WINNING AT IDIQ CONTRACTS – Over the years we have found a lot of confusion and disappointment with effective returns on Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts. Our friend and experienced IDIQ pursuit business developer, John Haller, has started an IDIQ blog on this subject. Please feel free to join in as this progresses.
Getting on the Team, After Award
On many multiple award contracts, to be able to participate in task orders, a partner needs to be on the team when the job is won. There are some vehicles where a company can join the team later in the game and even on the ones where the Government restricts the team, it’s still possible for the prime to add partners if the task order requirements demand it.
After award of the contract, the Prime picks partners that can help it win task orders. The prime is going to have a specific shopping list of characteristics. These can include socio-economic category and past performance. In order to be asked to join the team under these conditions, a potential subcontractor needs to be known to the prime’s decision makers. There needs to be an existing relationship. Relationships are built in a number of ways. While not an exhaustive list, here are some ideas to set you thinking:
- A potential subcontractor may be a partner with the prime on another vehicle or on another contract
- A potential subcontractor may have an established relationship with the Government customer or another Government customer doing similar work.
- A potential subcontractor may have an established industry reputation
Task order responses are very short fused, so the Prime doesn’t have much time to find a new partner. So, you have identified a contract you need to have access to and a prime that could get you that access. How do you get on the team?
As a prime contractor, I’ve seen dozens of companies just send out brochures and Power Points to the Government’s distribution list for a vehicle. Odds are, these aren’t going to do much. The prime is looking at every partner asking one question, “What’s in it for me, the prime?” Your standard brochure generally won’t cut it. You need to look at the situation from the Prime’s perspective.
The top of a prime’s priority list is the case you’re brining business you have today that needs to be re-competed. You and the prime can partner to steer your work to the prime’s vehicle and with you on their team, they can compete and win. The prime’s second priority is where you have skills that are needed to meet a specific task order. The best case is when you can bring the skills to the prime before the task order RFP has been released. Once the clock starts ticking, the prime generally doesn’t have the time to make a new friend and go through all the contractual hurdles needed to put you on their team before the proposal is due.
The bottom line is that you need to convince a prime you bring them value to get yourself onto a team and you need to convince them of this value before they really need you, because once the need is fully apparent the train has already left the station and you’re probably way behind.
Written by John Haller
John is a longtime friend of Michelli Associates, Inc. He has been bidding, winning and monetizing multiple award contracts for over a decade. His background includes restructuring capture processes and leading capture teams for both prime contract positions and subcontractor positions. He is currently working for Adams Communications in Waldorf, MD.
Michelli Associates, Inc. (MAI) is comprised of highly experienced and knowledgeable advisors on the topic of IDIQ multiple award contracts (MAC). President, Tom Michelli, as a senior government leader, structured the Army’s initial suites of MACs for both IT/Telcom products and integrations services. Let the MAI team show you how to position WIN MACs and then generate solid revenue from them in todays highly competitive market.
