How to Survive the Shutdown and Come Out Ahead

The Federal Government shutdown makes it feel like the GovCon industry is grinding to a halt. During this time, solicitations stall, funding is delayed, and contracting officers may be unavailable. For capture and proposal professionals, this uncertainty is frustrating.  

Shutdown Survey Says…

Lohfeld Consulting asked the bid and proposal community, “What is the most significant impact of the U.S. Government shutdown on your bid and proposal operations?” One hundred and twenty-one respondents across numerous LinkedIn polls said:

• 51% Cashflow Concerns or Layoffs
• 37% RFP Timelines are Extended
• 10% Stalled Team Assignments
• 2% Downtime for Training

But shutdowns don’t mean a standstill; oftentimes, they mean opportunity.

The Shutdown Presents a Chance to Get Ahead

Savvy bid and proposal professionals know that shutdowns can be an opportunity to gain a competitive edge. Once the government reopens, solicitations often return with compressed deadlines. Those who prepare during the shutdown will be better equipped to respond more quickly and effectively. If you have time, we recommend performing these activities:

• Strengthen Customer Intelligence: Even if federal clients are unavailable, continue building insight. Engage with industry partners, track forecasts, and monitor pre-solicitation activity. Stronger intel now leads to sharper solutions later.
• Build Your Library of Reusable Content: Update boilerplate content, past performance write-ups, and resumes. A refreshed library helps teams respond quickly when the floodgates reopen. We have several blogs that contain detailed tips for keeping your content library up to date, listed in the Relevant Information section below.
• Reassess Your Pipeline: Use the shutdown to review your opportunity pipeline. Lohfeld Consulting provides three blogs to help: the Mega Bids blog identifies active bids >$500M, the Mighty Bids blog identifies active bids from $10M-$499M, and the Mystic Bids blog highlights bids forecast for 2026 and 2027. We also provide deeper dives on upcoming opportunities, like LOGCAP VI.
• Fine-Tune Proposal Processes and Lessons Learned: Evaluate how well your current proposal process works under pressure. Are your color team reviews effective? Do your templates support compliance and readability? Minor improvements now can save you days later. Shutdowns provide breathing room to analyze recent wins and losses. Document what worked, where you fell short, and how to integrate those lessons into future pursuits.
• Use the Shutdown as a Chance to Sharpen Your Skills: Although most of our LinkedIn poll respondents were concerned with cash flow and potential layoffs, Lohfeld Consulting offers many free resources to sharpen your skills. Our YouTube channel features over 80 videos on topics ranging from using GenAI for proposals to proposal writing and management. Our website contains over 800 articles on issues vital to developing high-scoring proposals that win contracts. Our LinkedIn Newsletter provides news about upcoming industry developments.

If your company can offer training during the shutdown, Lohfeld Consulting provides practical, hands-on training to sharpen capture management, proposal management, and proposal writing skills, as well as the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) Foundation Certification. Click here for our public class schedule or contact us to arrange a private class.

Conclusion

Shutdowns don’t stop the competition, but they can shift the playing field. Contractors who use this time to strengthen people, processes, and technology will re-enter the game stronger and better prepared to win.

Relevant Information

• How to Proactively Improve Proposal Readiness

• The Proposal Efficiency Breakthrough You Need Now

• How to Build Your Past Performance Library to Secure More Contracts

• How to Make Your Resumes Ready Before the RFP Drops

• How to Overcome Threats to Pipeline Disruption

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).