance. Have your staff get continuing feedback from their customer on your team's performance and the client's satisfaction and discuss ways to build or improve upon it.

For more information on relationship techniques contact Sid Jaffe, sjaffe@acibiz.com at 703-642-5153.

'Hyper Verbosity' Can Be Contagious, Reprise
By Bill Hamilton, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

Hyper is defined as 'excessively active' and verbose is defined as 'using language that is too long winded or complicated.' My new term, 'hyper verbosity' refers to proposal writing practice of overusing modifiers or bombarding the reader with unnecessary or superfluous technical information. Some writers believe that using more words make proposals better.

Writers who practice hyper verbosity forget the basic rule that a proposal should be written for the Source Selection Board. Each board member probably wrote one part of the RFP. Each member will probably read only the response to their section written in a way they expect to see it where they expect to see it.

While most evaluators have a technical background, not all readers are at the same experience or knowledge level. Some are managers remote from technology-based operations; some are decision makers who are not technology savvy. The proposal must be written for all of them. As well, reviews can be conducted in different ways. Each member can read their assigned section but they can also read the entire proposal and develop their assessment. To cover all the bases, you must tailor your writing style to address tasks simply, directly and to the point.

Proposals should be clear, concise and in a form that makes it easy for the reader to select you as the winner. Use technical terms only where you must. If a technical process has to be detailed, perhaps a graphic presentation is a better choice. Avoid excessive modifiers. The fewer words, the more power each word has.

Finally, mercilessly edit your work. When I completed this article in draft, the word count totaled 524. My goal in writing newsletter articles is to write an article between 400 and 450 words. I believe that gives enough latitude to raise points for thought without overwhelming a reader. I then edited it to its present size. Often, writers cannot edit their own work because they are too close to it. Consider using another editor to ensure you are concise and that your points are coming across effectively.

Comments? Contact Bill Hamilton at 703-642-5153 or by e-mail at bhamilton@acibiz.com and let's talk.

"In war, there is no alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end. War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory." - General Douglas MacArthur