AS AGENCIES GET MONEY, THREE THINGS CONTRACTORS CAN DO NOW

Individual federal offices are just now getting their money for the rest of FY’22.  Business is about to move into a higher gear.  Here are three things contractors can do now to maximize their business:  1.  Know Not Just Who Has Money, But Where It Will Be Spent:  Good news, your potential federal customer now has money to spend.  Bad news, they’ve already obligated it on other projects.  Have you checked their procurement forecast?  Most agencies do maintain a procurement forecast that tells you where most of their spending will go.  While there may be some exceptions, its usually better to align your actions with where customers already know they want to go.  2.  Check To See If You Missed Out on RFI’s or Draft RFP’s:  Business did not stop just because customers didn’t have all of their funds.  Many federal offices issued RFI’s asking for input on potential projects over the past few months.  Some even went all the way to the draft RFP/Q stage.  Make sure you’ve done your market research and are up to date on projects you want to pursue.  You may be a bit behind the curve, but there could be time to catch up.  3. Know Whether Your Customer Has a Planned Acquisition Method:  Some federal buyers absolutely do know how they want to acquire goods and services for the remainder of the year.  If your customer wants to use a specific contract that you don’t have, it’s time to find a partner who does.  If, though, your customer doesn’t have an acquisition method in mind, contractors should absolutely step forward to recommend one or two.  Don’t assume that your customer already knows their acquisition options.  Agencies sometimes appreciate knowing how a specific contract program can meet their needs.  With money to spend from now till midnight September 30th, the pace of federal business will only increase from here on.  Take these steps to ensure that your business is positioned for success.