With as many bids as we are involved with and we analyze, there are certain lessons one can learn. One such lesson is never, ever underestimate the power of management and understanding how to drive down risk. Government evaluators don’t like risk. Quite honestly, who does like risk? It’s the spooky boogeyman that lurks around…
To win a recompete contract, many companies aim to bring innovation to improve program performance. However, doing so without having the proper risk mitigations in place can be a fatal flaw. Read on through an example of an incumbent who failed to secure a recompete award because they introduced too much risk in our newest…
We often hear capture teams claim they can eliminate a competitor through the presence of an organizational conflict of interest (OCI). However, banking on these claims to enable a win is rarely ever fruitful. Read on through two examples of an OCI claim that worked and another typical example of a failure as we continue…
Would you be persuaded to buy from someone who had no plan on how to deal with inevitable problems in executing a project? No? Onward and upward as we continue our Deadly Sins series! Sin #15: Never tell me the odds U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Medical Consultation and…
“We have a deep bench” and “We have great corporate reachback” are some of my favorite lies. While this is not always flawed, it can most definitely boomerang around to kill your bid. Let’s take a journey down the yellow brick reachback road to see examples of the good and the bad. In this blog…
Oh, the nonsense we con ourselves into believing is not always going to catch on! It’s that time for the obligatory eye roll at another deadly sin. Read on as we continue our series in win-loss trends. Sin #13: Industry leading best practices = strength U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) IT…
The sins of hubris and ignorance continue to plague bidders. While there are always ample opportunities to engage in poor decision making, let’s learn from these follies. This pair of sins focuses on “the Government is not your mother” and your past does not govern your future. Read on as we continue our series in…
Does your capture team want to try a trick play to get a competitive advantage? This can work (perhaps) if you clear it with the referee (a.k.a. your customer), but it can go very badly. Being creative in capture strategy and solution development can help your prospective chance to win (a.k.a. the dreaded Pwin). This…
We’re back to bring forward yet more “deadly sins.” While these sins and examples might give us all a good hearty and exasperated groan, let’s learn from these errors so you can be a smarter bidder. This continues our series in win-loss trends. Sin #7: Key personnel exceed basic requirements = strength? No! There is…
The age-old debate of “submitting a technically acceptable proposal and a very aggressive bid leads to a win” is one we hear constantly. Let’s pause though. Is that really true? This routinely comes up in Black Hat reviews as a topic of great and enthusiastic debate. While we presume this is partly a product of…
