Category: Blog

New year, New MACs: How to Position to Win on Vehicles in 2023

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Happy New Year! If you’re like me, you used the last couple of weeks to reflect on the year that was and to look forward to the opportunities ahead. In the GovCon world, there is a lot to look forward to in 2023. There are several critical multiple award contracts (MACs) in the pipeline. Alliant 3 (for large businesses), OASIS+, and VA T4NG2 top the must win lists for many firms. A number of other agency-specific vehicles will also be released this year, and as always, there are alterations and adjustments to GAO schedules to wrestle with. With the battle scars of recent troubled procurements (CIO-SP4, anyone?) still fresh for many in industry, what can you do to prepare for these critical solicitations? Here are my four key tips to prepare for the coming year’s MAC onslaught. 

Do your homework. The first step is to determine what to bid on. Many firms need to decide where and how to best allocate their resources. Even the largest GovCon players have budgets and need to focus on the opportunities that best suit their business needs and capabilities. Therefore, make sure you look in depth at every potential MAC in your pipeline and determine if you really can win a spot on the contract. More importantly, your team needs to honestly assess how much business you can realistically expect to win on that vehicle. A vehicle is great but the investment of time and money is meaningless if you cannot win task orders and revenue from that vehicle (unless you are looking at being acquired, which is an entirely different topic of conversation).

Engage. Now that you’ve decided where to focus your resources, it is important to make use of all the information out there about those opportunities that best fit your portfolio. There are two main sources of information you can rely on. 

The first comes directly from the Government. All three of the opportunities I mentioned above either had draft solicitations or requests for information released in the last several months. Interested bidders must do deep dives on those materials to begin planning their response. In addition, whenever the Government asks for feedback or inputs, provide them! It gives industry a chance to help shape the contract to deliver the best value and competition. Be sure to attend any industry days or other opportunities to meet with and talk to procurement officials. The pre-RFP stage is the ideal time to make your voices heard to avoid lengthy extensions and thousands of questions post release. 

Our industry also does a great job of helping break down the requirements and guide firms on what to look for and expect. Look for webinars, blog posts, and other opportunities to learn about any contracts you are interested in. Oftentimes events include time to network, which can help you build relationships and identify potential teammates for that opportunity and others. 

Get the basics in place. The Government provides draft solicitations not just to receive feedback. They also allow interested bidders to begin preparing their responses. While you may not have all the instructions, scoresheets, and attachments, the information provided can steer you in the right direction. Teams need to begin gathering required documentation (certifications, corporate documents, etc.) that will be required as part of your submission. Getting these routine documents in a central, opportunity-specific location allows your team to focus on the places where you can differentiate yourself during the post-RFP period. Identifying your potential corporate experience examples, collecting all relevant contract and award documentation, and making sure your client has submitted a CPAR for that effort is a great use of your pre-release time. 

Lock up resources now. Finally, do not be afraid to ask for help. There are many consulting resources out there with expertise and experience in handling all aspects of these types of procurements. If you need help with the business development and capture side (to assist with Government interactions, teaming, etc.), find a firm that fits that need. If you need help developing your response, reach out to a proposal firm you know and trust. (Shameless plug – BZ has worked many of the large MAC opportunities over our 5 years and have experts on call to help you craft your response). My biggest piece of advice is to engage with consultants as early as possible. Many firms already have commitments on these opportunities and you do not want to lose the chance to work with the right partner. 

2023 is shaping up to be a banner year for Government contractors, with many critical MACs being released for bid. Positioning your firm to take advantage of these opportunities can maximize your growth potential through the rest of the decade.  

BZ provides high-quality, comprehensive proposal development support for MAC and IDIQ contracts. To learn more, click here.

Three Key Things to Highlight About Your Program Manager in Orals

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As I discussed in a recent blog post, oral presentations to the Government are often about more than just technical capabilities and experience. The Government wants to know how well your team can work together and provide the critical support and services they require. A critical subset to that is the impression made by your proposed program manager. During orals, highlighting three critical points about your PM will make them stand apart from the crowd and highlight the value they bring to the client.

Point 1: They Have the Capabilities. The table stakes for any PM candidate is they have the ability to do the job required. Assuming you have already submitted a detailed resume for the candidate, how do you show this in your oral presentation? First, during the candidate’s introduction, focus on the most relevant, high-level experience examples that will resonate with the client. After introducing themselves as “your proposed project manager,” the candidate should lead with their direct management experience. How many people have they led, and for how long, in a similar environment? In addition, they should focus on the highly relevant projects they have led and worked on. For example, if they are leading an Agile development bid, how many teams have they worked with? How many builds and deployments have they overseen?

Second, the PM should be our lead speaker. They should book-end the presentation, being the first and last speaker of the presentation. Wherever possible, they should at least lead off the technical approach discussion and, depending on the balance of speaking roles across the team, present at least one major topic. This allows the client to see your PM not just as a manager but also as someone with deep technical knowledge and expertise in the subject matter.

Point 2: They are the Boss. In the end, the PM is the head honcho for your team during execution. You want to show that throughout the presentation, both in subtle and upfront ways. For example, be deliberate in where your PM sits during in-person oral presentations. I am a huge fan of the PM being in the center of the presentation team. This puts the PM directly in the center of the evaluator’s eye when looking at the team. It also makes the logistics easier during the question and answer (Q&A) session, which I will discuss next. 

Most oral presentations include a time for the Government to ask for clarifications or further details from the team. Q&A is the perfect opportunity to show your PM is in charge. Some of the tips below are dependent on the format the Government uses. For example, if the client asks questions directly to a presenter (which occurs rarely), then you would obviously not follow this approach. But in general:

  • The PM should acknowledge the question from the Government, thank them for the question, and ask if the team has an opportunity to caucus
  • If you can caucus, the PM leads that short session. They should direct who they would like to answer what, in what order, and what the main points will be. If the team cannot caucus, then the PM should direct answers to members of the team and assign, on the fly, the main talking points and order. For example, “first, Henry will provide context on how we develop our Agile teams, and Mary will include detail on how we hire the right people to meet your needs.”
  • At the end of the answer, the PM says, “that concludes our response. Does that answer the question for you?” Even if the client does not provide feedback on the adequacy of your response, it shows them we have completed our answer.

Point 3: They Know Their Team. I mentioned in my previous post how important it is for team chemistry to come across in your oral presentations. Therefore, it is critical the PM shows their knowledge and familiarity with the entire team. Do this from the start, when the PM does the introduction. They should not only introduce the topics and areas of focus but also who will be presenting each topic. Secondly, as detailed in the Q&A point above, the PM’s must steer questions to the right person to answer them. In short, a good leader knows what their people can do, and the PM needs to do this throughout the oral presentation.

Conclusion. Oral presentations provide your teams the opportunity to prove to the Government that not only can you do the work but you can also be the right team to help the client succeed. Having a talented program manager heading not just your execution team but your bid is critical to helping you win the work and be a successful partner for the Government in the future.

In need of orals coaching and support to maximize your opportunities for success? Learn more about our methodology and approach by clicking here, and contact us today!

The Three Things Oral Presentation Evaluators Are Looking For But Aren’t Evaluating

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Oral presentations have gained in popularity with the Government over the past 5 years. Why has there been an increase in demand for these types of proposals? What does the Government achieve through having your personnel present, either in person or virtually, to the evaluators instead of submitting a written document? Through my experience, there are three things the Government is looking to see from your team when they request oral presentations. While not part of the defined evaluation criteria, the impression these three things leave with the evaluation panel can mean the difference between success and failure.

Reason 1: Are You Technically Capable? This is the basic table stakes of any proposal – can your team execute the work required? In a written proposal, firms can use partners or consultants to put together a clear, compelling narrative. However, in an oral presentation, there is little room to hide. Your presenters need to be able to clearly and convincingly speak to the complex technical factors. It is easy to spot when a presenter did not write their own content, and they are not experts in the subject matter. In addition, when the opportunity to ask questions arises, the Government will quickly see the inexperience and lack of knowledge of the presenter. The technical capabilities of the presenting team and the offeror are important. However, reasons two and three are significantly more important and, as such, provide a clear way for your team to differentiate yourselves. 

Reason Two: Can Your Team Work Together? When asking for an oral presentation, the Government is doing a group interview. The instructions often mandate the key personnel identified in the solicitation deliver the presentation. These individuals are the ones the client sees as the core of your delivery team. As such, they want to know if your team can work well together, or if they are a group of individuals. Did you put together a cohesive team that can execute and handle the day-to-day challenges of the program collectively, or are they a bunch of people you threw together based just on the personnel requirements? 

For me, this is a great opportunity to illustrate the chemistry your team has. There are many ways we can demonstrate this cohesiveness. The first opportunity happens before the presentation begins. I tell my teams they are being judged from the second they walk into the building until they leave. Therefore, any chance you have to show team chemistry and understanding is a positive. The small talk you have walking into the presentation room may seem insignificant. However, when you ask about Jon’s daughter’s softball game or Jane’s nephew’s piano recital, it shows you have pre-existing relationships and connections. To achieve this, I try to get my teams together outside of the practice room. I have them all go to lunch or out for a drink together. I have them sit near people they do not know. People begin to chat and get to know each other in these situations. It builds chemistry and cohesion amongst your presenters and helps develop them into a singular team.

Secondly, building cross-talk into the presentation helps show you know your teammates and what they bring to the table. Whenever possible, reference other parts of the presentation and the individual responsible for it. For example, “later on, Steve is going to talk in detail about our security approach” or “earlier, Sally introduced our approach to security. Let me provide you with further detail now.” This reference shows your team has understanding of the rest of the presentation and the roles of the team within it. 

Reason Three: Can They Work With You? This might be the most important hidden question the Government is asking during your presentation. Are you, both individually and collectively, someone they want to work with? Just like a resume can present skills but an interview is required to see if someone is a good fit, a written proposal can speak to capabilities but oral presentations bring out the character of your team and whether or not they would be a good fit for the environment and style of the client.

My number one tip here is to be authentic. I work with my teams to not memorize scripts or dramatically change their speaking styles. I work to maximize their strengths and then mitigate any dramatic weaknesses (speaking too quickly or too quietly, for instance). This allows the real person to shine through and for the evaluators to clearly see you are someone they want to work with.

Conclusion. Oral presentation skills are increasingly becoming a must have for every Government contractor. By being aware of what the Government is looking for that is not explicitly in the evaluation criteria, we can prepare more thoroughly for the presentation and show the Government we are the team they are looking for.

Are you in need of high-quality, focused orals coaching? Reach out to our team today – click here for more information.

How Annotated Mockups Help Our Teams Develop Winning Content

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Writing a proposal section can be a daunting task, especially for people who do not regularly do so. When we pull people who normally work on a contract or other areas of the organization, we are asking them to sacrifice their time and effort to do something they likely have not been trained to do and for which they probably lack significant experience. Given those hurdles, how can we make the process as seamless and painless as possible?

I like to use an annotated mockup approach to steer my content creators in the right direction and maximize their efficiency. An annotated mockup provides a template to guide proposal development and facilitate content creation by using an easy to follow, bulleted approach. The main benefit of the annotated mockup approach is it provides a way for your writers to get the key ideas and concepts on paper quickly and without much stress. By focusing on the ideas, and not the narrative, it frees the mind of our contributors to focus on what they want to say, not how they need to say it. It also provides an easy document for people to review at pink team. It allows the reviewers to best judge where the concepts and approach are and see if we are on the right track.

Below is an example of an annotated mockup template I often use. You’ll notice the Word comment bubbles along the right side. These contain guidance and key ideas for the writer to continue when developing each individual section in the proposal. This approach gives the writer the specific information we are looking for in each area and enables them to develop content quickly while minimizing the risk of the writer not providing the type of content we need.

The template has five main areas, built around my five key proposal section needs.

Introduction. The introduction should be about the client, what they need, and why they need it. It needs to reflect the key issues/hot buttons/pain points learned during capture and tie closely to our win themes.

Approach. Details HOW we will do the work. Your writers should look to add a step-by-step process here of how we will provide the support required to accomplish the needs of the client. Ask your writers to be specific – What tools do they use? Who defines this as a “best practice?” What methodologies work, and which do not, for this type of environment?

Benefits. In short, what does the client get from your approach? Why should the evaluator care about your approach? What will you deliver, especially to solve their problems as outlined in the introduction?

Substantiation. “Prove it!” Provide short summaries of where this has been done before and the results. Be specific – your team should be able to provide the writers with metrics on performance. While we may not have them at the end of the annotated mockup stage, knowing what we need here is critical.

Graphic. A first-generation graphic is all that is needed. A sketch, a previously used graphic with notations, something drawn in PowerPoint – anything that provides a sense of the direction the writer wants to go with the graphic.

Preparation for the review cycle is easy: I strip the writer guidance, lock the document for comments only, and circulate to the review team. You can either stitch them into one document or have the reviewers look at each file individually, like you would with a more traditional storyboard review. After the review, I have the writers remediate comments and develop the narrative structure around each bullet. They need to put meat on the bones and begin to create full sentences. However, if we need to, this is a great stage to hand off from a contributor to a professional proposal writer. Either way, the content and ideas developed during the annotated mockup stage provides a springboard for high-quality content.

Annotated mockups provide writers, both experienced and inexperienced, a tool to get the right ideas down on paper before worrying about how the content reads. This simple yet effective tool dramatically improves our team’s ability to create compelling proposals focused on the evaluator and answering their needs.

For more examples on how you can make your proposals resonate better with evaluators, check out my new book, Keys to the Castle, available through Amazon now!

Three Key Tips to Make Your Corporate Experience Stand Out

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A good corporate experience section does more than check a box. It provides the client with definitive proof you can deliver what you promise. As I focus on in my book, Keys to the Castle, the proposal is about the client and the need for our bids to make a clear connection with them. People buy from those they know and trust, and clear proof of past experience really helps build that trust factor. Here are three quick tips to make our corporate experience sections stand out from the rest.

Use the Client’s Language.

The first clue to making our proposal focused on our clients is to use their language. This applies throughout your proposal. There are standard definitions in the industry for corporate experience (what you have done) and past performance (how well you have done it). However, that distinction is not always clear to everyone. Sometimes, clients ask for “past performance” when they actually mean corporate experience. In these cases, do not fix their terminology – use their terminology.

We should also apply this as we detail our relevant experience. Focus on using terminology from the solicitation and statement of work to describe the work you have done. For example, facilities maintenance and management is called base operations support for the US Navy, but operations and maintenance by the General Services Administration (GSA). In these instances, we should use the terminology the solicitation uses when describing the work. In addition, minimize the jargon you use throughout the proposal. When this is not possible, explain the alignment between what you do and what they’re asking for clearly. Show the parallels clearly and concisely to ensure your evaluators know the work you have done aligns to what they’re asking for.

Highlight the Relevance.

Too often, people rely heavily on prior write-ups when putting together your corporate experience examples. When developing your submission, however, taking boilerplate and putting it in the proper format is not an option. Just copying and pasting in a generic list of work performed and achievements does not speak to the individual needs of the client. Therefore, besides just using the client’s terminology, you need to select the portion(s) of the work you are currently doing that are clearly relevant to the solicitation. I have my teams talk in broad strokes in the opening paragraph with a two to three line summary of the overarching contract. Then, I have them specifically state how it is relevant in terms of the evaluation criteria and work expected. For the former, often in Federal Government bids we are asked to write to size, scope, and complexity. For the latter, we want to show alignment to the work required (the performance work statement/statement of work). In either case, a nice summary table can work wonders. Include all the PWS/SOW requirements and allow for a checkbox or a meatball chart to show that alignment.

Then, in your write-up, only include the work you currently do that aligns to the work expected. The evaluators do not care about everything you’ve done on the contract – just how it maps to their work. Therefore, and continuing on from tip 1, use the PWS/SOW headings throughout to organize and align your experience.

As always, be specific. Provide metrics and details to ensure the alignment is clear and the experience you have meets the client’s requirements.

Be Honest.

As hard as our teams work to execute on all of our contracts, nothing is perfect. Things go wrong. Sometimes it’s something minor. Other times, it is a serious issue that results in escalation, cure notices, and egg on our face.

We should not run from these contracts, especially if they are (1) extremely relevant to the work we are doing and (2) if we have a great story to tell. My advice in these situations is to own the mistake and, more importantly, own the correction. Use the write-up to show how you’re stronger, what you’ve learned, and how you’ll avoid the mistake here. Describe how you have exceeded expectations since the incident. Most importantly, do not lie. Nothing kills credibility on a bid more quickly than a lack of honesty and transparency.

Conclusion.

Too many people view corporate experience as a cookie cutter exercise. However, much like resumes, these sections provide a chance for us to rise above the rest and really build a connection with our client. Using the three tips I’ve outlined above can take your corporate experience section from good to great.

For more examples on how you can make your proposals resonate better with evaluators, check out my new book, Keys to the Castle, available through Amazon now!

Three Things to Keep in Mind When Recruiting Proposal Professionals

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Staffing a proposal organization is always tough. A successful person requires, as Liam Neeson said, “a very particular set of skills.” But beyond that, the very nature of the bid process requires a cultural and personality fit more than most positions. In today’s tight job market, it is more important than ever to find the right resource who will be with your team not just now but into the future. How can you do your best to find the right person? Here’s three tips from our team of experienced proposal and recruitment professionals to help your organization succeed.

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Be Open to Feedback

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If we learn anything from reality television, it is you need to be firm in your beliefs but open to feedback. Lacking a core constitution is a death sentence – no one wants to hire or invest in someone who has no conviction. At the same time, inflexibility condemns many more candidates to the no pile. For example, in the 2022 series of BBC’s The Apprentice, the inability of finalist Jessica to listen to concerns and critiques over her fashion sense with her family pajama brand may have been the reason she came in second. 

In proposal development, we need to be open to feedback and be willing to listen to our peers and others inside and outside our bid team. But how do we do so in the pressing environment of an individual bid? Here’s three tips on how to best consider and incorporate feedback into your bid and your professional career.

Tip 1 – Truly Consider Feedback. Proposal reviews are the primary way in which our teams receive feedback on their content. Properly organized and led reviews lead to high-quality, actionable inputs to guide the recovery process and make the document better. Unfortunately, we all still have to deal with poorly phrased, incomplete, and/or overly broad comments from reviewers. 

No matter the type of feedback you receive, you need to keep an open mind and truly consider the comments received. Try to get to the heart of what the reviewer meant, even if it is not phrased in an overly helpful manner. Doing so may give you an idea or route forward that leads to a much better proposal product, even if it does not directly follow the advice provided.

My favorite example of this comes from Ed Catmull’s fantastic book Creativity, Inc. about the history of Pixar Animation. He relates a story from Brad Bird, the director of The Incredibles. In an early screening as part of the Brain Trust approach to content development, reviewers did not like a scene where the main couple, Bob and Helen, have a fight over Bob’s superhero moonlighting. They felt it came off as bullying. Bird didn’t see it that way, but after careful reflection he saw the size difference between the two led to that impression. So, instead of changing the dialogue, he changed the visual. Helen (whose superhero persona is Elastigirl), stretches to be taller and tower over Bob. The revised animation won over the reviewers and led to one of many memorable scenes in the film. 

Tip 2 – If You Don’t Follow the Feedback, Explain Why. There are going to be many proposal comments that do not help make a better product. They may be off-topic, not timely, or just not productive to the overall process. However, we do owe ourselves and the reviewers the courtesy of saying why we have not addressed the comment. As I mentioned in the first tip, even poorly formulated comments might lead to good ideas. Explaining why you did not follow a comment could help improve the overall product in other ways.

Tip 3 – Be Open to Mentoring in Your Career From All Types. Getting feedback is not limited to a single proposal opportunity. We should be looking throughout our professional lives for input and feedback from those we look up to. I highly recommend having mentors who can give you feedback on all aspects of your professional life. I have multiple mentors to help with various aspects of proposal development, consulting, and entrepreneurship. Likewise, I look to give back to people when they ask me to help them with advice or mentorship. 

Remember two things when working with a mentor. First, they are doing you a favor by being part of your support network. Second, their advice comes from a good place. Therefore, you should use the first two tips above when listening to and considering their feedback.

Conclusion. Our professional and personal lives, and our work product, can only be improved when we learn from our peers. Knowing how to incorporate that feedback in a positive, constructive way can be the difference between success and failure.

Three Key Ways to Develop Your Solution

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Without a strong solution, our proposals are doomed to fail. A good solution explains our solution, focuses our writers, and makes sure we provide value to the client. If we do not have a strong solution, we are basically a rudderless ship. However, we cannot just will a great solution into being. It takes hard work, patience, and a focused team to articulate what we will do and why we are the best fit for the client. So how do we develop winning solutions that gives our team the tools to succeed? Here are four tips for proposal professionals on how to ensure we are on the right page.  Continue reading “Three Key Ways to Develop Your Solution”

Three Keys to Prepare for IDIQ Proposals

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Multiple award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts provide large and small companies with a critical tool to long-term corporate success. The limited field and pre-approval provides holders a great opportunity to quickly expand their experience. However, many small firms are justifiably concerned about the heavy lift required to put together a compliant, winning proposal. There are three key pieces of advice we have for those bidding on these types of contracts.

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Top 4 Tips for Virtual Reviews

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Proposal professionals have learned a great deal on how to handle remote bid development and management over the past year. I expect the changes made as a result of COVID-19 will remain with us even when we return to our new normal. One of the most important changes, in my view, is the increased acceptance and promotion of virtual reviews.

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