CIO-SP4 Next Steps

Preliminary notification of an award

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) announced they’re providing preliminary notifications of apparent successful offerors for CIO-SP4 on or before March 27, 2023. Given this early preliminary notification, now is a good time to start planning your CIO-SP4 participation.

Start preparing to win task orders

Per NITAAC’s website, they’ll only make CIO-SP3 task order awards through April 29, 2023, so CIO-SP4 is positioned to take center stage during the government’s lucrative fourth quarter. Accordingly, consider using this eight-point checklist to help accelerate your preparations to bid CIO-SP4 task orders:

1. Create a CIO-SP4 project implementation plan that details your objectives, strategy, roles and responsibilities, and metrics for success.
2. Draft an announcement that you’ve won CIO-SP4 and list your winning CIO-SP4 categories.
   • Draft tailored announcements to customers who will want to use CIO-SP4.
   • Draft messages for your company’s website and social media.
3. Identify potential customers who will want to use the CIO-SP4 vehicle.
   • Prepare a draft description of the benefits of using the CIO-SP4 vehicle.
   • Prepare a draft summary of how to use the vehicle.
4. Update your corporate collateral.
   • Update your corporate capability statements and service catalog.
   • Update corporate demos, presentations, and solution documents.
   • Update past performance, resumes, and corporate facts.
5. Identify potential CIO-SP4 task orders to bid.
   • During CIO-SP3’s tenure, many firms holding task orders graduated from the small business category, and some firms holding CIO-SP3 contracts will have lost their CIO-SP4 bids; therefore, identify potential task orders now without primes.
   • Identify agencies likely to use CIO-SP4 and how you might support them.
6. Hire capture and proposal support as needed to compete on fourth-quarter task orders effectively.
   • Draft capture and proposal processes.
   • Hire full-time capture and proposal staff as needed.
   • Create a master services agreement with a proposal firm, like Lohfeld Consulting, to serve as a force multiplier for your task order proposal support.
7. Identify how you might co-market CIO-SP4 with NITAAC, e.g., at agency showcases or professional conferences.
8. Identify how you will support CIO-SP4 improvement through participation in industry community action groups (CAGS).

In summary, the government’s fourth quarter will be here soon, so start preparing now to win work. Congratulations and best of luck to all the new CIO-SP4 contract winners.

By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.