by
Jon M. Stout
April 12,2010
The trend in Federal Contracting is the award of large, multi vendor Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts that cover the acquisition of a wide range of Information Technology and Cyber Security technology.
Even the largest prime contractor has difficulty in preparing a winning proposal that addresses all of the specific requirements outlined in the Request for Proposal (RFP) and, as a result, teaming arrangements are usually formed to bid and win the contract for the project.
These IDIQ procurements, although offering multi-year streams of business, are very competitive and winning requires a team with high value added and a competitive edge. This is particularly true regarding procurements and solicitation from the Intelligence Community.
Creating a winning team
Teams are usually formed by the prime contractor who generally has experience with the type of work and the agency issuing the contract. Teaming generally starts as soon as the project is and the type of work identified.
The solicitation process involves an initial market survey or Request for Information (RFI) followed by a Draft RFP that gives basic details about the services or products required. This is a signal for the start of team formation and the team is then ready to create a winning proposal when the final RFP is issued.
When the technical information from potential teammates is developed, the prime contractor can then make decisions about their own capabilities and those capabilities that need to be added by one or more teammates.
At this point the prime contractor usually arranges capabilities briefings from subcontractors known to have niche capabilities or experience with the customer agency that will increase chances of winning.
Timing is Important
Joining a team early in the process is important because there is usually competition on the better projects. It is very difficult to join a team after a contract has been awarded. In order for a company to be successful in joining winning teams, it must identify procurements early, develop presentations that sell its unique capabilities, and aggressively pursue prime contractor teammates.
Value Added Teammates
Subcontractor teammates are required to add value to the team or else they won’t be added. Value can come in the form of unique technical capability, domain experience, recruiting expertise, technical proposal experience or other skills that will increase the chance of the team of winning.
For example, in the present environment in the Intelligence Community, subcontractors with Cyber Security and agency domain experience are considered very valuable teammates and can easily join winning teams.
From a subcontractor standpoint, it is best to join a team that is led by a prime contractor that has experience with the acquiring agency and has a good chance of winning; In addition, a prime contractor that has a reputation for equitable work share among subcontractors is a real plus. It is very frustrating to work hard on a winning proposal team and then receive no income generating work share.
The Question of Exclusivity
Many prime contractors demand that subcontractor teammates only participate on their proposal under an exclusive arrangement. Most of the time exclusivity is a practical arrangement that encourages the subcontractor to focus on the success of the proposal.
But exclusivity does not allow the subcontractor to increase its win percentage by participation on multiple teams. It is a matter of value added – if the subcontractor adds true unique value it has a stronger negotiating position for multiple teaming.
Proposal Support
Knowledge of the proposal support and dynamics of agency selection process is also considered a valuable addition to the proposal effort. Large IDIQ proposals require significant planning, writing and production efforts and a subcontractor teammate that has proposal skills and experience adds a great deal to the proposal process. Domain knowledge is especially valuable in the Intelligence Community and gives the team a winning edge.
Doing Business With the Intelligence Community 