Winning a Federal Government Contract

5 Dos and Don’ts

Winning federal contracts requires attention to detail, persistence, and patience. Rushing in can lead to mistakes which could cost you the government contract, and possibly hurt your chances for being awarded government contracts in the future. Here are five Dos and Don’ts to keep you on track.

1. Don’t: Waste time submitting proposals for the wrong projects.
Do: Be realistic when choosing contracts.

If you’re new to the government marketplace, it can be tempting to bid on every government contract that comes along, but your time and assets would be better spent targeting the best opportunities for your business. Look objectively at your company’s resources, budget and production capacity. If the project seems too big, if you don’t meet all of the agency’s requirements, or if completing the government contract job is going to put unnecessary strain on your business, skip that opportunity and find one more suited to your specialties.

2. Don’t: Spend all your time looking for government sales leads.
Do: Enlist the help of government information companies.

With all of the bids available at the federal level, it can be difficult to find the right government sales leads. However, monitoring the countless different places where bids and RFPs are posted can be incredibly time-consuming, especially when looking for federal government contracts. A simple way to ease the pressure of searching for government contract leads is not to do it at all. Instead, find a government intelligence company to help you out. These companies can deliver government sales leads directly to your e-mail inbox, tailored to your specific geographical and industry needs. (Ready to start selling to the government? Get a free sample of five government sales leads) With the work of finding government leads out of the way, you can spend more time working up a rock-solid proposal.

3. Don’t: Take the bid package lightly.
Do: Read every page carefully.

Government bid documents are often long and confusing, but every detail is important. Reading the entire bid package carefully and thoughtfully is a crucial step, especially with federal contracts, which may often have unique requirements or restrictions. One government bid reading strategy: read carefully through the whole document, and then read through it a second time and take notes on every requirement of the project. Have someone else in your organization do the same. When you’re finished, compare notes and read through a final time together. It’s better to err on the side of caution: You wouldn’t want to lose the government contract because you missed a key requirement, or win the bid but lose money because a mis-read caused you to underbid the contract.

4. Don’t: Get discouraged when you don’t win bids.
Do: Take every rejection as an opportunity.

The truth is that most contractors lose federal contracts more often than they win them. Each contract you lose will teach you more about what to do next time. Tapping into winning government proposals and award data will get you the information to find out what winning proposals have that yours didn’t. You can also target companies who have been awarded government contracts for future teaming and partnering opportunities.

5. Don’t: Hesitate to ask questions.
Do: Target the right government contacts to ask.

If a bid or RFP seems unclear, you’re far better off asking the agency to clarify rather than buckling down and hoping for the best. Most agencies have contact people who will answer whatever questions you may have—after all, that is their job. Targeting the right people to contact can save time for both you and the government agency. Plus, establishing relationships with government contact people will give you a starting point for future government marketing campaigns.

More Information from Government Contracting Best Practices
Read more tips for marketing to government decision makers. Learn about managing federal government contracts once you’ve won them. Find common blunders your bid should avoid.

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