In This Week’s Newsletter: 02/29/24

• AI Corner: Generative AI & Consensus Reviews Potential
• Culture Corner: How to be Human in a Technology-Driven World: Part V
• Competitive Intelligence & Pricing: On-Demand Strategic Pricing
• Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: GSA ASCEND
• Four Pursuits to Follow!

How Generative AI Could Assist Consensus Reviews in Proposal Evaluations

Contact Josh: josh.thiel@hinzconsulting.com

Based on the available sources, the AI tools can simulate a peer review process. This could, in theory, assist consensus reviews in proposal evaluations, if properly managed and regulated.

In the realm of proposal evaluations, incorporating AI tools that can mimic a peer review process may prove to be beneficial, for example:

• AI can analyze complex data to present insightful conclusions.
• AI can suggest various improvements based on detailed analysis.
• AI can thoroughly investigate any potential biases or ethical considerations.

Advanced digital tools powered by artificial intelligence can simulate crucial processes such as peer review. This capacity indicates the potential for AI tools to mirror evaluations that typically require human intellect and perspective, such as proposal assessments or other consensus reviews, where multiple perspectives and critical judgments are often crucial. Using these features can enhance the effectiveness of consensus reviews and allow for a comprehensive, well-rounded, and informed evaluation process.

How to be Human in a Technology Driven World: Part V

Contact Angela: angela.marsh@hinzconsulting.com

All month long, we’ve talked about the importance of keeping our humanity as technology develops at a dizzying pace. We can do this by exercising our most human of gifts: empathy, compassion, curiosity, and accountability. One might wonder how accountability helps us connect or improves our performance. A leader who “owns it” tends to more successful for several reasons:

• Follow-through: A good leader creates a sense of purpose by setting clear goals and following up on expectations. This promotes a culture of responsibility which drives better results and improves overall performance.
• Trust and Respect: Leaders who take responsibility for their errors with humility and transparency earn the trust of team members and foster continuous improvement.
• Relationship Building: By facilitating open communication and teamwork, accountable leaders build relationships with their teams. A team equipped with a sense of belonging performs better.
• Transparency: Transparent leaders share information openly. Whether that’s our monthly Business Metrics meeting like have at Hinz Consulting or postmortems after a bid submission, openness encourages collaboration withing the team.How do you hold yourself, your team, and your leaders accountable?

Why a Company Should Consider On-Demand Strategic Pricing

Contact Chris: chris.placzek@hinzconsulting.com

Choosing an on-demand strategic pricing service over an in-house approach can offer similar advantages to other managed services: cost-effective access to specialized expertise, advanced technologies, and flexibility. This enables companies to foster growth and efficiency by focusing on core operations, reducing overheads, and remaining agile in a highly competitive market.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Expertise and Specialization: Opting for an on-demand strategic pricing service provides companies specialized expertise without the need for in-house hiring. This external support brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in pricing strategies, helping companies navigate complex market dynamics with a focused and specialized approach.

2. Cost Efficiency and Flexibility: An on-demand strategic pricing service is often more cost-effective for small companies, eliminating the need for extensive investments in technology and personnel. The flexible nature of these services allows businesses to scale up or down based on their evolving needs, ensuring a tailored and cost-efficient solution.

3. Strategic Focus and Adaptability: By outsourcing strategic pricing, companies can concentrate on their core operations and strategic initiatives. The on-demand service model promotes adaptability, allowing businesses to respond swiftly to market changes and optimize pricing strategies for sustained competitiveness and growth.

GSA ASCEND

Contact Len: len.miller@hinzconsulting.com

GSA ASCEND is to be a multiple-award BPA that U.S. Federal Agencies will use to acquire and implement secure/integrated, commercial cloud services and cloud focused services. This could also include IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and Cloud-related IT professional services.

The BPA is to consist of 3 independent, primary pools/sub-pools meaning individual RFPs will be released per pool:

Pool 1 – IaaS and PaaS with 3 sub-pools covering both unclassified and classified IaaS and PaaS; and Future Government requirements.

Pool 2 – SaaS with 3 sub-pools covering Enterprise Office Productivity, CRM, and Future Government requirements.

Pool 3 – Cloud Professional Services with 2 sub-pools covering application services, app modernization services, Fortran programming language professional services, and future Government requirements.

The Pool 1 draft RFP was released on 20 Dec 2023 and a modification was released on 21 Feb 2024 with responses due 29 Feb 2024. The estimated final RFP could potentially be released summer of 2024, but the Government is still shaping the requirements with both Government stakeholders and the industry. It is also anticipated that RFPs for the 3 pools will be released in phases. Competition will be SBSA, Full & Open/Unrestricted, and Partial SBSAs. Estimated contract awards could potentially occur before the end of 2024. It does appear that Offerors must hold a GSA MAS contract to bid and be awarded a contract under this BPA. Multiple awards are anticipated in each pool.

Four to Follow:

1. Missile Defense Agency Integration and Operations for Enterprise Solutions (MIOE)SMDA anticipates releasing the RFP for the follow-on to the current IRES contract held by Jacobs Technology, Inc. in early 2025 with a potential award by the end of summer 2025.  Not yet sure if this will again be a single award/unrestricted or if multiple awards will be made for this estimated $4.6B program.
2.  DOE CIO Business Operations Support Services 2 (C)BOSS 2 This recompete of the CBOSS contract held by Accenture PLC is estimated at a program value of $10B which appears to be based on the incumbent’s contract value of $10B over the five-year POP for the BPA. RFI and Draft SOW were released in Sept 2023 and a potential RFP is estimated to be released in spring of 2024.  However, the incumbent’s contract is set to expire toward the end of Nov 2025, so DOE has a little leeway in the timing of this RFP release.
3. FAA SAVESThis acquisition is scheduled to be a consolidation of the SAVES IT Hardware and SAVES IT Software contracts which are currently held by 5 incumbents.  We believe the FAA still intends the new effort to be a multiple award contract but not clear on the number of awards and competition type will be yet.  RFP release is potentially expected in spring of 2024 with potential awards in fall of 2024. Based on the latest RFI/Sources Sought, contract ceilings are estimated to be between $5B to $10B.
4. NGA PORTICOThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) released the PORTICO RFI on 16 Feb and responses are due NLT 5 pm on 5 Mar.  This effort is envisioned to provide technical expertise and services to maintain, develop, implement, sustain, and modernize software that supports mission-essential NGA capabilities. It is anticipated that NGA will award MA/IDIQ contracts but the number of awards is not yet known.  POP is expected to be 5-years.  We should potentially expect an RFP in the early summer of 2024 and it to be released on the NRO Acquisition Resource Center (ARC) site.  

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