In This Week’s Newsletter:
- Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: MHS GENESIS
- Four To Follow: Four Interesting Pursuits
- Capture Corner: BD vs. Capture: Decoding the Dynamic Duo
- Pricing Insights: Pricing Analysis and Justification
Opportunity Alert – MHS GENESIS
Contact Katie: katie.clatterbuck@hinzconsulting.com
Opportunity Alert – Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Health Agency (DHA), Health Care Delivery System (HCDS) Electronic Health Record (MHS GENESIS).
On November 7, 2025, the Contracting Office released a link to the industry day and briefing slides, which include an RFI. Responses are due no later than November 17, 2025. Draft RFPs are due to be released at the beginning of January 2026, with final RFP anticipated for release at the end of January 2026. Awards for this $4.3B IDIQ follow-on contract are estimated for July 2026. Contact Hinz Consulting for Capture, PTW, and Proposal support today.
Four to Follow
- Department of the Army, US Corps of Engineers (USACE), John Day Dam Turbine Runner Replacement and Generator Rewind Project. On November 7, 2025, the Contracting Office released a modification to revise the anticipated procurement schedule. Phase 1 of this $500M Full and Open/Unrestricted effort is now due for release on November 18, 2025. Phase 1 proposals will be due no less than 60 days after the date the solicitation is issued. Awards are projected for April 2026. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for updates to this opportunity.
- Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Big Data Extraction Tool. On November 7, 2025, the Contracting Office issued a sources sought notice, open to both large and small businesses, for efficient technology to extract, transform, and analyze large-scale data. Active Top Secret Facility Clearance is required for firms seeking to provide software and services for this requirement. Responses are due no later than November 21, 2025, at 12:00 AM ET. Competition type and value are currently unknown. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for any changes to the procurement schedule.
- Department of the Navy, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NIWSC), Seabed to Space Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (S2ISR). On November 7, 2025, the Contracting Office released a pre-solicitation notice to inform industry of updates to the procurement schedule. This $1B multiple-award IDIQ is expected to be released no earlier than November 21, 2025, via the Solicitation Module on the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) website. The anticipated award is in December 2026. Continue to monitor the PIEE and SAM.gov sites for any updates.
- Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Industry Day, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart Databases & Emerging Technology. DISA is hosting an Industry Day at Joint Base Andrews (JBA) Smart Centers on February 13, 2026, at 9:00 AM ET for vendors offering advanced analytics, automation, and decision-support platforms; streamlined, secure database systems; and AI tools. Registration for the Industry Day closes after November 21, 2025. See SAM.gov for information regarding registration and details of this Industry Day event. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for further information.
BD vs. Capture: Decoding the Dynamic Duo
Contact John: john.amoriello@hinzconsulting.com
In government contracting, success depends on strategic positioning and execution. Business Development Managers (BDMs) and Capture Managers play distinct yet complementary roles in the pursuit pipeline. Understanding their responsibilities, overlaps, handoffs, and ownership of opportunities and relationships drives higher win rates.
The Role of the Business Development Manager: Planting the Seeds
BDMs scout new business, build relationships, and position the company before RFPs emerge. Key duties:
- Market Research & Opportunity ID: Scan agency forecasts, attend industry days, and analyze budgets to find aligned needs.
- Relationship Building: Network with program managers and contracting officers, and influence requirement shaping.
- Pipeline Management: Qualify leads, conduct initial SWOT, and maintain a robust pipeline.
- Strategic Positioning: Develop capability statements, marketing approach, and teaming strategies.
BDMs own the proactive, broad phase—anticipating RFPs rather than reacting to them.
The Role of the Capture Manager: Harvesting the Win
Capture Managers focus on one opportunity, turning qualified leads into contracts. Core duties:
- Win Strategy: Craft a capture plan with competitive intel, price to win (PTW), and solution discriminators.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Identify influencers’ hot buttons and shape procurement.
- Teaming & Resources: Negotiate partnerships, fill gaps, and prepare the proposal team.
- Risk Mitigation: Run gate reviews, black hats, and ensure high PWin.
- Capture is finite, RFP-centric, and execution-driven.
Key Differences: Breadth vs. Depth
- Scope: BD = wide net across markets; Capture = focused on a single pursuit.
- Timing: BD = ongoing (years ahead); Capture = pre-RFP to proposal handoff.
- Tactics: BD = relationships & market intel; Capture = PTW models, win themes, and discriminators.
Where They Overlap: The Power of Teamwork
• Customer Intel: BD gathers broad pain points; Capture refines them into win themes. Use joint call plans.
• Competitive Analysis: BD’s early SWOT informs Capture’s black-hat reviews.
• Strategy & Teaming: BD identifies partners; Capture shapes and negotiates deals.
In small firms, one person may wear both hats. In larger organizations, collaboration ensures relational intel flows directly into tactical execution.
Handoffs: No Dropped Batons
- BD → Capture (Post-Qualification: Gate 1/2): BDM delivers customer profiles, contact plans, research, and positioning. Capture refines strategy, drafts the plan, and ramps up.
- Capture → Proposal (Post-RFP: Gate 4): Capture hands off win strategy, solution approach, and themes, and stays engaged for orals and negotiations.
Use standardized gates and CRM tools to document and ensure continuity.
Ownership: Clear Lanes
- Opportunities: BDMs own pipeline—spotting, qualifying, nurturing until the pursue decision. Capture owns strategy, bid decisions, and PWin.
- Relationships: BDMs maintain long-term ties (annual engagement plans). Capture uses them for opportunity-specific outreach, but doesn’t own post-win nurture—BD sustains for recompetes.
- Shared accountability in cross-functional reviews.
United We Win
BDMs and Capture Managers are copilots. Align roles through training, shared tools, and gate reviews to convert opportunities into revenue. A collaborative culture turns the duo into a winning engine.
Pricing Analysis and Justification
Contact Dr. Tom: thomas.hudgins@hinzconsulting.com
When preparing your price proposal, you may find that the client requires justification for your proposed rates or prices. While there are many ways to justify rates, the most common way is by providing commercial sales practices (CSP) and supporting documentation that shows consistency with market pricing:
- Commercial Sales Practices (CSP): Contractors must disclose their best commercial price/discount practices and identify their Most Favored Customer (MFC)—the customer or category receiving the best price under similar terms.
- Price Comparison: Rates are justified by comparing them to:
- Value-Based Justification: For services, justify a higher rate by emphasizing exceptional qualifications, unique technical expertise, superior past performance, or proprietary value that yields a higher return on investment for the government.
Documentation
- Published Price Lists/Catalogs: Official, dated documents showing standard commercial pricing.
- Invoices and Contracts: Copies of recent commercial transactions to validate claimed discounts.
- Cost Data: While less preferred, if price analysis is insufficient (e.g., for novel services), a detailed Cost Analysis (showing direct labor, overhead, General & Administrative costs, and profit) may be required.
As part of their core function, the Pricing Support Team is well-versed in all forms of pricing and rate justification.
Key documentation to support a claim of “fair and reasonable” pricing includes:
- November 20th: ATARC Public Sector Workforce Modernization Summit in Reston, VA
- December 2nd ALAMO AFCEA ACE in San Antonio, TX
- December 10th: Small Business Expo in Atlanta, GA