5 Ways Federal Contractors LOSE without Expert Insights

GovCon industry is facing increased competition in the past few years. On an average, most federal contracts receive 50+ bids from contractors, big and small. How do federal contractors remain relevant in this changing GovCon landscape?

The ability to mobilize niche expertise at the right time with the right insights will help differentiate contractors from competition and win large federal deals.

We have outlined five specific ways contractors may fall short when they do not leverage expert insights.

1. No-Bidding a Winnable Deal:

Explanation: Contractors sometimes decide not to pursue a bid because they lack confidence or sufficient information about the opportunity. Without expert insights, they may underestimate their chances of winning or misunderstand the requirements and potential of the contract.

Impact: This leads to a missed opportunity that could have been profitable if pursued with the right strategy and information. Expert insights can provide critical details about customer needs, competitor weaknesses, or unique value propositions that can tip the scales in favor of bidding.

2. Losing a Winnable Deal Due to Poor Differentiation:

Explanation: When a contractor submits a proposal that does not stand out from the competition, it often fails to capture the interest of the federal agency decision makers. With increased competition, this problem will only get amplified in the coming months.

Impact: Expert insights help contractors tailor their proposals to specific federal agency  concerns, and requirements, making their bids more compelling.

Eg., See How ICS Consulting won this contract by engaging an expert who used to work in the same agency

3. Bidding on an Unwinnable Deal:

Explanation: Contractors may spend time and resources pursuing bids they have little chance of winning. This could be due to a lack of understanding of contract deliverables, or a misalignment of the contractor’s capabilities with the customer’s needs.

Impact: Investing in unwinnable deals wastes valuable resources, including time, money, and manpower. Expert insights can provide an early indication of such risks, allowing contractors to pivot and focus on more viable opportunities.

4. Failure to Decide Sub vs Prime Contracts:

Explanation: In some cases, contractors do not fully leverage their relationships with prime contractors or fail to position themselves as prime partners. They might settle as a subcontractor when they in fact possess the right capabilities and insights to prime the contract instead.

Impact: This results in lost opportunities to participate in significant contracts. Expert insights can help contractors understand how to position themselves more effectively as subcontractors or prime contractors, ensuring that their value proposition aligns with their capabilities.

5. Leaving Money on the Table:

Explanation: Contractors may not effectively use the knowledge and resources they already have or could acquire. Without expert insights, there is often a lack of strategic planning in how to approach a contract, leading to inefficient use of time and resources.

Impact: This can result in lost opportunities and reduced profitability. Utilizing expert insights allows for more strategic decision-making, such as better team formation, more targeted proposal development, and improved bid strategies.

Overall Significance:

In a nutshell, having access to specific, actionable knowledge that is often not available through traditional research methods or public information is key to the success of federal contractors. OnFrontiers, with its network of vetted experts, helps contractors gain these insights, enabling them to make informed decisions, avoid common pitfalls, and ultimately increase their chances of winning contracts.

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