How Much or How Little to Tell Staff About a Recompete
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.
Paperback or Kindle
10 steps to creating high-scoring proposals
by Bob Lohfeld
contributors Edited by Beth Wingate
Subscribe to our free ebrief
Teaming friends, frenemies, and enemies—12 tips to mitigate harmful effects
Did you know that contracting officers spend up to 20% of their time mitigating disputes between teaming partners? In an informal poll we conducted on LinkedIn last month, 40% of respondents classified their teaming partners as “frenemies” on their last bid.
Explore Further
- Advice (477)
- AI (14)
- APMP (17)
- Business Development (220)
- Capture Management (202)
- Complex Technology Grants Services (2)
- Favorite Books (5)
- Go-to-Market (27)
- Graphics (5)
- Lohfeld Books (2)
- Past Performance (58)
- Post-submission Phase (14)
- Pre-RFP Preparation (210)
- Proposal Management (279)
- Proposal Production (62)
- Proposal Reviews (27)
- Proposal Writing (84)
- Pursuit Phase (88)
- Research Report (2)
- Resources (59)
- Tools & Tips (293)
- Training (10)
- Uncategorized (218)
Sign Up for INSIGHTS and Download your FREE book
We'd love to help you with your proposals. Enjoy our complimentary Lohfeld Consulting Group Capture & Proposal Insights & Tips book with your FREE subscription to our Insights Newsletter.
GET YOUR FREE BOOK