How to explain a recompete proposal to staff members

Companies have varying policies about how much they involve staff members in recompetes and when they do so. Some maintain an utter cone of silence except for the participation of the Project Manager. These companies usually don’t involve their staff because, they do not want to:

• Disrupt ongoing operations
• Alarm their staff and promote their risk of flight before they receive a new contract award
• Alert their staff to any staffing or pricing changes they are making such as the replacement of senior staff with more junior staff or a decrease in staffing levels

However, this plan does not usually work, because if the company does not inform their staff about the recompete stage, a competitor will likely do so, or they will hear it through the office grapevine. Therefore, it’s better to inform your staff well in advance of any recompete for several reasons. For example, your staff can provide:

• Ideas for approaches, innovations, and improvements for winning the new contract
• Valuable customer and competitor intelligence for helping you win
• Proof points for validating your approach
• Referrals for new hires to fill requirements gaps
• Support for writing the proposal
• Support for reviewing the proposal given their knowledge of the customer

Providing bonuses or recognition for participating in the capture and proposal effort will promote a sense of ownership and motivate your staff to not share sensitive information with competitors. Their participation also provides “on-the-job” training for the next time they participate in new business or organic growth.

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 Twitter.

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