Be Ready, Be Prepared
Is your business ready to work with the government? Maybe you’re aware of opportunities, know everything that goes into a request for proposal (RFP), and even have a capability statement created. But there are a few things you can do now to be ready for the moment a request comes in and keep the process running smoothly for yourself and your employees.
Here are five steps to ensure you are ready and prepared to work with the government:
Know that deadlines will be short
First and foremost, you should be prepared to respond quickly when a government contracting opportunity arises. Most bids allow two weeks to respond, and subcontractors typically receive 24 to 36 hours notice that a prime is interested in working with your company. You’ll need to turn around documents quickly.
Organize your documents
Because of quick turnarounds, organizing all your documents before the request comes in will help expedite your process. At B2G Victory, we call this creating your proposal library.
Key documents to include in your proposal library are insurance certificates, financials from the past few years, pricing sheets, key personnel resumes, and any certifications you may have. You may also consider keeping a file of all your past project sheets. Having all these documents in a single place will make grabbing the items you need easier.
Scale past project sheets for new requests
Once a request comes in, having a library of past project sheets will be helpful. Because these documents are standard, it’s easy to update them quickly. Take a project of similar scope and use the past project sheet to match or scale to the new request.
Create email aliases for specific business functions
Having email aliases for different business functions, like marketing@yourcompany.com or accounting@yourcompany.com, can help organize inboxes and ensure that the right group of people have access to the right emails. Consider creating a bids@yourcompany.com email account for bid notifications so you don’t miss potential opportunities.
Keep an updated list of potential subcontractors
paragraphIf you’re preparing to respond to opportunities as a prime contractor, you’ll need a list of subcontractors who can help fill in any gaps in services and help meet any SBE/MBE/WBE goals. Keeping an updated list of potential subs helps you reach out quickly to build a strong team.
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