When we work in a capture, there are many challenges to overcome in order to realize a win. Beyond managing the many moving parts of a complex contract capture, we encounter what is often our greatest foe – ourselves. Why are we so dangerous…well, to our own interests? Simple. We lie to ourselves. Do we…
While we have some very good technology to enable remote and virtual work, some things still benefit greatly from people being in the same room. We have typically included Black Hat reviews in that category. Why has a Black Hat review been better served in person vs. remote? It’s an intense exercise demanding a meaningful…
Have you ever looked at an opportunity and thought, “There are so many possible competitors for this opportunity – where do I need to focus my energy to pick identify the real threats?” We come across this conundrum often when determining competitors for a Black Hat review. While it is possible to thoroughly examine all…
Note this is a re-post from our same article in Washington Technology “When should we do a Black Hat review?” This is a question that we receive very often. It is a smart question with a simple answer. Remember the Goldilocks principle. The simple wisdom captured in the children’s story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” has…
This is a post from Brian Lindholm. He’s the Managing Principal and Owner of FedSavvy Strategies. I love fielding questions from clients and prospective clients. I love the challenges posed. Such things keep me connected with what people are thinking and their needs. That keeps the FedSavvy Strategies team on our game. Inevitably, there are…
Incumbency is both a blessing and a curse. We have all witnessed incumbent contractors lose to challengers. The protections afforded by incumbency are greatly overrated. This blog is a cautionary tale and guide to identify this frequently fatal disease followed by some actions to overcome this epidemic. Before doing anything else. Acknowledge a fundamental truth. …
Not too long ago, we wrote a blog looking at common traps we see during events such as Black Hat reviews. Taking a different spin on what we frequently see in these sessions, we look at cognitive biases and logical fallacies that often derail Black Hat teams or any capture team. Allowing these biases and…
If you’re in the business of winning new business, it demands an extraordinary level of creativity, skill, and focus. We embrace these same concepts in execution of competitive intelligence and Black Hat reviews. When we work with capture teams during the Black Hat review phase of any complex capture, there are many competing priorities and…
Only a year later after General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) made the move to acquire CSRA, we’re living in a different (but same) world. We’ve been through eras of consolidation and divestitures over and over again. General Dynamics Information Technology – 1 year later How did today’s GDIT come together even if we define it…
Whenever we execute a competitive analysis or black hat session, the first thing we consider is the customer. Every competitor is focused on making that customer believe that their solution is the best choice. Identifying and integrating customer needs, wants, and fears into analysis, including Black Hat reviews, is critical to guarantee that our efforts…
