Four Capture Management Elements to Win More Federal Contracts

Veteran contractors know that successful businesses don’t just follow the request for proposal (RFP) process to win business. Capturing business from government agencies, much like marketing in the commercial sector, is about building relationships. And just like in the commercial sector, building a reputation as an expert in your industry, building relationships with potential customers and partners, and getting face time - either virtually or in person – is as vital in government sales as it is in private sector sales.

Deltek’s team of government analysts and research experts, along with Deltek’s GovWin IQ platform of government market intelligence, offer contractors the resources and tools they need to build these winning relationships and to better develop a successful capture management plan for the federal government market.

In order to remain more competitive, here are four capture management elements that businesses should focus on to give contractors a leg up to win more U.S. federal government contracts. 

Proposal Writing

When the federal government needs to acquire a new product or service, or when it has an expiring contract for a product or service it intends to buy again, it will release an opportunity for bid or a request for proposal. Understanding the elements within the RFP and exactly what the government agency is looking for in response to the bid or RFP is critical. This is where those strong relationships come into play. Connecting with the government decision-maker directly can give you great clarification and support your investment in properly preparing to answer the RFP.

Proposal management is a complex field and should not be undercut. A well-written proposal can be the difference in winning business and not even be considered.

Maintaining Compliance and Ethics

Just as in the private sector, public sector contracting is governed by an important set of compliance rules and regulations. Both the government and its contractors must follow numerous rules and regulations.

The regulations that provide guidance for government agencies and contractors include the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Procurement Integrity Act (PIA) and Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) cost accounting standards (CAS).

Contractors must avoid conflicts of interest, improper influencing of contract awards or federal employees, and a variety of other improper appearances, omissions, and actions. Small businesses must also follow these rules. General government ethics guidelines have historically called for a high degree of public trust, a high standard of conduct, avoiding conflicts of interest or any appearances of conflicts of interest, complete impartiality, and lack of preferential treatment.

Understanding Government Regulations

It’s important to recognize some of the rules and limitations due to acquisition regulations. Once an RFP is released, government communications and interactions within the industry is very restricted. One-on-one discussions with a government representative/decision-maker post-RFP are generally not possible, so it is critical to establish relationships and build trust long before a solicitation is released. Building these relationships ahead of time is a strategy that can pay off in the long run, including when these opportunities come up for re-bid or re-compete.

Preparing for Pre-Award Audits

For certain types of contracts, agencies will require a company to have an adequate accounting system. Adequate in this case means capable of accounting for the direct and indirect costs associated with the contract and able to live up to the cost reimbursement requirements of federal contracts. As a contractor, you can be audited at any time – even before a contract is awarded. To pass a pre-award audit, you must have an “operable” accounting system (although it does not have to currently be in use). You must be able to demonstrate this new system to the auditor and be ready to implement it prior to incurring any costs on the government contract.

A subscription to Deltek’s GovWin IQ platform can aid businesses as they aim to master each of these capture management techniques. GovWin IQ makes it easy for businesses to plan beyond the proposal and develop the relationships they need to build a long-term public sector sales pipeline.

Ready to learn more about how GovWin IQ can help you gain a competitive advantage, save valuable time, and win more federal contracts? Click the link below to learn more.