Mark Amtower interviews Bob Lohfeld, CEO of Lohfeld Consulting and Andy Patrichuk, partner and GM of Deep Water Point on identifying, pursuing, bidding and winning contracts.
Topics include:
Winning government contracts with a high return on the investment (ROI) of time, money, and effort requires a well-thought-out process that incorporates a targeted marketing, sales, capture, and request for proposal (RFP) response process specific to the government marketplace. Many businesses do not have a proactive marketing process in place for any market segment and those focusing on the federal market have a tough time understanding why the federal contracting market requires a tailored marketing approach as opposed to a traditional approach. Of the few companies selling to the federal government who do proactively market, traditional consumer or business-to-business tactics are most often used instead of federal-specific tactics, resulting in a very low ROI. Unfortunately, traditional tactics such as ad-buying, social media sales, pay-per-click, and search engine optimization (SEO) are not the best marketing fits for the federal customer. Instead, a company that understands the value of research, planning, and effective market positioning before the RFP is released has a much higher chance of winning federal contracts.
Continue reading at: The APTAC Quarterly eMagazine
Prior to his retirement, Chuck Schadl, the long-time GTPAC Procurement Counselor and Group Manager of Government Contracting Services at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute participated as a guest speaker on the Risk GovCon Podcast.
In Part 1 of his two part appearance, which is available for download here, Chuck discusses Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, subcontracting goal requirements, and provides a number of excellent government contracting related marketing tips. Update: Part 2 of the podcast is now available here.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) will host a Small Business Conference July 21, 2017.
The free conference will feature presentations and roundtables regarding federal and state procurement opportunities. All small businesses are welcome to attend.
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Location: Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center; 61 Forsyth Street, S.W.; Tower Building, 2nd Floor; Atlanta, GA 30303
RSVP is required. Register at: http://www.cvent.com/d/5fqzxx/4W
Public transit is recommended. The closest MARTA stop is at Five Points Station which is adjacent to the building. There are limited parking facilities nearby.
Please email any questions to small.business@ed.gov or call Marcella Coverson at 202-245-6300.
The federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Clark Atlanta University have joined forces to present a “4th Quarter Readiness Forum” at Clark Atlanta University on July 20, 2017.
The session is designed to offer the small business community marketing and contracting tips to consider when marketing to federal agencies during the federal government’s 4th quarter (July, August and September).
Representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), General Services Administration (GSA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Education Dept., the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other agencies will be available to discuss how they utilize various contracting tools and vehicles to award contracts in this often challenging 4th quarter time frame in the government’s calendar.
Attendees also will be provided research tips on how to use the Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG) data base to help you research procurement opportunities.
The session will be held at Clark Atlanta University, Cole Science Research Center at 223 James P. Brawley Dr., SW, Atlanta, GA 30314 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Box lunches will be available for purchase at this event.
Here’s a link to what OPM buys: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/us-office-of-personnel-management-14499326759
Attendees are required to register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-quarter-readiness-forum-tickets-35946174977.
For more information, feel free to contact Ms. Cherina Hughes at cherina.hughes@opm.gov or Art Brown at 770-732-9392 or art@lescot.com.
Fort Stewart invites all interested vendors to a “Forecast Forum” — featuring representatives from Fort Stewart Units and Mission Installation Contracting Command (MICC) — where anticipated contract opportunities for the remainder of FY17 will be discussed. (FY17 ends Sept. 30, 2017.)
Thursday, July 27, 2017
9:00 am to 1:00 pm – Event sign-in begins at 8:30 am
SFC Paul R. Smith Education Center, 100 Knowledge Drive, Fort Stewart, GA 31313
There is no fee to attend but advance registration is required!
For your convenience, Registration may be completed in any of three different ways:
This event is located outside Gate 1 (No gate access is required). Make a right onto General Stewart Way and a left onto Knowledge Drive. If you have Military/Federal Civilian ID or CAC Card, you can gain access to Fort Stewart through any gate. If you do not, you will only gain access to this event at Gate 1 and will need to show a CURRENT Driver’s License, Auto Registration, and Auto Insurance. Also, allow extra time in case they need to inspect your vehicle. Do not speed on this installation. Use of (non-hands free) cell phones while driving on Fort Stewart is illegal, and you could be fined.
Getting on the radar (in a positive way) of government buyers and influencers before you start bidding seems to be a daunting task for some.
When I speak at proposal and contracting events, a major complaint from small businesses that lose on bids is “the customer doesn’t know us.”
This is not a problem for the customer, the government agency. It is YOUR problem, and there are several ways to get on the radar of government buyers and influencers, before, during and after the bidding process.
The first method is to go to agency briefings, often held by the agency Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization, and get some face time with the small business office. Industry associations and publications often hold events where feds will speak, and this is another chance to briefly get in front of influencers.
Keep reading this article at: https://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2017/02/17/insights-amtower-market-differentiation.aspx
Vendors can display their wares and meet buyers at the Georgia Army National Guard on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. Vendors may request a display table or just mingle at this no-cost event.
The event will be held at 1000 Halsey Ave., Building 447, Marietta, GA 30060.
Advance registration is required and may be accomplished by emailing the name(s) of individuals attending and the company they represent to jerriod.allen.mil@mail.mil. Registrants also should indicate whether or not they would like to reserve a table.
Check-in and set-up begins at 9:00 a.m. The program begins at 10:00 a.m., featuring guest speaker Chuck Schadl of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center. Other presentations are expected to be made by representatives of SBA, GSA, and FedBid.
Vendors will have the opportunity to meet with buyers, one-on-one, beginning at 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
The Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA) and Clayton County Government are holding a one-day Small Business Expo on Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2016.
This represents an opportunity for businesses to promote their capabilities, face-to-face, to the CCWA and County buyers as well as to other area businesses.
This is a free event, an lunch will be provided, but advance registration is required.
The Georgia District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a two-hour workshop focusing on marketing strategies for 8(a) firms.
Details on this workshop and how to register for it can be found by clicking here.
