In 1961 I was involved in an RFP for a mainframe computer which was a best value RFP, and our agency did not award to IBM. How many readers can make such a claim? Not many, because the agencies then were usually not very experienced in buying IT and were very mesmerized by IBM's marketing prowess. As a result, major agencies such as Justice and the Army found ways to award to IBM, even when the performance did not justify the higher price.
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An Open Letter from OCI to Our Customers
The proposal business is expected to be fast and furious during CY2010. The appropriations are done, several of the largest programs are nearing release, and a deluge of activity is forthcoming.
We believe activity will be especially intense during the Second Quarter (April, May, and June). If you anticipate needing proposal support around this time, please provide us with advance notice of your requirements. Talent selection will be limited as the demand for proposal professionals increase, making it more difficult for us to find talent to match your requirements and budget.
Give us a call at 703-689-9600 and we will help you identify the talent you will need for the program(s) you are tracking.
We believe activity will be especially intense during the Second Quarter (April, May, and June). If you anticipate needing proposal support around this time, please provide us with advance notice of your requirements. Talent selection will be limited as the demand for proposal professionals increase, making it more difficult for us to find talent to match your requirements and budget.
Give us a call at 703-689-9600 and we will help you identify the talent you will need for the program(s) you are tracking.
Proposal Resumes - Hints on Preparing Winning Resumes
During my career, I have evaluated, reviewed, edited, or written over 20,000 resumes, mostly for technical personnel. This experience was obtained in preparing staffing and personnel sections for Government proposals.
Defending Incumbent Contracts - The "Vulnerability Assessment"
Courtesy of Tim Whalen
Several contractor organizations I have known have felt they were “blind-sided,” when the government scored their proposal low and awarded the contract to a new firm. Many wished they could do the contract competition over again, including a fresh start with a hard-hitting “vulnerability assessment."
OCI Sponsors Scholarships
Starting in January 2010, OCI began sponsoring scholarships for school children in Kampala, Uganda. The scholarships will make it possible for 30 school children who would not be able to attend school to go to school.
Predictions for the Proposal Market in 2010
In this article I attempt to answer a question of interest to all proposal professionals: What will the proposal market be like in 2010? And how much business will we have? The article is based on a review of documentation and personal interviews. I reviewed public records relating to appropriations and spending from 2008 – 2010, and interviewed the following subject matter experts (SMEs):
OCI Training Classes in Hawaii
In January OCI provided training classes in proposal management and writing to about 40 students in Hawaii. One class met on the island of Oahu, while the other was on Maui. The classes were sponsored by a small business consortium. The Oahu class met in the clubhouse of a country club. Principal Instructor Gary Everett said: “There was this picture window in our classroom overlooking the most beautiful, lush fairways I have seen. And I couldn’t even hit one ball.”
MS Word 2007 Upgrade Caution
On a current proposal that my partner, Paula, and I are supporting, our client is using MS Word 2007. We converted it, using Microsoft's "reader," to MS Word 2002 for editing and formatting, and emailed it back. He opened, revised, and saved it in 2007, sent us the newer version, and asked us to make some additional revisions.
Read more...
Strategy-Theme-Discriminator Tree Development
During 40 years in the industry, I have found that a Tree-type graphic helps proposal authors visualize the connection between strategy, win themes, and evaluation factors. In this article, I present an example of such a Tree. Take a look at the graphic with this article. Note how we constructed it.
Defense Appropriations Act Prohibits Mandatory Arbitration
Courtesy of Mark Baker and Jon O’Connell of Holland & Knight
As a result of legislation recently signed into law by President Obama, most defense contractors will no longer be permitted to subject employees to mandatory arbitration for the resolution of certain types of claims.
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