In Q4, staying top-of-mind matters more than ever. These fast, low-pressure micro engagement strategies help you reconnect with federal buyers and win last-minute work.
Why Q4 2025 Is Different — and Why It Matters
This Q4 is unlike any before. With widespread freezes on spending authority, agency reorganizations, shifting priorities under the new Administration, and ongoing staff cuts across procurement teams, federal buyers are navigating deep uncertainty. Meanwhile, a full-scale rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is in motion—reshaping how agencies buy, even before the ink is dry. In this climate, vendors who stay visible, helpful, and relationship-ready are the ones who get through. This post shows you exactly how.

What do GovCons have in common with Taylor Swift? For starters, we know that overnight success is a myth! Tap these five lessons from one of America’s top business owners to improve your business results (and get a 13-song playlist for inspiration)!

Introduction You’ve got 3-7 years of Federal experience (prime, sub, or both). You want more wins — in your current agencies, new ones, maybe more vehicles, and more prime work. I’ve got your back! What to do, who can help, and what free resources can you use right away? Here are some proven tools and

These five best practices can improve your Federal business development processes, win rate, revenue, and profit: Focus, Best Values, Relationships, Connection, and Consistency. Explore how you can start using them today!

Introduction Here’s how one GovCon turned a $10,000 project into a $1M contract in less than 8 weeks…and how easily you can get on track for that kind of result. If you’re pumping out proposals for prospects you’ve never met, in agencies you’ve never worked in, you’re working 12 times harder than you need to.

Discover how to give Federal buyers the competitive pricing they need to award the contract while giving you the profit you need to thrive.

As we approach the end of the Federal fiscal year, the competition to win business heats up. Winners excel at helping buyers get great value while showing timely contract administration and responsible budget management. For business owners and Federal capture professionals, advance planning and proven tactics can make the most of the traditional fourth-quarter spending skew and pave the way for the new fiscal year that will begin in October. Success requires lead time and a commitment to consistent action long before September. It’s a lot…but here’s how it’s done.

Federal business success takes more than deep pockets to fund continuous bidding. The top companies master skills that include building relationships, understanding the nuances of contract vehicles…and making hard choices about where to invest time and money in the opportunities they are most likely to win. This article explores the impact of capture choices on corporate performance, profitability, and the ability to attract and retain key personnel.

Discover how to give Federal buyers the competitive pricing they need to award the contract while giving you the profit you need to thrive.

The most successful government contractors balance three top goals at once: exceptional contract performance, extraordinary talent attraction, and exemplary financial results. How do they do it? Three steps create a constant flow of the right opportunities, help attract and retain talent, and build your bottom line.

Discover the power of three kinds of consistency in your Federal sales effort: frequency, personnel, and messaging. That quality has a profound impact on building relationships, fostering trust, and ultimately landing high-value wins.

Part Two: Connection This blog post brings you the second of three keys to Federal Sales Success. See part one, FOCUS, here. Reach The Players At All The Layers Once you’re focused on your best prospects and have a plan, you’ve still got to get in front of the right people. And I mean all

This blog is a collaboration with guest contributors at the Hi-Q Group. Have you ever felt anxious meeting a new Federal buyer or contractor? Whether it’s a video call or a simply a coffee break, meeting anyone for the first time and stepping outside of your comfort zone can be exciting. But sometimes, that excitement

The three essentials to success in the Federal contracting arena are these: understand the roles and goals of your counterparts; consistently give each other a sense of momentum toward your mutual goals, and use the seven proven elements that create trust.

Rev Up Your Federal Sales Team: Part 1 (FOCUS) Want to rev up your Federal sales team? Focus, connection, and consistency make all the difference! This first-of-three posts is about focus. You’ll learn: who should really be doing sales; what elements of focus are essential; and what you need to give your team. In the

Improving the PWIN (Probability of Win) for Federal government contractors requires reflection and analysis—an October priority. In this article, we will review: What Exactly is a “Hot Wash,” and How can it Support a Stronger PWIN for this Federal Fiscal Year? How Do You Do a Hot Wash? Checklist for a Successful Hot Wash to Start Your Federal Fiscal Year Off Right.

Learn the steps and key requirements of successful debriefings—to support business development and improve your PWIN (Probability of Win) over time. Each bid process requires a considerable investment and it is important to learn from each bid, whether you win or lose. Aim to get a debriefing (or post-award conversation) from your Federal buyers and prospects after each bid.

Common mistakes when writing federal government bids and proposals can cost the whole proposal cycle and an entire relationship. Read on for 10 common mistakes you can avoid! Evaluate your proposal processes to prevent these from creeping in, and start winning more Federal government projects today.

The three pillars for winning Federal government contracts and proposals are focus, connections, and consistency. These three pillars give you the benefits of: Increased revenues – from winning new deals; Reduced costs – as you stop competing for unwinnable deals; Higher profits – as you expand business with the right target clients.

Winning contracts requires connecting with the right people at the right time in the right way with the right offering. This is indeed a tall order, but you absolutely can take steps to make it happen. Summit Insight consistently helps clients build their way to winning proposals with ten proven tactics. And “Connecting” with the influencers and decision-makers is one of the foundation stones.

Focus, Connection, Consistency We give our clients ten building blocks of a winning proposal – proven tactics they’ve used to win over $200 million in Federal contracts! I’m sharing three with you in this blog post (as well as how you can open up all ten for your whole team). Greater success starts when you:

This is the third of three articles about Federal Q4 Sales Hot Wash. Be sure to check out Parts One and Two! Facilitators: Lead From Within, or Hire Help? How To Decide Rather than basing your decision purely on “Do we have budget to hire an outsider?”, remember this: Your Federal Sales Q4 Hot Wash

As a lifelong DC-area resident who has built a career in marketing, I have fended off many requests over the years from aspiring Federal contractors to help them market their wares to the government. “I don’t know anything about marketing to the government,” I would tell them. “I can’t help you.” I could not have

GovCons who leverage online marketing lead the pack.  87% of federal decision-makers use search engines to find products and services—based on data from a leading research firm, Market Connections. This alone is causing government contractors to reconsider their approach to engaging with federal buyers. How to Improve Government Contractor Marketing Since government buyers and influencers

It’s October 1st — so happy Federal Fiscal New Year! Here are the four steps I hope you’ll take to make this a truly outstanding year for you, your Federal team…and your Federal clients, too! Step One — Stand Up! Today, Celebrate!  I’m serious. There’s research (link below)! My sad secret: I find it hard

If a Federal Sales Q4 Hot Wash is so valuable, why doesn’t everybody do one? Take your pick, or add your own. “We’re exhausted and overtaken by events.” “We’ve closed the book on the year; it’s time to move on.” “We’re onboarding our newest clients! No time now!” “It’s important, but not urgent. It can

Debriefings are a critical tool in any federal contractor’s toolbox.   As a threshold matter, they are a useful (if not mandatory) first step in many bid protests, helping contractors gather the information they need to substantiate protest arguments.  But debriefings are a useful information gathering tool outside the protest context as well.  Indeed, they are

You know the feeling, when the Federal fiscal year is about to end or has just wrapped. Maybe you’re waiting to hear about wins, super busy onboarding new clients, or closing the books on what didn’t happen. Everybody’s ready to move on. It’s done — not a minute too soon!  You’ve wiped the slate and

At the start of every new federal fiscal year, smart CEOs pause to reset. This is your moment to re-align your team, sharpen your focus, and build a strategy that drives federal contract growth. In this post, you’ll sit in on a real conversation between a CEO and her leadership team as they map out priorities, pipeline targets, and the right outreach strategy to get ahead of the competition. Whether you’re chasing your first federal prime or scaling within an existing agency footprint, this story offers actionable takeaways for your own plan. Want your team focused, fired up, and aligned with federal buyers’ timelines? Start here — and lead with clarity.

Navigating gift-giving in federal contracting can be tricky. This guide outlines five thoughtful, compliant gift ideas to help you express appreciation to federal buyers without violating regulations. Enhance your professional relationships with gestures that are both meaningful and within the rules.

New Research Findings Create an overall strategy to increase your 8(a) contract awards using these five effective strategic practices Introduction Although the U.S. government stresses the importance of small businesses in government contracting, small business owners continue to face challenges in securing and maintaining contracting opportunities[1]. In my 2021 DBA Capstone, I explored how owners

The last few weeks of the Federal fiscal year can feel like a mix of excitement, anticipation, confusion, and, sometimes even despair — for buyers and vendors! As vendors, often we feel like we have so much to offer… if only that buyer would return our calls or emails! What does it take to break

Now that Federal fourth quarter is looming on the horizon, GovCons start asking about where those end-of-year dollars lurk! You know: opportunities for next year’s money to be moved forward if our buyers’ projects are ahead of plan, or unspent budgets that can get shuffled to make sure the funds are spent before the fiscal

You’ve been certified as a participant in the SBA’s 8(a) Program.  Congratulations–it’s not an easy (or quick) process!  But now that you’re an official 8(a) Program participant, how do you maximize your chances of winning 8(a) contracts?   For many 8(as), mentoring and joint ventures are a critical piece of the puzzle.  In my career as

Many Federal contractors — large and small — mistakenly see their value as primarily the services or the products they offer.  While competency in your capabilities is vital, we often have more value to offer than we realize!  Our value proposition — whether as part of a team or as a prime — can include

Four big myths stop people from winning millions of dollars in Federal contracts…and, worse yet, prevents talented small business owners from bringing expertise and value to Federal buyers who need what we do to deliver their missions and serve citizens. I know, because those myths were stopping me, and my clients Until I broke through. 

Where To Start, What To Do, Who Can Help Introduction Want to win Federal contracts? Congratulations! You’re in the right place. The Federal government almost certainly buys from companies like yours. Whether you have expertise, services, or products, the world’s biggest buyer could be your next customer. What to do, who can help, and your

Many Government contracts today are set-aside for small businesses, or certain types of small businesses, and the proportion of set-aside contracts will most likely continue to grow in the future.  Indeed, the Biden administration recently stated that it views the Government’s “procurement power” as a means to even the playing field for certain disadvantaged groups,

There is a growing gravitation of commercial businesses engaging in government contracting these days. As they seek contract vehicles to help with access to opportunity, the question of their ultimate success usually comes into play. To be successful requires access to cashflow to keep your profit ahead of your expenses. The common challenge of the

Get into the swim of how and why you can use free, open-source competitive market intelligence , and bring back the wins you want. These lively lessons share unique insight into how to tap that data to open up the relationships you need to succeed. When my team and I do our research into past

Would it surprise you to know that there are FIVE LAYERS to every federal business opportunity?  For over 33 years, I’ve worked with established companies in every industry from the intelligence community to additive manufacturing. And every time I unpack this for seasoned business development professionals, their eyes light up. Here’s why. Once you know

What’s the MAS Consolidation About? GSA’s revamped Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program simplifies the acquisition process for both agencies and contractors. Under the program, businesses and their offerings are pre-vetted and easily accessible, removing burdensome requirements for contractors to sell their products/services, and for agencies to purchase them.  Initially, GSA Schedules consisted of 24 separate

 How to Optimize Industry Outreach Conversations!  In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes or so the saying goes.  Your Industry Outreach could be your Fifteen Minutes of Fame….. so if you only get one shot, what are you going to do to maximize it”?  It’s YOUR fifteen minutes!!  Never more true than

Our Federal buyers want to get to know us before we invest the big bucks to write those big bids! Pre-solicitation activities like Sources Sought and Requests for Information open the door to building the relationships we need to succeed. Here’s how  we know.  Skip Blackburn, capture expert and CEO of BIT Solutions, points out

Mastering Industry Outreach Meetings… Tryouts are announced! Coach announced his goals for the season and the tryout announcement said, “All interested in being on the team need to be ready for the tryouts on Wednesday at 3 PM.  Team session first and then individual try-outs.  Bring your gear and be ready to show the coach

Federal government contracting can be very complicated.  The complex web of rules and regulations governing these contracts can be difficult to navigate.  Sometimes, subcontracting can be even more confusing because contractors – whether prime or sub – don’t know what they don’t know.  A successful subcontracting relationship on a federal project is a balancing act

As many Federal Government contractors tackle the newest array of requests for proposals that are coming out, there is an important element of proposal writing that must be contained in every response – value propositions.  Too many Government contractors leave this ingredient out of their proposals.  Our emphasis typically is on the business volume, but

We had such and exciting webinar with The Pulse of GovCon, talking about GovCon opportunity in this new administration, we wanted to share some of the highlights.  You can download the full webinar below.  Don’t miss out on this can’t miss information. As we enter 2021, the Government Contracting industry is benefiting from a 10-year

For many GovCons, contract spending is slower right now, as departments and agencies await new budget authority, new priorities, and new leaders. Seasoned GovCons are relaxed. They’re patiently calling on their Federal buyers, even while “nobody knows anything.”  Why aren’t they worried, and why are they in such a great mood? In this post, we’ll

So you are just hanging up the phone after talking with the government POC for the meeting with the potential customer team, excited that you have a chance to engage in the upcoming acquisition with some ideas you have had for a while on the challenges the government may face in improving the services you

5 Perfect Gifts For Your Team Still looking for the right gifts for your GovCon team or your colleagues?Help is here. All of us in GovCon — solo-preneurs, business owners, contractors — rely on a mix of trusted advisors, partners, employees, and contractors all year long. Our success depends on attracting the best people into

How To Win Contracts In A New Administration  A new Administration can make late fall and early winter an anxious time in the Federal contracting arena.  Many Federal employees and GovCons feel anxious and uncertain: how will program priorities, budgets, and jobs be affected in the months ahead? Pandemic continues to stress our personal and

You’ve probably seen this at the doctor’s office or ER, especially if you’ve been there with kids. Here’s why it matters to you now. If you do business with the Federal government, this question How did FY20 rate on the GovCon Pain Scale for you? is vital for your survival right now. Here’s why. If

Easy, powerful, ways to build trust and pWIN all year long At the end of the fiscal year, and all year-long, really, Federal buyers need ways to come to know, like and trust you. In a previous post, I covered the most important of those ways—The 12x Factor: How to Close More Federal Contracts at Fiscal

What would you do if the missing link between you and a federal contract win was a few conversations with somebody you care about? For the most part, I serve people who want to win federal contracts. That’s been my profession for over 30 years.

You know how hard Federal contracting is. You’ve had those weeks, those months: no signs of life anywhere. You turn over the rocks, you dig. Everything seems absolutely uninhabited. Nobody’s returning calls. No opportunities. Nothing. And yet. You know that Federal agency is spending money. In fact, your competitor is winning some of it, and

“I need more time,” you’re thinking as you pull another all-nighter slammed up against yet one more proposal deadline. “How does anybody get these things done in 30 days?” What you need most is a reality check. If you’re looking for the way to do the whole job, start-to-finish, in 30 days, stop what you’re