In This Week’s Newsletter: 02/16/2024

AI Corner: Five Central Points for AI in the Proposal Process

Culture Corner: How to be Human in a Technology-Driven World: Part III

Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: DHS Program Management Administrative Clerical and Technical Services (PACTS III)

Competitive Intelligence & Pricing: Incorporating Risk Management in Your Strategic Pricing

Four To Follow: Get the lowdown on four interesting pursuits!

Five Central Points for AI In the Proposal Process

Contact Josh: josh.thiel@hinzconsulting.com

Generative AI can create content for a proposal quickly to save time and enable higher quality. However, content generation for pink team drafts is just the start of AI’s full potential! Companies should reconsider their entire proposal process to fully unlock the power of their AI investment. Hinz AI Center of Excellence has identified five central points to use AI in the proposal process, resulting in streamlined processes for time savings and higher quality.

Process Automation – streamline the proposal development process as AI automates repetitive steps and generates consistent formatting.

Quality Check – use the power of AI to reduce errors and enhance the overall writing quality of proposals.

Content Generation – AI technology can personalize content based on previous proposals, making them more compelling and competitive.

Research Assistant – Generative AI tools do the research to find appropriate documents and generative content tailored to the specific bid and audience.

Past Performance – Allows AI to automate the creation of proposals by generating content based on structured templates and previous successful proposals.

How to be Human in a Technology-Driven World: Part III

Contact Angela: angela.marsh@hinzconsulting.com

Compassion is a fundamental aspect of human understanding and is essential in our technological world. It is defined as the ability to recognize the distress of others and acting to alleviate or lessen that suffering. Compassion takes empathy to another level and fosters positive relationships, social harmony, and collective well-being, all of which are critical to success in the workplace.

How to be more compassionate at work:

• Practice self-compassion – When we are kind and forgiving to ourselves over challenges or mistakes, we become better able to do so with others.
• Communicate effectively – Strive for clear outcomes and true understanding so that your messages are fully received.
• Offer support – Freely give assistance to those who are struggling with assignments.
• Express gratitude – Show sincere appreciation for the contributions of others.
• Take accountability – A proper apology when you are wrong allows others to feel safe coming to you with mistakes sooner.

DHS Program Management Administrative Clerical and Technical Services (PACTS III)

Contact Len: len.miller@hinzconsulting.com

The final RFPs (one for each of the 3 Functional Categories (FC)) were released on 5 Feb. The 3 FCs are:

FC1: Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services: NACIS Code 541611, size standard $24.5M

FC2: Office Administrative Services: NAICS Code 561110, size standard $12.5M

FC3: Engineering Services: NAICS Code 541330, size standard $25.5M

PACTS III is estimated at $8.4B program value across potential awards to 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, and WOSB companies. Contracts are expected to have a 10-year POP. Proposals are to be evaluated using the Self-Scoring Sheet methodology that is similar to many other GWAC IDIQ procurements to which the industry has responded. For PACTS III, the best value basis for awards will be determined by the Highest Technically Rated Offerors with a Fair and Reasonable Price (HTRO-FRP). DHS intends to award approximately eight (8) contracts for each of the four (4) socioeconomic tracks within each Functional Category as described in FAR Provision 52.216-27 of this solicitation. Of the eight (8) awards, the DHS intends on awarding two (2) contracts to Prime Contractors and two (2) to each of the different types of SBTAs: JVs, Prime/Subcontractor(s), and Mentor Protégé. To be considered as an HTRO-FRP Offeror, the proposal must score amongst the highest-rated offers received from the same offeror type for the track within the Functional Category.

Questions are due NLT 5pm ET on 14 Feb and proposals are due NLT 5 pm ET on 29 Mar.

Reach out to Hinz Consulting for support in putting together your PACTS III proposal and having independent/objective experts to help validate your self-scoring and also perform an objective review.

Incorporating Risk Management in Your Strategic Pricing

Contact Chris: chris.placzek@hinzconsulting.com

Integrating risk management into a company’s strategic pricing program is critical. It ensures pricing strategies are resilient, adaptable, and transparent, safeguarding profitability against the sector’s unique risks such as regulatory changes and budget fluctuations, thereby enhancing the company’s competitiveness and value proposition to clients.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Systematic Risk Identification and Assessment: Companies must systematically identify and assess potential risks specific to public sector engagements, including regulatory, budgetary, and competitive risks, to inform their strategic pricing decisions.

2. Development and Implementation of Mitigation Strategies: Effective risk management involves developing and implementing targeted mitigation strategies, such as cost contingency planning and flexible pricing models, to ensure pricing strategies remain robust in the face of uncertainties.

3. Continuous Monitoring and Integration into Decision-Making: Ongoing monitoring of the risk landscape and the integration of risk management into the strategic decision-making process are essential for maintaining competitive and resilient pricing strategies in the dynamic public sector market.

Four to Follow:

1. Chemicals, Packaged Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants (CHEMPOL): This re-compete is the current contract held by SAIC and is estimated to have the final RFP released in late Feb or Mar. The draft RFP was released in Nov 2023 and the DLA Aviation released Q&A on 2 Feb. This estimated $1.7B IDIQ contract is currently shown as a potential SBSA competition. With the current contract expiring Oct 2026, DLA Aviation still has some time to finalize the final RFP, giving small businesses plenty of time to work on their proposals and time to run through the evaluations of proposals, and award the new contract before the current contract explanation and provide a good transition-in period.
   
2. Consequence Management Support Center (CoMSupCen):The National Guard Bureau (NGB) released a revised draft RFP in Nov 2023 also with an initial Q&A. This re-compete contract has two incumbents: Global Asset Technologies and Arcticom. This is an 8(a) Set-aside, Agency-IDIQ with a 10-year ordering period, with a program value of $919M. The current contracts are scheduled to end in Sept and Dec 2024, so it is estimated the final RFP could be released in late Feb to Mar 2024 with awards being made in late Aug 2024.
   
3. IT Enterprise Engineering Operations and Hosting Support Services:This NAVAIR SBSA contract has two incumbents: Resource Management Concepts and SMX (Smartronix) with total combined values greater than $258M. The new contract program value is estimated to be >$500M. Draft RFP was released in Dec 2023 and the final RFP is estimated to be released in Mar 2024. Expect bridge contracts to occur given the current expiration of SMX’s contract is Mar 2024.
   
4. IT Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance Services:HUD has an ongoing requirement for IT infrastructure operations and maintenance and this new effort is supposedly going to be a consolidation of the existing 8 incumbent contracts (Leidos – 2 contracts, Artic Information Technology – 2 contracts, Peraton – 2 contracts, Pyramid Systems, and Koniag Management Solutions). The re-compete for this effort is still in the planning stages and it is not yet clear what HUD intends to do. An RFI was released back in Jul 2023 and responses were collected in Aug 2023. Stay tuned for future updates…

About Hinz Consulting

Hinz Consulting provides services across the full business development cycle:

• Proposal Consulting
• AI Services
• Strategic Pricing
• Training
• Capture
• Competitive Intelligence
• BD Transformation Consulting
• Process/Methodology Consulting
• Tools and Templates
• Production Services
• Small Business

In This Week’s Hinz Sight: 02/01/24

• Opportunity Spotlight: ITES-4S
• AI Corner: Bid More for Less!
• Culture Corner: How to be Human in a Technology Driven World
• Competitive Intelligence & Pricing: Strategic Pricing Strategies for LPTA Procurements
• Four To Follow: Get the lowdown on four interesting pursuits!

ITES-4S

Contact Len: len.miller@hinzconsulting.com

This is the follow-up to the successful Army’s PEO/EIS/CHESS Information Technology Enterprise Solutions (ITES)-3 which has 135 contracts. This estimated $12.1B acquisition has a potential RFP release in Sept 2024, but awards not until Sept 2027, so we may see a slip in RFP release in 2025 or later. This is again a MA/IDIQ with both SBSA and Full/Open Unrestricted pools.  POP is anticipated to be 9 years.

CHESS is planning on a Market Research Phase, RFI Questionnaires and then holding an Industry Day. Some planned, new items for ITES-4S are:

• Multiple NAICS Codes
• 8(a) Set-aside planning to include an increase in small business goals and allowing Government Customers to use ITES-4S to meet their SB goals
• FedRAMP standards for Cloud Services
• Metrics for Proposal and RFI submissions
• Minimum requirements for Vendors to have on their forward-facing websites.

The scope is anticipated to be similar to ITES-3S and should include these primary areas:

• Business Process Reengineering
• Information Systems Security
• Information Assurance
• IT Services
• Enterprise Design, Integration, and Consolidation
• Education/Training
• Program/Project Management
• Systems Operation and Maintenance
• Network Support

Bid More for Less!

Contact Josh: josh.thiel@hinzconsulting.com

We recently talked to clients about their goals for 2024. The consensus was that they need to bid more with the same resources. Most of them were targeting a 28-42% increase in submissions. Increasing their bids is a fundamental path to more revenue, but the risk can include compromised quality and a daunting workload increase, which could result in turnover – both outcomes impact the win rate.

Implementing the right AI solution plus a coherent knowledge management approach mitigates these risks:

1. Mitigating Employee Attrition: Increasing the number of proposals may inadvertently lead to employee attrition, jeopardizing a company’s capacity to meet new submission goals. Generative AI serves as a strategic solution to alleviate this risk.
2. Optimizing Proposal Team Size: Executives contemplating team expansion face the challenge of heavy fixed overhead costs associated with adding at least 1 Full Time Employee (FTE). Using AI will leverage your existing resources.
3. Revolutionizing Productivity Cost-Effectively: Generative AI products should be evaluated for security, quality, and speed to make sure you get the best fit. Implementing the right solution can increase team productivity by up to 30%, presenting a cost-effective method to meet goals and avoid burnout.

How to be Human in a Technology Driven World

Contact Angela: angela.marsh@hinzconsulting.com

Technology is transforming our lives in ever expanding ways from how we entertain ourselves to how we conduct business and, most importantly, write proposals. This wonderful gift of efficiency has also challenged us with information overload, digital addiction, and social isolation. At Hinz, we balance technology and humanity as we adapt to the new normal. It’s not one or the other, it’s both! We can use technology wisely and responsibly, while celebrating our human uniqueness. Our corporate culture is built on empathy, compassion, curiosity, and accountability. We’ll delve into these values more in this newsletter over the next few weeks!

“Race to the Bottom” – Strategic Pricing Strategies for LPTA Procurements

Contact Chris: chris.placzek@hinzconsulting.com

In Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA) procurements, pricing strategies focus on offering the lowest price while (just) meeting technical requirements. This involves rigorous cost analysis, lean operations for cost reduction, market and competitor understanding, and highly customized pricing for each opportunity. Success hinges on balancing aggressive pricing with maintaining quality and long-term financial sustainability.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Cost Efficiency is Crucial: Success in LPTA procurements hinges on a company’s ability to efficiently manage and minimize costs. Thorough cost analysis and lean operational strategies are vital to offer the lowest possible price while ensuring all technical requirements are met.

2. Balanced Pricing Approach: In LPTA bids, it is essential to find a balance between competitive pricing and maintaining quality. Underbidding can jeopardize profitability and sustainability, while overbidding can lead to losing the contract. Understanding market pricing and competitor strategies is key to this balance.

3. Meeting Technical Standards is Paramount: While offering the lowest price is the primary goal in LPTA procurements, adhering to the specified technical requirements is equally important. Pricing strategies must be developed with a detailed understanding of these requirements to ensure compliance without unnecessary cost additions.

Four to Follow:

2024 and beyond is a target-rich environment for the GOVCON space.  Here are a few more high-value opportunities you should keep your eyes on and decide if you are pursuing as a prime or sub.

1.  Defense Air Force Strategic Transformation Support II (DAFSTS II) – the follow-on to the AFSTS program which has 8 incumbent contracts.  DAFSTS II is estimated at a $5B program value across multiple full/open unrestricted awards.  Estimated draft RFP in late winter/early spring and current contracts expire mid-June 2025.
2. Department of State (DOS) ACCESS – the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) at DOS is looking to acquire IT equipment and hardware.  DOS stated at the Q1FY24 Virtual Industry Day that a solicitation was anticipated for Q2FY24 and that this estimated $5B effort would be an SBSA.  
3. USAID NextGen Procurement Services Agent HIV (PSA HIV) – this estimated $3B agency MA/IDIQ is set to be a full/open unrestricted competition with an RFP being released in late January 2024 and awards by the end of 2024.  Contract POP is estimated to be a 10-year base contract.
4. HHS National Education Campaign and Outreach Contract (NEC) – this potential $3B agency MA/IDIQ is planned to have a 7-year base performance period.  RFP is estimated for release by the end of Aug 2024 with an award in Aug 205.  This is a follow-on to the existing NEC IDIQ contract which has 4 incumbents.

About Hinz Consulting

Hinz Consulting provides services across the full business development cycle:

• Proposal Consulting
• AI Services
• Strategic Pricing
• Training
• Capture
• Competitive Intelligence
• BD Transformation Consulting
• Process/Methodology Consulting
• Tools and Templates
• Production Services
• Small Business

In This Week’s Newsletter:

Culture Corner: Understanding Lead and Lag Measures in Goal Achievement

Competitive Intelligence & Pricing: “Protecting Your Turf” – Strategic Pricing as an Incumbent

Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP VI)

AI Corner: FAQs on AI Proposal Compliance

Four To Follow: Get the lowdown on four interesting pursuits!

Understanding Lead and Lag Measures in Goal Achievement

Contact Angela: angela.marsh@hinzconsulting.com

In the journey towards achieving your goals, it’s helpful to identify both lead and lag measures. Lead measures are proactive actions taken to drive progress, while lag measures are the outcomes or results. By focusing on both, you create a comprehensive strategy for success.

Lead measures: actions within your control that directly influence the outcome; provides a roadmap that allows for real-time adjustments; shapes the future.

Lag measures: metrics that show actual results or achievements; keeps you informed about the overall progress and helps you celebrate milestones; reflects the past.

Balancing both types of measures is essential. Combining the two empowers you to make informed decisions, stay motivated, and steadily progress towards your goals.

“Protecting Your Turf” – Strategic Pricing as an Incumbent

Contact Chris: chris.placzek@hinzconsulting.com

For incumbents recompeting for contracts, strategic pricing involves leveraging deep project insights to offer value-based pricing, while avoiding complacency. It is crucial to balance competitive pricing with demonstrating the added value of continued service, considering cost efficiency, customer familiarity, and innovative pricing models to underscore stability and reliability as a provider.

1. Leverage Incumbent Insights: Utilize your in-depth understanding of the project and customer needs to create a pricing strategy that reflects efficiency and added value unique to your incumbency.

2. Balance Competitive Pricing with Value Demonstration: Avoid complacency by offering competitive pricing, but also highlight the stability, reduced risk, and additional value that your continued service provides.

3. Price to Reflect Value, Not Just Costs: Do not rely too heavily on pricing within the existing contract. Emphasize the value you bring as an incumbent, and price in a way that communicates this added value, not just the cost of future service delivery.

NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP VI)

Contact Len: len.miller@hinzconsulting.com

SEWP VI is the next iteration in NASA’s highly successful GWAC-IDIQ vehicle which will be multiple awards (212 contracts on SEWP V) across Full/Open-Unrestricted, SBSA, HUBZone Set-Aside, EDWOSB and SDVOSB categories.   Total value is estimated to be $77B.  The Contract Period of Performance is to be a 5-year base contract with 5-year Option Period.  The draft RFP has been out since Sept 2023 and an Industry Day was held in mid-Oct 2023.   SEWP VI has three separate categories:

• Category A:  Consisting of IT, Communications and Audio Visual (ITC/AV) Solutions where Group A1 is Unrestricted and Group A2 is SBSA.
• Category B: Consisting of Enterprise-wide ITC/AVS Service Solutions where Group B1 is Unrestricted and Group B2 is SBSA.
• Category C: Consisting of ITC/AV Program Level Services where Group C1 is SBSA and Group C2 is currently “reserved”.

 This will be a Firm Down-Select acquisition over three phases:

• Phase One – Certifications and Mandatory Experience (Pass/Fail)
  • Category A experience is documented by a matrix showing solutions against the CLINs for each sub-area with pricing.
  • Mandatory Level of Experience varies by Category B and C and by Large and Small Business categories (SBSA, HUBZone, SDVOSB, EDWOSB) and is documented through a completed Relevant Experience Project (REP) table for each project submitted.
• Phase Two – Past Performance (Recency and Relevancy (size and content) with different criteria for large and small businesses in each of the 3 Categories.  Includes use of PPQs.
• Phase Three – Mission Suitability
  • Technical Approach (Subfactor A)
  • Management Approach (Subfactor B)

The final RFP is estimated to be released in February 2024, but we know work is continuing on the final RFP and NASA has not yet committed to a specific date. The current SEWP V contract POP ends in April 2025 and it is estimated that NASA is looking to have contracts awarded by May 2025 according to the SEWP VI website.   

AI Training

Contact Josh: josh.thiel@hinzconsulting.com

Hinz tailors AI Training for each unique proposal team by:

1.  Understanding your proposal process through a comprehensive analysis of your workflow, offering, and differentiators.  Based on this insight, we offer a menu of options for the integration of Gen AI to enhance your specific proposal process.
2. Using real RFPs as a backdrop.  Based on one of the upcoming RFPs you plan to bid on, the Hinz team will create an outline and tailor all the training so that your proposal team can write a real-time proposal while learning the tool.  This training occurs under the stewardship of our expert Proposal Manager/AI Trainer.

Four to Follow:

2024 and beyond is a target-rich environment for the GOVCON space.  Here are a few more high-value opportunities you should keep your eyes on and decide if you are pursuing as a prime or sub.

1. Army IT Enterprise Solutions 4 Services (ITES-4S) – this is the next iteration of the Army’s IDIQ-MAC for procuring IT Services.  This is will have both SBSA and Full & Open/Unrestricted awards.  Total value is estimated at $12.1B. RFP release is estimated for Sep 2024 and awards in Sep 2027.  Contract POP is expected to be 9 years.  An Industry Day is also anticipated.
2. FAA Combined Hardware Software SAVES – this is a follow-on to the current SAVES IT Software and SAVES IT Hardware contracts to supply equipment/supplies, IT hardware and COTS software and IT services as a secondary effort.  RFP is expected Feb/Mar 2024 with contract award estimated to be in Oct 2024.  Value is estimated at $10B with contract POP of 10 years.
3. NOAA Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Program (ProTech 2.0) Weather Domain – the follow-on to ProTech 1.0 is expected to have a draft RFP released in Feb/Mar 2024 and potential awards made in Nov/Dec 2024.  There are 22 incumbents in this domain and awards are expected to include SBSAs and Full & Open/Unrestricted companies.  Total program value is currently estimated at $8B and contract POP is expected to be a 5-year base with a 5-year option period.  
4. DHS Program Management Administrative Clerical and Technical Services (PACTS III) – the follow-on to PACTS II which has 39 incumbent contracts.  PACTS III is estimated at $8.4B program value across potential awards to 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB and WOSB companies.  This IDIQ/MAC procurement is expected to have the RFP released in Feb/Mar 2024 with awards in Sep/Oct 2024, but current contracts don’t expire until end of Feb 2025.  

About Hinz Consulting

Hinz Consulting provides services across the full business development cycle:

• Proposal Consulting
• AI Services
• Strategic Pricing
• Training
• Capture
• Competitive Intelligence
• BD Transformation Consulting
• Process/Methodology Consulting
• Tools and Templates
• Production Services
• Small Business

2024 Bids to keep an eye on

New Feature For 2024

“Through 2024 we will regularly feature various large and exciting bids. Over the next months, you’ll see insights and information about pursuits from the list below.”

Dan Marsh ~ Co-Chairman, Hinz Consulting

2024 Opportunities

1. VA – CCN NEXT GEN
2. NASA – SEWP VI
3. GSA – ALLIANT 3
4. Energy – ORNL M&O
5. HHS – CIO-CS
6. Energy – M&O LBNL
7. Air Force – C2E
8. Army – ITES-4S
9. Transportation – FAA SAVES
10. Energy – CBOSS 2
11. Defense/ Transportation Cmd – CRAF
12. Energy – M&O FNAL
13. Commerce – PROTECH 2.0 Weather Domain
14. Navy – DB DBB MACC
15. Air Force – CFT
16. MDA – MIOES
17. DHS – PACTS III
18. Air Force – DAFSTS II
19. Army – PD Aerostats MATOC IDIQ
20. Defense/ Transportation Cmd – USC
21. USAID – PSA HIV
22. HHS – NEC
23. VA – DB Services Eastern Region
24. VA – DB Services Western Region
25. VA – DB Services Central Region
26. Justice – FBI RMACC 2
27. Army – Vertical Const MATOC ECSO
28. State – ACCESS
29. Army – D3I2 D2
30. Defense/DLA – Chem/POL
31. EPA – GLNPO-RRS-II
32. Army – CoMSupCen
33. State – INL WHP FA4
34. Navy – IT Enterprise Eng Ops & Hosting Services
35. HUD – IT Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance Services

Competitive Intelligence and Pricing

What Has a Bigger Impact on pWin – Customer Relationship or Strategic Pricing?

“In complex procurements, having a strong customer relationship and utilizing strategic pricing are both critical to increasing pWin. While customer relationships build trust and cater to long-term goals through deep client insights, strategic pricing offers an immediate competitive edge and clear value propositions. Their relative importance varies with industry dynamics and specific procurement characteristics, ultimately requiring a balanced approach.”

Chris Placzek ~ SVP, Pricing Services, Hinz Consulting

Key Takeaways

1. Balanced Approach:

In complex procurements, a balanced approach that leverages both customer relationship management and strategic pricing is often the most effective strategy for improving win probability.

2. Role of Industry and Procurement Nature:

The importance of customer relationships versus strategic pricing varies depending on the industry and the specific nature of the procurement, with customer relationships being crucial in high-value, service-focused industries and strategic pricing in cost-sensitive markets.

3. Short-term vs. Long-term Focus

While strategic pricing can provide a significant short-term competitive edge, especially in budget-driven decisions, strong customer relationships play a vital role in building long-term trust and understanding, which is essential for sustainable business growth and repeat business.

AI Corner

2024 will be a year of ‘AI action’

“2024 is forming into a year of AI action, rather than observation.  More companies have reached out for AI tool selection discussion in January than all of 2023.”

Josh Thiel ~ SVP, Hinz AI COE, Hinz Consulting

Benefits of an AI Proposal Tool

Time Efficiency:

The AI Proposal tool revolutionizes the proposal creation process by significantly reducing the time investment. Streamlining traditionally laborious tasks, such as content generation and formatting, allows organizations to accomplish in minutes what would typically take hours or days. This newfound efficiency empowers teams to respond swiftly to proposal requirements, enhancing overall productivity.

Consistency and Standardization:

A key advantage of the AI Proposal tool is its ability to ensure consistency and adherence to predefined standards. By automating language, style, and formatting, organizations present polished and error-free proposals. This commitment to standardization not only elevates the quality of submissions but also reinforces a professional and cohesive image.

Culture Corner

To achieve your goals in 2024, be sure to keep a few things in mind:

1. Have a Clear Vision:Define your destination clearly. A clear vision serves as your compass, guiding every step of your journey. It’s the foundation upon which successful endeavors are built.
2. Speak It into the Universe: Articulate your goals boldly. Speaking your aspirations out loud not only reinforces your commitment but also sends a powerful message to the universe. Your words have the potential to shape your reality.
3. Take Small, Daily Actions Towards Your Goals: Progress is a series of small steps. Break down your ambitions into manageable, daily actions. These consistent efforts, though seemingly minor, accumulate into significant strides, propelling you steadily toward your larger goals.

Success Stories

ESS VII for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Huntsville Engineering and Support Center

“At Hinz Consulting, we thrive on turning challenges into successes. Our support for the ESS VII bid for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers exemplifies this commitment. Despite navigating evolving scopes, holiday constraints, and tight timelines, our team ensured not just timely submission but a proposal that truly represented the client’s qualifications.”

~Hinz Consulting

Overview

• Dynamic Scope Expansion: Our involvement evolved from initial support for Proposal Management to comprehensive proposal development, including technical writing. Adapting to this dynamic expansion, we seamlessly integrated technical content across all bid sections.
• Strategic Time Management: The proposal period coincided with the December holidays, posing challenges with staff availability. Our team strategically managed progress by maintaining open communication, rescheduling milestones, and providing continuous technical writing support, ensuring productivity during the festive season.
• Client Satisfaction and Timely Submission: Despite the complexities, we met the challenge head-on. The proposal was submitted on time, exceeding the client’s expectations. The feedback received affirmed not just satisfaction but gratitude for our support in representing their qualifications effectively.

As we wrap up this edition of ‘Hinz Sight,’ we thank you for joining us on this journey through the intricacies of government contracting. Remember, hindsight is not about looking back—it’s about moving forward with the clarity and confidence gained from our shared insights.

Warm regards,

The Hinz Consulting Team

Unlock the secrets of business development in government contracting with ‘Hinz Sight’—your weekly post for industry foresight. Stay ahead of the curve as we decode the latest trends and tech, ensuring your vision is always 20/20. Subscribe for your Thursday thought-leadership treat, and never miss a beat in the competitive landscape of government bids.

Insider Insights
Why AI is so helpful for your BD

“To maximize your Business Development AI investment, consider focusing on a high-impact strategy. Provide comprehensive AI training for your key BD staff to enhance their efficiency in responding to White Papers and RFIs. Integrating AI into these processes can significantly improve proactive BD efforts and accelerate client communication.”

Dan Marsh ~ Co-Chairman, Hinz Consulting

Strategies for maximizing your Business Development AI investment

• Comprehensive AI Training for BD Staff 
• Focus on White Papers and RFIs 
• Integration of AI into BD Processes
• Engage Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
• Empower BD Professionals
• Measure and Communicate Time Savings
• Streamlined Integration for Client Communication
• Resource Optimization

Competitive Intelligence & Strategic Pricing

Integrating a Strategic Pricing practice into your existing capture process

“Integrating strategic pricing into the capture process is paramount for companies looking to win more profitable government contracts. More than just a cost cutting exercise, this integration requires early collaboration, thorough cost analysis, competitive intelligence, and differentiation that contribute to a compelling proposal. Coupled with continuous communication, and risk mitigation, strategic pricing can enhance competitiveness and profitability in the dynamic landscape of government contracting.”

Chris Placzek ~ SVP, Pricing Services, Hinz Consulting

Key Takeaways

1. Early Collaboration Drives Success: Initiate collaboration among strategic pricing, business development, and subject matter experts at the outset of the capture process to align strategies, ensuring a cohesive and competitive approach to pricing.

2. Value Proposition Enhances Competitiveness: Clearly define and emphasize the organization’s unique value proposition, innovation, and strengths to differentiate the proposal, positioning it as the client’s preferred choice.

3. Risk Mitigation Strengthens Credibility: Integrate robust risk mitigation and contingency planning into the pricing strategy, showcasing the organization’s foresight and preparedness. This not only addresses potential challenges but also enhances the credibility of the proposal, instilling confidence in the client’s decision-making process.

AI Corner

Empowering Business Development with AI requires a unique domain

“Unlocking success in Business Development demands a distinctive domain: Your Historical Content. It’s not just data; it’s the narrative that propels your journey forward and sets you apart in the competitive landscape.”

Josh Thiel ~ SVP, Hinz AI COE, Hinz Consulting

Questions To Consider

• Does the AI Tool connect to your historical content?
• Where is your historical content stored, your own instance?
• How is the instance hosted and secured?
• Can I upload my historical content at scale?
• Can I organize the content into folders and select folders to drive up quality and focus at the onset of my request to the AI?

Culture Corner

“Are you focused on culture in the workplace? If not, you’re not just overlooking talent but also revenue. Our Hinz culture resonates with our industry peers, sparking interest in working with us and leading to client referrals. In fact, we were recommended for a contract this year because we are “good people who are fair and get things done.” We can’t think of a better compliment!”

Angela Marsh ~ SVP, Org. Development, Hinz Consulting

Success Stories

IMPACT / TSA, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

“At Hinz Consulting, we don’t just meet expectations; we exceed them. Our recent project exemplifies our commitment to excellence, managing to deliver a $500M proposal with 12 dedicated staff members. It’s not just about the numbers; it’s about crafting solutions that resonate with our clients and set the stage for success.”

~Hinz Consulting

• Scope of Work (SOW):The project involved providing comprehensive drafting support for the Technical, Management, and Transition Volumes of a proposal for the operations and maintenance of the entire IT infrastructure of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
• Methodology and Approach:Hinz Consulting managed a team of 12 staff members who played a crucial role in orchestrating the entire proposal process. The approach involved creating a roster of subject matter experts (SMEs) strategically paired with Hinz Consulting counterparts. Scheduled high-impact interview sessions were conducted to gather technical and customer insight data, which was then seamlessly integrated into the proposal.
• Efficiency and Defensibility:Recognizing the challenges of a high-OPTEMPO contract, Hinz Consulting adopted a systematic approach to minimize disruption to daily operations. Proposal sections were meticulously crafted and sent to SMEs for review and enhancement, ensuring a compliant and technically compelling proposal. This method not only reduced the burden on SMEs but also enhanced the win probability of the proposal while mitigating the risk of performance shortfalls during the competition period.

As we wrap up this edition of ‘Hinz Sight,’ we thank you for joining us on this journey through the intricacies of government contracting. Remember, hindsight is not about looking back—it’s about moving forward with the clarity and confidence gained from our shared insights.

Warm regards,

The Hinz Consulting Team