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• Click to edit Master text styles
– Second level
• Third level
– Fourth level
» Fifth level
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to edit Master
title10
style
Overcoming
the Top
Challenges to Re-win Your
Government Contract
• Click to edit Master text styles
– Second level
Breakout
Session
• Third
level A04
Fourth
Richard E.–“A
to Z”level
Agopsowicz, Managing Director,
level Gioia Capability)
RGovAccess »(AFifth
Robbins
Date: Monday, July 27, 2015
Time: 11:15 am – 12:30 pm
1
What to
Click
This
edit
is Master
About and
title What
style it
Isn’t About
•• IClick
am nottohere
to Master
“tell how the
cow
ate the
edit
text
styles
cabbage…”
–
level
• Second
Most of these
challenges are widely known, and
yet…many,
if not all still occur in most incumbent
• Third level
losses– Fourth level
» Fifth level
• There is a dose of “myth busting” included
• The solution is not that complex…nor
expensive…it’s just not always executed
These problems aren’t new,
just repeated over and over…
2
Click to edit Master title style
Overview
• Setting
Click to the
editcontext
Master text styles
– Second level
• Top• 10
incumbent challenges
Third level
• An
– Fourth level
evaluator
perspective
» Fifth level
• 5 things you can and should do
• Call to action
3
Click to edit Master title style
Overview
• Setting
Click to edit
the context
Master text styles
– Second level
• Top• 10
incumbent challenges
Third level
• An
– Fourth level
evaluator
perspective
» Fifth level
• 5 things you can and should do
• Call to action
4
Click to Context
Setting
edit Master title style
Speaker Background
•• 30
yrs. to
DoD
Click
edit
Master text styles
• B-52 crew, Research and Development Engineering,
– Second
Acquisition,level
Special Intelligence, Special Technical
Operations
• Third level
– Fourth level
• 14 yrs. helping clients pursue & win Government
» Fifth level
procurements
• Team leadership of over 475 Government Procurement
& Funding Campaigns across 42 clients
• Currently, Managing Director, RGovAccess
(Revenue Growth & Opportunity Management)
5
Click to Context
Setting
edit Master title style
Information Resources
•• Business
& Capture
Intelligence
Click toDevelopment
edit Master
text styles
Research Supporting Over 500 Pursuit
– Second level
Campaigns
• Third level
• OMB and
GAO level
Reports (Including Protests)
– Fourth
» Fifth level
• OSD and Federal Civil Agency Letters and News
• Surveys and Interviews With Over 50 Current
and Recent Source Selection Personnel
Significant data support these
conclusions…
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Click to Context
Setting
edit Master title style
Myth Busting: Why Incumbents Lose
•• Myth:
Government
more of the
Click “Iftothe
edit
Master wanted
text styles
same, they would not have a competition”
– Second level
• Reality:
Competition
is mandated by policy and
• Third
level
contract–terms
Fourth level
• However, »there
warning signs – e.g. a re-compete
Fifthare
level
when there are unexercised options
• May be characterized as: “There is a change of
internal direction…” (get to the bottom of this)
Some truth, but a lot of
myth…
7
Click to Context
Setting
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Myth Busting: Incumbent Win Rates???
• Win
for Incumbents?
ClickRate
to edit
Master text styles
•– 80%,
72%,
67%, 50%, 20%, 10%
Second
level
• All
valid data
• Third
level points, but…
• Key
– Fourth level
questions
to ask:
» Fifth level
• Is it current data?
• Is it by $ won (over $ bid) or by number of
proposals?
• Does it separate out multiple awards?
• Is it in your market vertical?
Does it really matter if you are
explaining “why we lost”?
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Click to edit Master title style
Overview
• Setting
Click to the
editcontext
Master text styles
– Second level
• Top• Third
10 incumbent
challenges
level
• An
– Fourth level
evaluator
perspective
» Fifth level
• 5 things you can and should do
• Call to action
9
Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
1) Call planning and execution
• Acquisition
Click to editProgram
Master text
Office
styles
– Second level
• Contracting
Office
• Third level
•
– Fourth level
Operational
» Fifth“Needs”
level
Organization
• Users
• Constituents / Small Business Office
/ Etc.
Your likely call plan when you
won it the first time
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Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
1) Call planning and execution
• Acquisition
Click to editProgram
Master text
Office
styles
– Second level
• Contracting
Office
• Third level
•
– Fourth level
Operational
» Fifth“Needs”
level
Organization
• Users
• Constituents / Small Business Office
/ Etc.
Your competitions likely call
plan as well
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Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
1) Call planning and execution
• Acquisition
Click to editProgram
Master text
Office
styles
– Second level
• Contracting
Office
• Third level
•
– Fourth level
Operational
» Fifth“Needs”
level
Organization
• Users (Possible)
• Constituents / Small Business Office
/ Etc.
Your most likely call plan
during contract execution
12
Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
1) Call planning and execution
• Acquisition
Click to editProgram
Master text
Office
styles
– Second level
• Contracting
Office
• Third level
•
– Fourth level
Operational
» Fifth“Needs”
level
Organization
• Users (Maybe)
• Constituents / Small Business Office
/ Etc.
Your most likely call plan for
re-compete as well
13
Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
1) Call planning and execution
• Acquisition
Click to editProgram
Master text
Office
styles
– Second level
• Contracting
Office
• Third level
•
– Fourth level
Operational
» Fifth“Needs”
level
Organization
• Users
• Constituents / Small Business Office
/ Etc.
Your competitions most likely
call plan for your re-compete
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Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
2) Using the “as is” team to capture the re-compete
•• Typically
on thetext
positive
Click tofocus
editonly
Master
styles
– Second
• Usually
little level
“new thinking” about more efficient
& effective
• Thirdapproaches
level
• “…forest
for thelevel
trees…” when looking at problems
– Fourth
• User perspective
is usually dominant with the current
» Fifth level
team…but users don’t always control the requirements
and the $$
• Is your current delivery team distracted and worn
out on the proposal?
• The Government will notice!
You won with high performance
capture team the first time…
15
Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
3) Innovation – caught in the trap…
• “Why
you
do thattext
before?”
Click didn’t
to edit
Master
styles
– Second(orlevel
• Maintain
start) innovation during your
• Third
level of performance
current
period
– Fourth level
• If there is a current scope limitation – you
» Fifth level
need to set and control expectations
• If there is “new scope” for innovation in the new
SOO/SOW/PWS – why is it there?
“We received an innovation
wake-up call” – (it’s okay)
16
Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
4) Focus on rightsizing (and skills) of the workforce
•• Focus
becomes
maintaining
jobs, rather
Click often
to edit
Master
text styles
than rightsizing to the new contract requirements
–
level
• Second
The question
you need to answer is, do you have the
right
delivery
team to win?
• Third
level
– Fourth level
• An evaluator
hint:level
use of Level-of-Effort Basis of
» Fifth
Estimate
• LOE BOEs…this is a jobs program…
• As an incumbent you always have an advantage as
you have the data to set specific BOEs that are not
LOE based
Right size & set the
evaluation “bar” though BOEs
17
Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
5) Denying poor past performance
•• Past
is NOT just
contract
Clickperformance
to edit Master
textthis
styles
• Do not over estimate the contribution of this contract…
– Second level
• Poor• past
on your current contract
Thirdperformance
level
is NOT always
show stopper
– Fourth a
level
• As long as» you
it and fix it in time
Fifthrecognize
level
• Even with good performance, consider an independent
survey of your performance during contract execution
• Must be early enough to find it-fix it-feature it
• Don’t blame the Gov’t for poor performance
• If that is your approach, don’t bid…
Find it - Fix it - Feature it
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Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
6-10) The next “5”
•• Arrogance:
“…how
can they
notstyles
choose us?...”
Click to edit
Master
text
or, “…they love us…”
– Second level
• Underestimating
• Third level your competitor’s ability to
control transition
risk…
– Fourth level
• They will be
using
a high performance capture team,
» Fifth
level
they know transition is their biggest risk to overcome
• Too much knowledge (of “on the ground”
execution details)
• Your competition will not be encumbered by this – nor
will their bid reflect it
19
Click10toIncumbent
Top
edit MasterChallenges
title style
6-10) The next “5”
•• Not
recognizing
is a new
procurement
Click
to edit this
Master
text
styles /
contract
–
level
• Second
It does require
a transition plan, even if you are the
incumbent
• Third level
– Fourth level
And,level
my favorite….
» Fifth
• Starting your re-compete activity too late
• You must also compete for your option years…
• Also, you should not take Task Orders on a single
award ID/IQ for granted…
20
Click to edit Master title style
Overview
• Setting
Click to the
editcontext
Master text styles
– Second level
• Top• 10
incumbent challenges
Third level
• An
– Fourth level
evaluator
perspective
» Fifth level
• 5 things you can and should do
• Call to action
21
Click
An
Evaluator
to edit Master
Perspective
title style
Common questions we get…evaluator answers
• 4
common
questions
receive
Click
to edit
Masterwe
text
stylesfrom
incumbents
(we put them to a team of
– Second level
active
and former evaluators)
• Third level
– Fourth
• Do they
everlevel
“just select a new company”?
» Fifth level
• How do they look at incumbent past
performance?
• How can we help prevent a protest?
• Where do incumbents usually end up in the
priority list of potential selectees?
22
Click
An
Evaluator
to edit Master
Perspective
title style
Common questions we get…evaluator answers
•• Do
theyto
ever
“just
select a text
new company”?
Click
edit
Master
styles
•– Often
a perception
Second
level by a losing incumbent (on small to
moderately sized acquisitions)
• Third level
• Note: Smaller companies may put more effort into
– Fourth
their
pursuitlevel
(may not have a reputation to rely on)
» Fifth level
• On large multi-phased procurements (e.g. downselects) where you assist the Government early - make
no assumptions about your gained position
• On “troubled programs”– a “fresh start” may be needed
• Deliver on time/cost, execute a “keep sold”
campaign – don’t let it become troubled
Realism, no assumptions,
on time/cost, keep sold…
23
Click
An
Evaluator
to edit Master
Perspective
title style
Common questions we get…evaluator answers
•• How
they
lookMaster
at incumbent
Clickdoto
edit
text past
styles
performance?
– Second level
• The
Government,
• Third
level like all of us, remembers bad things
much longer and more vividly than good things…
– Fourth level
» Fifth
• Not selecting
an level
incumbent becomes easier when they
don’t answer a CPARS which highlighted problems
• Individual team performance can affect a source
selection team’s assessment of past performance
• Incumbents may know what their performance is, but
they often over estimate its value on the re-compete
Your performance may be an
advantage, but not alone
24
Click
An
Evaluator
to edit Master
Perspective
title style
Common questions we get…evaluator answers
•• How
helpMaster
prevent atext
protest?
Clickcantowe
edit
styles
•– Provide
the level
Government a full technical data package
Second
•• Third
Make your
levelcompetitors price it all in
• Don’t
give them
– Fourth
level grounds to claim “the incumbent
had a data advantage…”
» Fifth level
• The #1 Government comment always…follow the RFP
• Do not fall into the trap of “we know better” and bid
that way
• If you do, and they select you, it’s grounds
for a protest
Force compliant pricing – and
don’t “know better”
25
Click
An
Evaluator
to edit Master
Perspective
title style
Common questions we get…evaluator answers
•• Where
usually
up in the list
Click do
to incumbents
edit Master
textend
styles
of potential selectees?
– Second level
• Incumbents
are generally used as a “benchmark”
• Third level
•– Evaluators
Fourth levelthen need to answer: “Would this
other competitor do better than the
» Fifth level
incumbent...?”
• When incumbents have poor performance, they
usually end up at the bottom of the competitive range
• Don’t forget the incumbent contract is only one of your
past performances evaluated
Be the high benchmark, not
the low one
26
Click to edit Master title style
Overview
• Setting
Click to the
editcontext
Master text styles
– Second level
• Top• 10
incumbent challenges
Third level
• An
– Fourth level
evaluator
perspective
» Fifth level
• 5 things you can and should do
• Call to action
27
Click to edit
Winning
- Affordable
Master title
& Simple
style
5 things you can and should do
•• Fully
and
execute text
your call
plan
Clickdevelop
to edit
Master
styles
– Second
level
• Establish
your
re-compete campaign as part of
your•internal
contract program reviews
Third level
– Fourth level
• Empower your
program manager to “own” the
» Fifth level
win (and hold them accountable)
• Conduct an independent survey of performance
• Use a high performance capture team to win,
just like you did the first time
Leverage your position to win,
don’t assume you will
28
Click to edit Master title style
Overview
• Setting
Click to the
editcontext
Master text styles
– Second level
• Top• 10
incumbent challenges
Third level
• An
– Fourth level
evaluator
perspective
» Fifth level
• 5 things you can and should do
• Call to action
29
ClicktotoAction
Call
edit Master title style
•• We
all see
this as
logical…
Click
to edit
Master
text
styles
– Second
leveldo these things within our
• We
can all help
current
management
processes and budget
• Third
level
– Fourth level
• But the biggest
challenge of all is…
» Fifth level
…if nothing changes, nothing
changes…
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and
expecting different results.” Albert Einstein
30
Click to edit
Contact
Information
Master title style
• Richard E. “A to Z” Agopsowicz
• Click
to editDirector,
Master RGovAccess
text styles (A
– Managing
– Robbins
Second level
Gioia Capability)
• Third level
– [email protected]
– Fourth level
– www.rgovaccess.com
» Fifth level
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