Recent discussions we’ve had with contractors and contracting officers indicates that federal business is in full-swing.  We are now officially in the last quarter of the fiscal year. Things will only get busier from here on.  Here are three things your company should be focusing on, or not, right now:

1.  Realize that Assisted Acquisition Service Deadlines Have Or Are About to Pass: Are you and your customer seeking an outside acquisition shop to manage your procurement?  It’s already too late to bring new business to some centers, like the Interior Business Center. Deadlines for NIH’s NITAAC assisted acquisition shop are fast approaching.  If you and your customer can’t get a project together by the middle of the month, look for another route to get your business done.

2.  Be an Expert on Simplified Acquisitions and/or IDIQ Contract Use:  Your customer’s acquisition shop is overwhelmed.  To make sure your great solution gets acquired, you need to provide help and suggestions on how that can happen.  Simplified acquisitions, use of IDIQ contracts like NASA’s SEWP and the GSA Schedules, and familiarity with small business set-asides can help you help your customer get the job done fast.

3.  Set Dates By Which You Cast Some Business Away and Focus on Other Opportunities:  You don’t need to cut your pipeline in half right now, but your company should have a process in place that allows you to focus more and more on what’s “real” and not just “possible”.  Some projects that look like winners today may drop off.  Let them.  Keep your eye on fish that’s already on the line.  Follow these simple steps and you can spend October on a beach, not at an industry conference in a stuffy DC hotel.