Advice for New Companies Looking to Create Winning Government Proposals

Venturing into the challenging yet rewarding realm of government contracting requires more than ambition; it demands meticulous planning, unwavering dedication, and strategic resource allocation. Crafting government proposals necessitates significant investment in time and money, so companies must manage their resources wisely to ensure each proposal serves as a deliberate step toward achieving their government contracting objectives.

Top 10 Strategies for Crafting Winning Government Proposals

If Lohfeld Consulting were to start a new government contracting business and wanted to create winning proposals, we would follow these 10 steps.

1. Research Thoroughly: Delve into market dynamics and historical contract trends within your sector to inform your strategy. Understanding your competitors and standard contract values is vital for strategic positioning.
2. Network Effectively: Establish and nurture valuable connections with government agency personnel. Such relationships can unlock essential insights and opportunities, and networking may facilitate collaborative bids with other companies.
3. Choose Wisely: Exercise discretion in selecting which Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to pursue. Target RFPs where your company’s qualifications shine, dedicating approximately 1-2% of the potential contract’s gross revenue to crafting a compliant, compelling proposal.
4. Understand Fully: Ensure a deep comprehension of the RFP’s requirements, including the government’s needs, budget, risk tolerance, and the project’s size, scope, and complexity. Misinterpretations can compromise your proposal’s competitiveness.
5. Solve Creatively: Develop solutions that not only meet the government’s needs but also provide additional value. This approach requires an intimate understanding of the requirements, innovative problem-solving, and demonstrating your solution’s efficacy and feasibility in your government proposals.
6. Highlight Strengths: Clearly articulate how your company exceeds the government’s requirements and can enhance customer operations in ways competitors cannot. Proposals are evaluated on specific criteria, so make every point count.
7. Assemble Expertly: Form a team of experienced professionals knowledgeable in government contracts, including legal advisors and proposal experts. The strength of your team significantly impacts your success.
8. Compile Strategically: Build a comprehensive library of resources—such as past performance summaries, resumes, graphics, accolades, and previous government proposals—that can expedite the proposal development process. Save material for reuse and then tailor it to new proposals.
9. Prepare Meticulously: Craft your proposal carefully, ensuring it’s fully compliant, customer-focused, evaluator-friendly, error-free, and visually appealing. This reflects your company’s professionalism and commitment.
10. Review Rigorously: Subject your proposal to thorough internal and external reviews by independent third parties to catch and correct potential errors and refine your strategy and text accordingly.

The government contracting sector is perpetually evolving. Staying informed of regulatory, procedural, and technological changes is crucial. Your adaptability and agility are essential to successfully navigating this dynamic landscape.

Conclusion

Securing a government contract is an achievement that can significantly advance a new company’s growth and success. This milestone, however, results from strategic insight, detailed planning, and prudent resource management. Approaching government contracting as a marathon rather than a sprint—with patience, perseverance, and precision—will position your company for victory.

Relevant Content:

• How do Companies Win Government Contracts (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E10qDUmSkQ
• How do Companies Win Government Grants (video): Grantshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImmiRiEz9pQ
• Planning and Delivering Winning Oral Presentations (video): Planning and Delivering Winning Oral Presentations, Part 1 of 2: Planning the Orals (youtube.com)

By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube^(TM) .

Brenda Crist

See Full Bio