Preparing Winning Multiple Award and Task Order Proposals

Learn How to Win and Actually Make Money on Multiple Award

Contract Vehicles You Win

Classroom Training in Rockville, MD on May 14-15, 2012

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

This class offers everything you need to know to prepare a winning multiple award contract (IDIQ, GWAC, MAC, BPA, and others) and task order proposals that follow.

Why should you attend this course: The government keeps issuing more and more multiple award contracts (think EAGLE II, NETCENTS, CIOSP-III, T4, and so on). Multiple award contracts make up more than 50% of all government contracts. Now every agency has to have its own multiple award vehicle. But all these new vehicles do not necessarily mean more money to businesses. Many companies run into difficulties in winning these vehicles:

• Many don’t know how to win multiple award contracts when the competition is dozens, if not hundreds of companies, because the requirements are broad, and make it hard for one to shine.

• Companies get lost in teaming issues, creating problems for themselves during and after the proposal.

• Many small businesses are at a loss as to how to price a multiple award contract they don't know strategies are out there to make themselves more competitive while still capable of executing yet able to execute after the award.

It doesn’t get any easier after winning a multiple award contract as most companies have trouble winning Task Orders:

• Companies spend a fortune to win a multiple award contract but then they don’t win anything because they don’t know how to win Task Order proposals (which are quite different from the “regular” requirements proposals).

• The deadlines and the allotted page count keep shrinking and the competition gets even tougher, making it harder to win proposals even when you are the most qualified bidder.

• Responses barely make the deadline because proposal managers learn about most of the Task Order Requests for Proposal only as they are released; lack of planning in submitting a winning proposal leads to throwing boilerplate over the wall and hoping to win on price.

• All the while, company management doesn’t support proposal managers thinking that task order proposals should be simple and cheap because of shorter time and page limits.

• Subcontractors get frustrated because their primes (holders of the multiple award contracts) don’t give them a chance to bid on Task Orders, and they don’t know how to get more Task Orders and work share.

• Few companies dare to not only win a Task Order or two, but become number one and get all the business they can under that vehicle by “cracking the code” of the specific multiple award contract.

 

Date: May 14-15, 2012 (Monday - Tuesday). 8:30am - 5:00pm (continental breakfast and afternoon snack included).
Location: Metro Park North Business Center, 7361 Calhoun Place, Suite 560, Rockville, MD 20855
(check our Visitor Guide for location details, driving directions, nearby hotels and restaurants, and more).
Course completion: At the end of this course you will get a Certificate of completion.

Who should attend this course: Anyone who is looking to “crack the code” preparing multiple award (IDIQ) contracts and the task orders that follow:

• Proposal Managers that have had limited success winning IDIQ or other multiple award contract vehicles or task order proposals and want to learn how to get the winning edge.
• Senior managers or company executives who want to make sure their company and proposal team are not only competitive in the modern acquisition environment (where IDIQs, MACs, and other multiple award contracts prevail), but are in the position to win the majority of the task orders.
• Proposal writers and other proposal support team members that might be new or those who want to refresh their understanding of these vehicles (from handling the scheduling onslaught to building a task order response "machine").
• Small businesses that are just entering the fray and that want to make sure they are armed with the most comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge and tools necessary to win multiple award vehicles and resulting task orders.

Course curriculum: Here are some of the topics we will cover in the course.

Day 1 highlights

• What to prepare during pre-RFP stage to maximize your chances for winning
• How to handle proposal security while dealing with “incestuous” teaming where your teammates are also your competitors’ teammates while still taking advantage of your team’s expertise
• How to ensure your teaming strategy doesn’t cause you to be ranked “high risk” by the government, which could cause you problems during contract execution
• What are the best practices in managing an IDIQ, GWAC, or MAC proposals
• What you should talk about in order to shine in your Management Sections
• How to present your strengths in the Technical Sections when requirements are broad and general
• How to manage responses to the sample task orders that are part of the RFP
• What pricing strategies to use to win in a multiple award contract

Day 2 highlights

• How to maximize your chances of winning page limited, rapid deadline task order proposals (that are often two weeks or less)
• How to “crack the code” on the multiple award contract
• How to establish a Task Order Response process, how it is different from the regular proposal process, and what steps you absolutely have to have in order for you to succeed
• What to do to anticipate Task Order issuance and get ready to go on Day #1 of contract award and to be consistently ready for every task order
• What type of proposal expert you absolutely have to have to develop a strong Task Order proposal
• Tools, techniques, and methodologies to speed up your task order preparation process
• How to leverage teammates’ expertise and resources in the Task Order preparation process
• How to create continuity in successfully responding to Task Orders even as time passes and personnel changes

About the instructor: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, has been winning multiple award contracts and Task Orders since 2001 (almost since IDIQ inception). During her last year working at Raytheon, working under a $450 million dollar per year vehicle, she brought Raytheon to the every single Task Order. She has collected best practices from consulting for multiple government contractors and has observed common mistakes (and best practices to overcome them) over the last 10 years, which will shared in this class. Olessia Smotrova-Taylor heads OST Global Solutions, Inc. She is a currently practicing capture and proposal manager who won more than $17 Billion in new business. As one of the proposal industry leaders, she is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals' (APMP) National Capital Area (NCA) chapter and is the editor and chair of the APMP NCA Executive Summary e-zine that won the 2010 APMP Communications Award. She regularly presents at APMP's international and other conferences, roundtables, and proposal boot camps, and runs popular training webinars on business development. She has 16 years of experience in proposal and capture management, marketing, and communications. She is a prolific author, speaker, trainer, and blogger, and is well-known in the global proposal community. Her self-study course, Executive Summary Secrets, sells worldwide. Prior to starting her own consulting company, she won business for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and wrote for the Financial Times of London.

Seating is limited. Do not delay registering.

Fee and registration: For team discounts please change quantity of attendees at the checkout and click "Recalculate" to get the discount. Register 3 weeks before the class date and receive $100 off per attendee as an EARLYBIRD discount!

• $1390 per one attendee ($1290 if registered 3 weeks before the class date).
• $1250 per attendee when registering a team of 3 or more ($1150 if registered 3 weeks before the class date), discounts apply at the checkout.

(click on a link below to register):

May 14-15, 2012 class

For additional questions please call 301-384-3350 during normal business hours. If you'd like to pay by invoice please send an email to service@ostglobalsolutions.com (NOTE: the payment must be received prior to the course start date).

 

Cancellations and rescheduling policy: Cancellation notification must be received 10 business days prior to the training date. Upon notification, your registration fee will be refunded less a $100 non-refundable processing fee. Any cancellations beyond the 10 business days are non-refundable, but the course fee can be applied towards another training course, webinar, or an OST Global Solutions training product. No refunds will be made for the cancellation of a rescheduled course. Attendee substitutions may be made at any time. Payment must be received prior to the course date. No-shows are liable for the full class fee.