Lohfeld Consulting Group - page 7

After the Department of Homeland Security cancelled the $1.5 billion Flexible Agile Support for the Homeland (FLASH) procurement May 26, the vendor community was irritated, and rightfully so. This Small Business (SB) set-aside, procured through the DHS Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL),required time, money, and expertise to undertake a technical challenge. Bidders had to demonstrate specialized skills in the incremental Agile software development methodology with rapid prototyping and better user interfaces.

Source: DHS FLASH 2.0: Should you invest in this procurement? | Lohfeld

If you pursued the Department of Commerce (DOC) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) NOAALink program, whether successfully or unsuccessfully, over the course of its 9-year acquisition history, be aware that NOAALink 2.0 has been laid to rest. At the August 30, 2017 NOAALink Executive Industry Council Quarterly Meeting, the agency announced the birth of a new multiple award 10-year IDIQ vehicle, NOAA Enterprise and Mission IT Services (NEMITS), to replace the existing NOAALink contract as well as the originally proposed NOAALink 2.0.

Deltek has identified this $2.5B+ IDIQ as a Top 10 Small Business (SB) Opportunity for FY18. NOAA is currently reviewing responses to a June Strategic Sourcing Acquisition Division (SSAD) Request for Information (RFI) issued on behalf of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and conducting outreach to agency program offices to finalize requirements.

Source: Opportunity Alert: NOAA NEMITS IDIQ | Lohfeld

Bob Lohfeld published an article in Washington Technology several years ago called 100 words that kill your proposal. He explained, “Inexperienced proposal writers seem to use words that should be avoided when writing proposals. These inappropriate words and phrases can weaken a proposal, annoy evaluators, and even undermine the bidder’s credibility.”

Source: The root causes and solutions to “100 words that kill your proposal” | Lohfeld

SeaPort-e is a Multiple Award Contract (MAC) that contractors either love or hate. For most of the 3,196 award holders, the Navy’s flagship vehicle has generated little if any revenues. For the select few, such as Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC, CSRA, BAE, and General Dynamics, the $51 billon engineering professional services vehicle has been a reliable revenue generator. Less than 20% of prime contractors have received any awards (this is true for both the large and small business tracks).

Source: SeaPort-NxG: Major changes ahead require a revamped win strategy | Lohfeld

The Department of Defense (DOD) will release the final RFP for the Information Analysis Center Multiple-Award Contract (IAC-MAC) on October 3. This $28 billion IDIQ was on Lohfeld Consulting’s top 20 opportunities list for FY17, but final RFP release slipped to first quarter FY18.

Source: IAC-MAC: Are you ready for one of FY18’s biggest IDIQs? | Lohfeld

Join us at the 2017 APMP-NCA Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) for a jam-packed day of presentations by business development, capture, and proposal professionals.

Source: Join us at 2017 APMP-NCA Mid-Atlantic Conference & Expo | Oct. 13, 2017 | Lohfeld

3:00 pm Atlantic / 2:00 pm Eastern / 12:00 pm Mountain / 11:00 am Pacific

Click to register at APMP Maple Leaf Chapter

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND: A 2015 Microsoft study found that digital distractions have resulted in the average person having an 8-second attention span, less than a goldfish! A 2016 Harvard Business Review article stated that bad writing is the biggest productivity buster. Yet, we still write proposals the old-fashioned way, as if our evaluators have unlimited time and focus. This webinar will discuss how to modernize our proposal writing to win in the digital age, using persuasive, attention-grabbing techniques such as calls to action, exceeding expectations, and clearly relevant writing.

MEET YOUR PRESENTER: Lisa Pafe, Vice President (VP) at Lohfeld Consulting Group, CPP APMP Fellow and PMP, has 25+ years’ capture and proposal experience. She is President of the APMP-National Capital Area (NCA) Chapter, and was VP and Speaker Series Chair for 2 years each. She holds a BA from Yale University, MPP from Harvard University, and MIS from The George Washington University. She is a frequent speaker, blogger, and trainer on a wide range of capture and proposal topics.

Click to register at APMP Maple Leaf Chapter

Source: Webinar – Proposal Writing and the Eight-Second Attention Span | Oct. 11, 2017 | APMP Maple Leaf Chapter | Lohfeld

Last week, Lisa Pafe and Beth Wingate sat down with Federal News Radio’s Jason Miller to discuss the latest updates on Alliant 2 (GSA requested bidders extend their offers through Dec. 31) and bids we’re tracking for FY17/FY18.

Source: Alliant 2 and other billion-dollar contracts worth watching this fall | Lohfeld

Location: Fairview Park Marriott, Falls Church, VA

Time: 7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Join APMP-NCA for an informative and engaging morning to discuss how to WIN!

Source: 2017 APMP-NCA Annual Capture Breakfast – Sept. 7, 2017 | Lohfeld

For the past several years, government spending on contracts has been stagnant or decreased. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) Contracting Data Analysis Assessment of Government-wide Trends Report (March 2017) found “that while defense obligations to buy products and services decreased by almost 31 percent from fiscal year 2011 through 2015, from $399 billion to $274 billion, civilian obligations remained fairly steady” at an average $128.3B. The Administration’s 2018 budget is likely to change spending dynamics with a proposed $54B increase in defense spending and decreases in civilian agencies ranging from a high of 33% at the Department of State to a low of 1% for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Source: How government contractors can grow in an increasingly competitive and stagnant market | Lohfeld