This Government Business Development training offers essential skills in professional business development for Government contractors selling services and solutions to the Federal Government. The course begins with an overview of the Federal business development (BD) process and what it takes to succeed in the profession. It proceeds to the basics of U.S. Government business and focuses on the nuances of Government contracting that every Federal business developer must understand in order to win contracts—such as the rules of the socioeconomic program for small businesses, and how you can make the program serve your goals even if you do not directly qualify for the benefits.
This comprehensive, self-paced program also teaches practical skills in conducting market research to both identify Federal agencies as target customers and build a robust Government opportunities pipeline. The pipeline module covers a variety of techniques, from determining your opportunity search criteria to prioritizing must-win opportunities, and explains the leading free and paid market tools available for Government opportunity identification.
After thoroughly explaining tactical tasks, the course demonstrates strategies for business development planning that every Government business developer needs to know. It culminates in guidance on engaging effectively with Federal customers—helping you become a trusted adviser—and on marketing to the Federal Government using a Government-focused capability statement and a variety of proven techniques to engage with Government officials who are often difficult to reach. It also introduces the concept of capture management to help you prepare effectively for proposal writing.
Gain an understanding of the Federal Business Development life cycle, learn how to navigate the U.S. Government marketplace, perform strategic business development planning, dive into Government market research and analysis, master Federal marketing and sales, understand the intricacies of opportunity pipeline development, and qualify opportunities like a pro—all to maximize your Government contract win probability.
This course features a mix of engaging video instruction, interactive exercises, and real-world examples that simulate the hands-on experience of our previous live workshops.
The experts who created our Foundation of Federal Business Development training are highly experienced, currently practicing Federal proposal professionals whose years of successful experience in Government acquisition and training allow them to offer valuable insights to students. Through the course materials, they address common challenges, share industry best practices, and provide examples based on current realities. Check our instructors’ bios on our About page.
Professional Certification: This is either a major or elective course that provides equivalent credit toward Bid & Proposal Academy certification (depending on the certification type). Completing this course will earn you 3 CEUs or more toward your APMP certification, or PDUs toward your PMP (check with PMI for current requirements). At the end of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Who should take this course: Government contracting business owners, executive leadership, Federal business developers, account managers, Federal marketing and sales managers, program staff who interface with Government customers, capture managers, and proposal managers.
By attending this Federal Business Development Training, the participants will learn and practice skills in:
Understanding what skill sets and qualities it takes to succeed in the Federal Business Development profession.
Getting and maintaining Government contractor registrations.
Navigating Federal regulations.
Taking advantage of the Government’s socioeconomic program benefits.
Leveraging the SBA and other agencies’ Mentor-Protégé Programs.
Correctly determining the company’s business size and understanding its importance.
Leveraging different forms of selling to the Federal Government.
Understanding the rules for Government source selection and contract awards.
Performing market research to identify target Federal agencies, Government contacts, key competitors, teaming partners, and bid opportunities.
Building a solid Government bid opportunities pipeline.
Using bid pipeline tools effectively beyond FedBizOpps and FedConnect.net.
Qualifying a bid opportunity to ensure the highest Pwin.
Setting strategies for winning bids for Government contracts.
Calculating business development budget.
Identifying Must-Win bid opportunities.
Securing visits to Government customers.
Understanding the rules of marketing to the Federal Government.
Building effective relationships with Government officials.
Developing business development collateral such as a high-impact Government capability statement.
Identifying venues for effective federal business development.
Targeting a potential teammate.
Understanding capture management that’s required to win a Government bid.
Course Highlights
Module 1: How to Succeed in Business Development
Federal business development lifecycle.
Four categories of actions for growth Government contractors have to take to succeed in the Federal marketplace.
A perfect Federal Business Developer: how to become the secret weapon for your Government contracting company’s (and career’s) explosive growth.
Federal Business Development skillset and essential qualities.
Module 2: Foundations of Federal Contracting
The basics of doing business with the Government.
Taking care of registrations (whether you are new to Government business or not).
Minding your D&B rating and PAYDEX score.
Federal market snapshot: who are the target agencies and Government buyers, and how to identify them.
How to navigate the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Government agency guidelines like a pro.
Module 3: Government Procurement Process
Government budgeting cycle and why it is important to understand it.
Complex procurement process.
Determining your target agency’s acquisition process.
Module 4: Socioeconomic Programs
Small and disadvantaged business types in the socioeconomic program.
Using socioeconomic programs to your advantage (small business, HUBZone, 8(a), WOSB/EDWOSB,
SDVOSB, VOSB, etc.)
Qualifying for an 8(a) and HUBZone programs.
Benefits and pitfalls of the 8(a) and HUBZone programs.
The scoop on SBA and other Mentor-Protege Programs, including what to ask from your mentor.
Determining your business size using NAICS codes, and why size makes a difference in Government procurement.
Primary and secondary NAICS selection strategy.
Exercise: Using a case study, determine what the company is missing in order for it to succeed in the Federal Government Market.
Module 5: How the Government Enters into Contracts with Industry
Forms of selling to the Federal Government.
Competitive outlook in Government procurement to determine the market openness for your offerings.
Government purchasing thresholds and micro-purchasing.
Five tests to determine whether you need a GSA schedule.
Government contract types and why they are important.
Goals of Government business development and capture.
Single award competitions.
Multiple award contracts.
Sole source awards.
Becoming a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) supplier.
Reverse auctions.
Grants.
Public-private partnerships.
R&D-related vehicles such as SBIR solicitations.
Evaluation factors on the Best Value Continuum, from Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) to Best Value Tradeoffs.
Scenario-based Discussion: Discuss strategies for Government procurement at different purchasing thresholds and evaluation criteria.
Module 6: Market Research to Find Customers for Your Company: Identifying agencies that buy what your company sells
Identifying top Government contractors for the agency.
Conducting Government market research like a professional analyst.
Performing an initial competitive analysis.
Finding Government contacts.
Getting maximum help from OSDBUs, vendor outreach events, and other methods of entering Government agencies.
Exercise: Research a customer and competitors based on a company’s core capabilities.
Module 7: How to Build Your Federal Opportunity Pipeline
Creating a balanced pipeline that’s an engine of explosive business growth.
Implementing an integrated, multifaceted approach to find Government bid opportunities.
How to use pipeline tools effectively beyond FedBizOpps (FBO.gov) and FedConnect.net.
Where to register to receive bid notices.
How to get face time with the Government customers.
How to leverage your workforce and partners to identify Government pipeline opportunities.
Module 8: How to Obtain Sole Source Awards
How to reduce competition and win sole source awards.
Adding scope to your existing Government contracts.
Understanding regulations for issuing sole source Government contracts.
Sole source contract award process for businesses not subject to statutory exceptions.
How to write unsolicited proposals for Government agencies.
How to work with Government to facilitate a sole source award.
How to write proposals for sole source procurements.
How to contribute to effective Justification and Approval (J&A) for a sole source proposal.
How to receive an 8(a) sole source award.
How to get an SDVOSB sole source award.
How to get a WOSB and EDWOSB sole source award.
How to get a HUBZone sole source award.
Module 9: Additional Methods of Building Government Opportunities Pipeline
How experienced Government contractors create opportunities for themselves.
How to identify immediate bid opportunities to add contract revenue.
Additional techniques to attract Government opportunities to your company.
Venues where to talk to Government customers.
Qualifying an opportunity to ensure it fits within your strategic business development plan, has high win probability (Pwin), and low execution risk.
Exercise: Qualify a bid opportunity based on a provided scenario.
Module 10: How to Create Your Business Development Strategy and a Strategic Business Development Plan
Four main goals of a Strategic Business Development Plan.
Methodology for conducting a business development strategy planning session.
How to transition from subcontracting to priming in the Government market or enter the Government market as a new business.
How to develop a business development budget, and how many proposals do you need to write to achieve the desired growth.
Analyzing and expanding your core competencies.
Identifying Must-Win bid opportunities.
Strategies for winning Government contract bids consistently.
Exercise: Calculate business development budget based on a scenario.
Module 11: Engaging with the Federal Government Customers
How to market to the Federal Government.
The rules of marketing to the Federal Government you cannot break at any cost.
How to get a meeting with a Government official.
How to become a trusted adviser to the Government customer.
What marketing collateral you need for effective Federal business development.
What information to include in a high-impact Government capability statement, specific to Federal customers.
How to legally “wire” the Government bid to your company.
Professional associations to join for Government business development purposes.
How to target potential teammates to be added to a winning bid team.
Four important goal of working with the customer.
How to prepare for an effective capture and proposal process (and what an effective capture process will help you achieve beyond business development).
How to attract Government customers to your company through Web and social media.
Low, medium, and high-cost Government marketing activities.
Exercise: Critique a Government capability statement to identify missing information and recommend improvements.
Module 12: Transitioning to the Capture Process
Qualifying a bid opportunity.
Gate review that kicks off the capture process.
Components of the capture process important for Federal business development and proper positioning to write a winning proposal.
Module 13: Summary and Recap
Meet Your Instructor
Olessia Smotrova, CF.APMP Fellow
Olessia has more than 25 years of experience in business development. She led winning bids for four out of the top five Government contractors, winning more than $26 billion over the course of her career in single award contracts. She is an AI developer and strategist, pioneering the use of generative AI in Government contracting. She has created and implemented AI tools for business development processes, proposal strategy formulation, and competitive analysis. She is an AI super-user and thought leader in the practical application of generative AI in synthesizing complex data, generating innovative solutions, and driving decision-making in high-stakes Government BD environments.
She is the author of the book How to Get Government Contracts: Have a Slice of $1 Trillion Pie and seven other books. She has taught a graduate course for the Stevens Institute of Technology, and she provided training to Treasury and NASA. She has served for 2 years as the President of the National Contracts Management Association (NCMA) Bethesda/Medical Chapter and for 2 years as the President of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) National Capital Area Chapter.
Olessia is recognized as an APMP Fellow for her contributions to the field of capture and proposals – the highest honor in the business development profession. Her skills span every aspect of business development, sales, and marketing. Prior to supporting Fortune 500 companies and small businesses as a proposal consultant and growing OST, she worked as a business developer for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin and wrote for the Financial Times of London.
Student Reviews
Anthony Needam
12/10/2024
This was new to me. It was very I formative. We received our packets late. I was not aware of how interactive this would be.
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Nao Gamo
11/07/2024
I highly recommend the "MASTER AI TO ENHANCE BD, CAPTURE AND PROPOSAL PROCESSES" course! Not just a high-level overview of AI and its capabilities, the course is full of practical tips that you can apply immediately. All the courses I have taken with OST Global Solutions have been well worth it!!
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Francisca Celmer
11/07/2024
The "Master AI to Enhanced BD, Capture, and Proposal Processes" class given by OST Global Solutions was truly outstanding. The instructor was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. She made the material easy to understand and directly applicable. I highly recommend this class.
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Francisca Hep
11/07/2024
The "Master AI to Enhanced BD, Capture, and Proposal Processes" class given by OST Global Solutions was truly outstanding. The instructor was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. She made the material easy to understand and directly applicable. I highly recommend this class.
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Jay Yudof
11/06/2024
The BD and capture using AI course what is comprehensive and effectively taught.
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andre downey
11/06/2024
The class taught alot of useful information on ai & working it in to our proposal development process
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Lilliana Reyes
9/20/2024
Great course! Clear information and great pace.
The information was very helpful for someone getting started in the proposal world or someone just trying to learn how to easily transition from InDesign to Microsoft Word.
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Aislinn Berge
9/20/2024
Took the full day training on Desktop Publishing For Proposal Writing with Phillip Pettet. I learned so much! Phillip was fantastic at explaining things and gave lots of tips and tricks for using Word. Thank you!
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TC Phil
8/28/2024
I recently completed the year-long Business Development Apprenticeship with OST Global Solutions, Inc., and it exceeded my expectations! The program is comprehensive, covering BD, capture, proposal skills, and so much more. It’s clear that OST is the best in the business—they have addressed the real skill gap in this field.
Their curriculum, aligned with Department of Labor standards for Federal Government Business Development, is TOP-NOTCH and the first of its kind in the nation! The training was practical, directly applicable to our business, and provided the expertise needed to succeed in this competitive industry. I highly recommend this apprenticeship to anyone looking to advance their career in Business Development. I plan on taking many additional courses over the next few years as they continue to stay ahead of the curve. Thank you, OST!
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George Franz
6/13/2024
Great course from OST Global Solutions! Olessia's vast experience in this area shines through and the course is chocked full of tips, tactics, and information sources to consider to perform competitive analysis and determine price to win for opportunities.
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Tiffany & Jay Jackson
4/29/2024
I've taken multiple classes with Olessia of OST Global Solutions and the classes are always well-structured and informative. The lastest course on AI is phenomenal - highly recommend it if you're looking to enhance your BD, Capture, and Proposal processes via AI!
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LaKeisha Thomas
4/25/2024
Alexia was a very engaging instructor. The AI class was mind blowing! The capabilities using AI to assist with BD processes are endless. I'm looking forward to implementing all of these new tools.
