All too often contractor employees think they’ve got an opportunity sewn up and that they “really” know what the customer wants.  Our experience shows, however, that the more certain an opportunity appears, the more questions a contractor should ask.  We recently spoke with a company that lost out on what seemed like a sure thing because they didn’t talk to all of the customer agency stakeholders.  While their main contacts had assured them that all was well, a look around the corner would have shown that it was not.  Remember that there are end-users, finance officials, senior agency officials and acquisition professionals involved in every business opportunity.  It is absolutely essential to maintain consistent communications with each group at the proper time during the acquisition cycle.  Companies that pursue an opportunity with a partner should also include regular communications with that company as part of their business plan.  Each stakeholder brings a unique perspective to the table.  While the end-user may really want to acquire the solution you’ve been discussing, that may not match the financial outlook or the priorities of upper management.  Similarly, the end-user may want to just buy from you, while the contracting officer may insist on conducting a full and open competition.  Proper communication can not only help you develop a sound capture plan, but it can also let you know if the opportunity, itself, is actually worth pursuing.  Qualifying opportunities before expending significant resources is an established best practice.  A failure to communicate can land you in the government procurement hot box.  Don’t let this happen to you.