Insights Blog

Integrate coding challenges into your proposal strategy

Expect to see an increase in “coding challenges” added to Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements

Proposal professionals can expect to see an increase in “coding challenges” added to Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements. Government and industry are using coding challenges to either down-select Offerors as an entry or final review gate after they submit a proposal. Coding challenges are tests sent to evaluate the offeror’s ability to build a minimal viable product (MVP) or web-based app to respond to a set of requirements. Government and industry set the ground rules for the challenge by defining the: challenge questions and instructions time allowed to complete the challenge location of the challenge size of the team able to compete platform and software to be used If Government and industry do not create their own challenge, they may use one on sites like CoderByte or HackerRank. THREE CODING CHALLENGE EXAMPLES GSA Comet – The General Services Administration (GSA) CIO Modernization and Enterprise Transformation (COMET). COMET will require offerors … Continue reading Integrate coding challenges into your proposal strategy →

Keys to creating winning proposals | Amtower Off Center

What are the biggest issues facing set-aside companies as they move to full and open competition?

Click here to listen to Mark’s interview On March 4, 2019, Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower interviewed Bob Lohfeld, founder and CEO of Lohfeld Consulting Group on issues regarding the bid and capture process. Topics include: Issues facing set-aside companies as they graduate to full and open competition Best informed wins Measuring your capture process Creating the best solution Defining your strengths Hosted by nationally-known speaker and consultant Mark Amtower, Amtower Off Center highlights the good, the bad, the ugly and the just plain silly of doing business in the government market. Every week experts join Mark for a lively discussion of current issues facing the government contractor community. Bob Lohfeld, CF, APMP Fellow, serves as Chairman of Lohfeld Consulting Group. He has more than 30 years’ experience winning contracts in the government market and is recognized consistently for leadership in business development, capture management, and winning … Continue reading Keys to creating winning proposals | Amtower Off Center →

Improve your Writing Series – Avoid Nominalizations in your Proposals

Use active verbs for clarity and effectiveness

One of the best ways to improve your writing is to use active verbs instead of nominalizations. What is a nominalization, anyway? A nominalization is a verb converted into a noun. Nominalizations come in two forms: Those that have endings such as -ment, -tion, -sion, -ing, and -ance Those that link with verbs such as achieve, effect, give, have, make, reach, and take. For example, “The last step is the collection of data for the monthly report.” is longer and less clear than: “The Program Manager collects data for the monthly report.” Eliminating a nominalization often reveals passive voice and enables you to correct that as well. There is always a verb hidden inside a nominalization. Consider: Conclusion – conclude Demonstration – demonstrate Analysis – analyze Optimization – optimize Solution – solve Possession – possess Realization – realize Collection – collect Examples of verb linkage nominalizations and the hidden verb … Continue reading Improve your Writing Series – Avoid Nominalizations in your Proposals →

The Great Proposal: A True Story

Solutioning to strengths when faced with a recompete

The great proposal did not start out great. In the beginning, fifteen months prior to RFP release, there were the usual problems we faced when preparing for a recompete. Red flags included project start-up issues that resulted in mediocre CPARS ratings, difficult client relationships, competing stakeholder demands, customer turnover on the acquisition side, and no dedicated Capture Manager or Capture Plan. Since this recompete represented the company’s largest Federal contract, the CEO knew she had to take action. And that’s when the trajectory, which had been turning towards a possible proposal loss, started to reverse course. Capture Readiness Assessment The Capture Readiness Assessment included interviews and document review based on Lohfeld Consulting Group’s 12 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The resulting scorecard revealed an average score of 3.5 out of ten. This score is not unusual more than a year ahead of RFP release, and we assured the team that we … Continue reading The Great Proposal: A True Story →