Research Wins Bids

We are constantly asked both by current clients and potential clients, “how do we win government business?”. The question is always posed as though there is some circle of secrecy around the subject and if we give out the magic answer we’ll be thrown out of the club. Well, here’s the truth; the most important variable to wining government business is RESEARCH.

Research is time consuming and not all companies have the time and resources to allocate for the necessary research needed to be successful in the government marketplace. Here’s a small snapshot of some data that is being gathered by successful government contractors.

·         What agencies have bought your products and services in the past?

·         Are they planning on buying more in the future?

·         How much did agencies pay for similar products and services?

·         What are the agencies’ goals in procuring those particular products and services?

·         Who is your direct competition in the government marketplace?

·         Are they successful across multiple agencies or just with one?

·         Is your pricing higher or lower than your closest competitor?

·         Why is your pricing higher or lower than your closet competitor?

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. To be successful, there is nothing more important than knowing your market, knowing your buyer, and knowing your competition.

But there are challenges that come with this. Finding all the data isn't always straight forward. Most agencies have forecasts online looking forward to the next 7 years. Some don’t have anything showing. Finding competitors and pricing requires sifting through past awarded contracts and seeing how much the government paid. Some contractors use GSA pricing as a benchmark for comparison even on the open market.

The government in rolling out new tools with the 18F program to make this research easier for contracts but until then doing the research is anyone’s best chance at winning government contracts.