There are so many rules, so much ‘history’, so many interpretations, and, oh yeah, so much opportunity. It’s essentially impossible to always know what to do. In fact, I tend to question people who claim to be experts in this market all by themselves for the very reason that no matter how long you’re in the government market there is always something new to learn. That, incidentally, is why Skyway focuses on bringing a team of former contracting officers to support our members and clients…there is just too much to learn for one person to even understand it all, let alone know it all.
Heck, that’s why I love it so much. It’s like an ocean of opportunity where the surface can be calm, choppy, rolling, ebbing, flowing, receding, or coming in like a storm surge. Like the surface of the nearby Gulf of Mexico (yes, I’m lucky enough to live within 5 miles of the Gulf), the market is never exactly the same as it was yesterday.
So, how does the small business (or large business for that matter) manage this change?
First step is to acknowledge it.
What I mean is before you roll into the next acquisition, the next contract requirement, the next industry day, the next RFP review, or the next proposal, ask yourself one simple question: what has changed?
Seems easy, right? Well, consider how many times we’ve all attempted to boilerplate our documents and cram them into the same place as last time? Oh, and before you think I’m only talking about government RFPs, I’ve seen some proposals with some serious ‘cut and paste’ overlap from other proposals….so it is clear that both federal buyer and seller do this.
For the government team:
Once you get that requirement to re-compete, ask what’s changed in the market? What’s changed in the acquisition process? What’s changed in the requirement? Here’s the good news, don’t think that you have to take on the enormous task of ‘market research’ by yourself. Ask industry what has changed. They will tell you. Engage their input and insight. If they are targeting your agency, they will be ready and willing to help. Let them help.
For the industry team:
Once you target an opportunity, ask the same question. What has changed from the government perspective? What’s changed from your perspective? Has the technology improved, have the people who provide the service moved to a different industry? Has the good or service grown in popularity (and may be commercial now)? Pass these changes on to the government team. Don’t expect them to just Google it and figure it out. Help them see what’s changed.