Volume 24

Volume 24

In This Week’s Newsletter: 04/19/24

  • AI Corner: Can Generative AI be used for Grant Writing?
  • Culture Corner: APMP Pride Affinity Group
  • Competitive Intelligence & Pricing: Helping David Compete Against Goliath
  • Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: Seaport NxG On Ramp 2024
  • Four To Follow: Get the lowdown on four interesting pursuits!
AI_Corner

Can Generative AI be used for Grant Writing?

Contact Josh: josh.thiel@hinzconsulting.com

Grant writing is a time-consuming and challenging task, requiring careful attention to detail and persuasive writing skills. Generative AI can streamline the grant writing process by using its advanced natural language processing capabilities to generate templates, generate content, edit, and format for writing clear and compelling proposals.

Templates:  With Generative AI, grant writers can access a wide range of pre-written templates tailored to different types of grants and funding opportunities. These templates can provide valuable guidance on structuring the proposal, including sections such as the executive summary, project description, budget, and evaluation plan. Generative AI can also suggest key points to include in each section, ensuring that the proposal is comprehensive and convincing.

Content: Generative AI revolutionizes grant writing by saving time to draft and improving effectiveness through its advanced language processing capabilities. Users can focus on adding empathy and unique selling points to create persuasive grants.

Editing & Formatting: Generative AI can quickly and accurately review the grant for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Additionally, generative AI can also help to identify any inconsistencies or logical flaws in the grant.

Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the grant writing process by ensuring compliance with formatting requirements and generating high-quality templates, thus increasing the likelihood of securing project funding. It aids in creating persuasive narratives through advanced data analysis and language processing capabilities. Hence, Gen AI is a significant tool for anyone seeking financial support for their initiatives, making grant applications more efficient and effective.

Culture_Corner__1_

APMP Pride Affinity Group

Contact Angela: angela.marsh@hinzconsulting.com

As part of an effort to build community in our industry, we are highlighting APMP’s Affinity Groups that hope to foster diversity, inclusion, and enhance the membership experience. These groups provide supportive spaces for professionals with shared experiences in life and the proposal industry.

The PRIDE Affinity Group was founded to provide members with a community within their professional world where they can be themselves openly and unreservedly and connect about shared experiences of being LGBTQIA+. It offers the 10% of APMP members identifying as such, and their allies, a safe space to talk, learn and advocate for APMP members. The PRIDE Affinity Group is currently chaired by Heather Finch, CP APMP. She is “someone that seeks collaboration, community, and helping people feel welcome and heard in professional spaces.” Her goal is to foster a place “where we can discuss matters that impact our community.”

The APMP PRIDE Affinity Group is open to all APMP members as a positive and safe space, with monthly meetings to give participants a chance to talk, learn, and ask for advice on issues of importance to the community.

The monthly APMP PRIDE meetings are open to all APMP members and are free to attend.

The next meeting is in person at the APMP Bid & Proposal Conference in New Orleans on Monday, June 2 at 9:45 am. Stop by for more information if you’re there!

Join the Hinz Consulting team and the National Capital Area (NCA) Chapter of APMP on April 25th for an intimate and engaging conversation about “The Next Generation of Capture!” In the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of government contracting, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. Capture management, the strategic process of pursuing and winning government contracts, is adapting to meet these challenges. Let’s delve into the transforming landscape of capture management and explore its implications for government contractors, capture managers, proposal managers, and aspiring industry professionals.

  • Linwood Walton, Sr. Capture Manager at CACI International
  • Heidi Lawrence, Dir. of Professional and Technical Writing Graduate Programs and Associate Professor at George Mason University
  • David Seibert, Proposal and BD Trainer and author of “The Sales Manager’s Guide to RFPs”
  • Tom Hudgins, Senior Pricing Director at Hinz Consulting
  • Danny Murawinski, CEO at Exit Built

Helping David Compete Against Goliath

Contact Chris: chris.placzek@hinzconsulting.com

Small businesses can successfully compete against larger companies in public sector procurements by understanding costs, leveraging unique values, building strong relationships, and maintaining flexible pricing strategies. Emphasizing compliance and risk mitigation further strengthens their competitive edge, showcasing their capability and value in fulfilling public sector needs.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Thorough Cost Understanding: Small businesses must understand their current, and potential future, cost structures to price their offerings competitively and profitably in public sector procurements.

2. Unique Value Propositions: Leveraging inherent advantages like flexibility, innovation, and personalized service can differentiate small businesses from larger competitors and justify their pricing strategies.

3. Adaptive Pricing: Small businesses should adopt flexible pricing strategies that can adjust quickly to market changes, customer feedback, and competitive dynamics, ensuring responsiveness and competitiveness.

Bid_Spotlight

Seaport NxG On Ramp 2024

Contact Len: len.miller@hinzconsulting.com

SeaPort-NxG is the Navy’s electronic platform for acquiring support services in 23 functional areas including Engineering, Financial Management, and Program Management. The Navy Systems Commands (NAVSEA, NAVAIR, NAVWAR, NAVFAC, and NAVSUP), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Military Sealift Command (MSC), and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) compete their service requirements amongst 2400+ SeaPort-NxG Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) multiple award contract holders. 

Simply stated, SeaPort-NxG provides an efficient and effective means of contracting for professional support services and enhancing small business participation.  The Navy conducts Rolling Admissions to allow new industry partners the opportunity to participate. 

Rolling Admissions Solicitation Number N00178-24-R-7000 was released on SAM.gov on 9 April 2024. Questions are due NLT 1 May, and proposal submissions are due NLT 16 May.  Clarifications to the above were provided in Amendments 1 and 2 issued 10 April.  

Opportunities

Four to Follow:

  1. MDA Integration and Operations for Enterprise Solutions (MIOES):MDA posted a special notice via SAM.gov on 9 April releasing the current IRES PWSs and slides from the February and April MIOES Weekly Exchanges with Industry Meetings.  See the SAM.gov posting for a complete description of scope updates.  Monitor this one closely folks!
  2. INL Office of Western Hemisphere Programs FA4 Operations Logistics and Facilities Support Services (INL WHP FA4): The incumbent contracts held by Kira, Inc.; Alutiiq Essential Services, LLC; Olgoonik Corp, and Perkin GPS, LLC are set to expire in June 2025.  This HUBZone Set-Aside is expected to remain an Agency MA/IDIQ valued at $625M total contract value. The RFP is estimated for release in August 2024.
  3. Air and Marine Operations IDIQ Aircraft Support Services:The last update from DHS CBP was when they released the Q&A from the last RFI response on 7 Dec 2023.  Not yet clear when a draft RFP might be released for this new requirement or the potential value of this planned MA/IDIQ effort.  Stay focused on communications from DHS CBP via SAM.gov and other channels.
  4. Antarctica Science and Engineering Support Contract (ASESC):The incumbent $2.78B contract held by Leidos is expected to expire in March of 2025.  This is a 10-year contract (5-year Base Period with estimated 5, 1-year Options. Draft SOW was released for review in Sept 2023 and it is estimated a final RFP will be released by the end of June 2024.  Not sure when the draft RFP will be released but the National Science Foundation has stated when the draft SOW is ready, it will be posted to SAM.gov.   

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