Description
Who this is for This course is designed for capture managers, business development executives, competitive intelligence professionals, price-to-win experts, and analysts working in federal contracting who need to operate at a higher level of analytical rigor. This is not an introductory survey. Participants will work through real federal contracting scenarios using structured intelligence methods, leaving with sharpened instincts and practical tools they can apply on their next pursuit.
What sets this competitive intelligence training apart Most competitive intelligence training stops at frameworks. This boot camp is built around the intelligence process — the same disciplined cycle used by professional analysts — applied directly to the federal contracting environment. The emphasis throughout is on critical thinking, analytic confidence, and tradecraft that produces outputs that actually drive pursuit decisions. We also integrate practical AI techniques that experienced federal contracting practitioners can put to work immediately — without cutting corners on analytical rigor.
What you will work through A rigorous treatment of the four-function intelligence cycle — modeling, collection, analysis, and production — applied as an integrated system against real federal pursuit scenarios, not as a checklist.
- Modeling — Structuring and breaking down federal opportunities with precision and building a working intelligence model against a live competitor array.
- Collection — Designing and executing an Intelligence Collection Plan using OSINT disciplines, proven collection tradecraft, and AI-powered techniques that sharpen your research without sacrificing accuracy.
- Analysis — Structured analytic techniques including SWOT and Black Hat methodology. How to design, prepare, and run a Black Hat session for complex federal pursuits — and how to execute post-session actions that keep your capture team moving.
- Production — Communicating intelligence outputs with clarity and credibility. Expressing analytic judgments, stating confidence levels, applying visual design principles, and delivering post-Black Hat reports and dashboards that inform decisions rather than decorate slide decks.
What you take away Every participant leaves with a set of ready-to-use templates and frameworks built specifically for federal contracting: ICP frameworks, RFP breakdown prompts, SWOT and competitor profile templates, Black Hat preparation guides, and post-session debrief formats. More importantly, you leave having applied them against real federal pursuit scenarios — not hypotheticals.
Format Two full days, live and in-person. Small cohort. We use real opportunities to drive real exercises so you learn by doing, not by watching slides.
Time and place This will be an in person course in the Tysons Corner area in Virginia. We will send you the specific address closer to the course date. This course is October 27-28, 2026.
Prerequisites Participants should have practical experience in federal business development, capture, or competitive intelligence. This course will challenge you. That is the point.
About your lead instructor Brian Lindholm is the founder and Managing Principal of FedSavvy Strategies, with more than 25 years working in federal business development, capture, and competitive intelligence. He has run over 500 Black Hat sessions and contributed to wins totaling well over $15 billion. Brian is deeply embedded in the federal contracting market and brings a practical, no-nonsense approach to everything he teaches. He will make you better at this.
Questions? Reach out to us here.
Registration and cancellation policy applies. View policy.
