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FYI on RFIs, Part 4: Ghosting and GWACs
May 25, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-businessman-signing-contract-in-office-3771097/ In part 4 of our series on RFIs, we discuss ghosting of Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC)--and a few examples that demonstrate how smart contractors use this tactic In An Insider's Guide to Winning Government Contracts, Joshua P. Frank coined the term “ghosting” as it related to RFIs. Ghosting is a commonly-used RFI response strategy, where contractors recommend specific information to be included in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) that gives them a competitive advantage. The elements that…
FYI on RFIs, Part 3: “Ghosting” salient characteristics
May 18, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Part 3 in our series on RFIs covers ghosting as it applies to product specifications--or what the government refers to as “salient characteristics” Last week, I provided an overview of “ghosting” as it applies to RFIs. In short, ghosting occurs when a contractor recommends that specific information be included in a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) to give it a competitive advantage. As discussed, there are different aspects of RFIs that can be ghosted, including experience, certifications, and clearance; the use, or lack of use, of contract vehicles; and acquisition size. In this post, we’ll…
FYI on RFIs, Part 2: Ghosting as a Response Strategy
May 11, 2022 | Business Development, Government
This is the second in a series about Requests for Information (RFI) related to government work. We continue the conversation by defining “ghosting” in the bidding process and how it’s used strategically by contractors. When you hear the term “ghosting,” you may think of the modern definition of suddenly opting out of a relationship after frequent contact. As it applies to contracting, however, it means quite the opposite. “Ghosting” as an RFI strategy demands being very present in terms of the relationship you hope to build with a government entity. Here’s how it works: a contractor will recommend that…
FYI on RFIs, Part 1: Do I Have to Respond–and What’s the Minimum I Can Include?
May 4, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash This is the first in a series of posts in which I’ll discuss different aspects of responding to Requests for Information (RFI) related to government work. I'll begin by talking about whether RFI's are a necessary prerequisite to winning government bids, and then I'll detail some best practices for ensuring your RFI keeps you in the running. I’m often asked whether it’s necessary to respond to an RFI to win a government bid--and, if so, what’s the minimum that can be included in a response. The bottom line is that it is not required--but my…
