Have you made the most of the first quarter?

You’ve finished your warm ups and the National Anthem has been played, its game time. The first quarter is when you need to set the stage for the rest of the game. How is the next three quarters going to work out, do you know when you need to put your bench players in? Have you planned out what your attack strategy is? You want to know as much about the game that is being played and your opponent as possible.  

Unlike a basketball game when there are off days and an off season we don’t have that luxury so we use our first quarter for planning and answering as many questions as we can. Although there are a lot of variables that go into government purchasing being prepared as you can makes all the difference in the world. If you have not started planning it’s not too late.

You can start by answering the following questions:

• ·         What agencies purchase what you sell?
• ·         Who are your top competitors and what types of contracts do they hold?
• ·         What opportunities are being forecasted in your industry?

Those three questions will take some work to find the answer to but they will give you a good picture of your season and allows you to formulate your attack plan. 

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!"

― Benjamin Franklin

GSA Offer Best Practices, Volume 4

Working with the Government should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong! It takes a great deal of time and dedication to sell to the Government. To become a premier contractor under the GSA Schedule, you have to know what the “sticking points” are when dealing with Government representatives.

·         Turnaround Times: These are extremely important. Missing a deadline by one minute could mean getting your offer rejected by the GSA – or worse, losing a bid! The Contracting Officers are not going to wait until you decide to give them the information they’ve requested. You must live by their deadlines!

·         Read and Research: Yes, Contracting Officers are there to assist you – but do them a favor and do your own homework. You are responsible for reading the requirements of the Schedule and filling out the documentation properly. They will help, but they will not do it for you! Don’t waste their time, because they can sense when a contractor is going to be difficult to work with. You should be trying to make things easier for them. They talk, and word of mouth goes a long way.

·         Your Tone: Be mindful of the way you speak to Contracting Officers. Being overly pushy isn’t the way to handle things. There is a fine balance between asking for updates and demanding that they move the process along. The latter isn’t going to get you anywhere.

·         Straight Answers: Don’t beat around the bush. If you try to hide or disguise business practices, it only makes more work for you in the long run. It could even mean fines and penalties! Be open and honest about your company and how it operates. The Contracting Officers will appreciate your integrity and respond positively.

If you want to be really successful in the Government marketplace, make it a priority to understand how the GSA works and how your Contracting Officers operate. Just like any other customer they want to be respected. Become an organization that thrives on learning the ropes of Government contracting. It takes time, energy, and resources. You can’t cut corners here!

Steph Gowin

General Manager

Government Contract Services, Inc.