In This Week’s Newsletter:
- Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: Department of Air Force, All Domain Common Platform Security Cloud Engineering Network Development
- Four To Follow: Get the lowdown on four interesting pursuits
- AI Corner: To Build, or Not to Build
- Pricing Insights: Establishing a Cost Estimating System Manual
- Capture Corner: Past Performance: Demonstrate a Proven Track Record
Department of Air Force, All Domain Common Platform Security Cloud Engineering Network Development
Contact Katie: katie.clatterbuck@hinzconsulting.com
On March 31, 2025, the Contracting Office released the Draft RFP. Questions and comments regarding the Draft RFP are due no later than 5:00 PM on April 30, 2025. This $143M IDIQ is estimated for release in or around June 2025 with an award date anticipated for 2026. The competition type for this effort is currently unknown. For Capture, Proposal, and Pricing support, contact Hinz Consulting today.
Four to Follow:
- United States Marine Corp (USMC) – MAGTF Operations Center Training Team Operational Support Services (MOSS MOCTT). The USMC has requested a continuing need for various services including C2 systems and COC instruction and training, curriculum development, faculty and instructor development, and scenario and exercise development. The estimated release date for this $70M IDIQ is May 2025 with an anticipated award date of September 2025. The competition type for this effort is unknown as of now. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for updates.
- Department of Defense (DoD) – Anchore Analyzers Alternative. On March 31, 2025, the Department of Air Force released a Sources Sought notice for Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) Generation, Vulnerability Scanning, and Configuration and Compliance. All responses to this Sources Sought are due no later than 1:00 PM EDT on April 14, 2025. The competition type and award value are unknown at this time. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for further information.
- USMC, Marine Corps Installations Command (MCICOM) G8 Financial Management Support. The USMC has a need for non-personal support services to assist in the management, sustainment, and improvement of financial management functions and fiscal execution business processes. This effort is estimated to have a ceiling of $50M with a projected release date of May 2025 and award in or around October 2025. The competition type for this effort is currently unknown. Continue to monitor SAM.govfor further movement on this effort.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Support Services. On March 31, 2025, NHTSA released a Sources Sought notice to identify potential qualified Small Businesses that may be interested in and capable of managing and supporting the NEMSIS TAC, hosting center, and website, ensuring uninterrupted EMS data collection and reporting, while providing technical assistance and maintaining a secure AWS Cloud infrastructure. Responses are due no later than 11:00 PM EDT on April 11, 2025. The value and competition type of this effort is currently unknown. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for further information.
To Build, or Not to Build
Contact Josh: josh.thiel@hinzconsulting.com
Large companies keep trying to build their own Generative AI platforms, but how is that going?
Building generative AI platforms is challenging for any company. According to Gartner, around 30% of generative AI projects are abandoned after the proof-of-concept stage due to issues like poor data quality, inadequate risk controls, escalating costs, lack of expertise, clarity on long-term sustainment costs, or unclear business value. Additionally, a survey by SnapLogic found that 54% of generative AI projects are never deployed.
The most significant factor is a platform that underperforms the proposal team. Internal AI developers, often reporting to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), frequently encounter challenges in developing solutions that meet the needs of end-user proposal professionals who work under the Chief Growth Officer (CGO). This misalignment often stems from a lack of clear communication and prioritization of end-user requirements. Developers may focus on technical excellence and innovation, while failing to address the practical, day-to-day needs of proposal teams. This disconnect can lead to solutions that are technically sound but not user-friendly or effective in real-world applications, ultimately resulting in project failures and unmet business objectives.
Establishing a Cost Estimating System Manual
Contact Tom: tom.hudgins@hinzconsulting.com
Companies rely on documented processes, procedures, and directives to operate efficiently, maintain compliance, and adapt to volatile market conditions. One way to support these objectives is to establish and maintain a Cost Estimating System Manual (CESM). The manual outlines key pricing-related topics, including:
- Pricing Processes (30/10/7-day turnaround times)
- Price-To-Win (PTW) and Pricing Strategy
- Pricing Components
- Pricing with different Contract Types
- Profit/Fee Guidance
- Risk Mitigation Techniques across different Contract Types
- Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS), formerly Service Contract Act (SCA)/Davis Bacon Act (DBA)
- Pricing Rough Order Magnitudes (ROMs) and other unofficial Pricing Drills
- Profit & Loss (P&L) Estimates
The items above are a good starting point for setting some ground rules around pricing. Companies may add to that as processes evolve; additional elements that may be added include “Interaction with FP&A,” “Basis of Estimate (BOE) assistance,” “Subcontractor Selection process,” and even “Cost Accounting procedures.” The pricing organization at Hinzcan help you establish your own CESM.
Capture Approach: Win Themes
Contact Nick: nick.mccauley@hinzconsulting.com
Win themes are at the core of a compelling capture strategy – they are the central messages that link your solution to the customer’s needs and when done correctly make it clear that your organization provides the best value. Win themes are the “why us” of your proposal and they need to be woven in throughout your proposal response. Strong win themes are concise, customer-focused statements that can be and are substantiated; they are not generic claims which cannot be proven by past performance. Win themes are not just fluff content in the proposal–they tie your win strategy into the narrative, focus content on customer needs, and give evaluators clear reasons to score you highly.
Win Theme Development: In the early phases of the capture process, you engage with the customer to understand their pain points, while also assessing the competitive landscape. During this stage you also begin to develop an understanding of what it will take to win and formulate your win strategy. The win strategy serves as the foundation of your win themes; however, they cannot be set until the final solicitation is released. Once it is issued, you need to measure your win strategy against the customer’s evaluation criteria. If they align, you can finalize your win themes. Some key ingredients to compelling win themes are:
- Customer Centricity: Start from the customer’s perspective, what do they value most (low-risk, innovation, speed, reliability, cost, etc.)?
- Alignment to Evaluation Criteria: Win themes based on what you think the customer cares about– but are not part of the evaluation criteria–provide no value. Highlighting how you meet or exceed evaluation criteria is what will help you win.
- Differentiation: Win themes should be focused on the qualities of your solution and organization that set you apart from the competition. Avoid basing your win themes on features or capabilities that the competition can also claim.
- Evidence Based: Win themes must be able to be substantiated by past performance and/or metrics.
- Keep it Simple: Keep your win themes concise and to the point. They allow you to use the theme consistently throughout and make it easy for evaluators to remember.
- March 27: Small Business Expo in Washington, DC
- April 1-2: AFCEA 2025 Spring Intelligence Symposium in Springfield, VA
- May 13-16: VETS25 Conference in Orlando, FL
- May 18-21: BPC Nashville 2025 in Nashville, TN
