1.      Federal contractors (at least the quality/professional ones) love well-written RFPs – primarily because well-written requirement documents (RFPs) encourage comprehensive solutions expressed in well-written proposal responses.  Conversely it is difficult to respond to poorly written requirements because the response usually entails a “guess” as to what the specific requirements really are, or less than complete solutions because the RFP-stated requirements have significant “gaps”.  Well-written RFPs afford highly capable and professional contractors the opportunity to describe their solution to the government with the full expression of capabilities and best practices they bring to bear in meeting the specific needs of the government.   

2.      Alternatively, poorly written requirements with vague/subjective evaluation criteria can work against a more fully qualified vendor and open the door for less qualified/capable vendors. Proposal responses to well-written RFPs significantly aid government source selection boards in assessing and selecting the truly the low risk/high value solutions that meet the governments specific requirements.

It is not my intent to over simplify the problem and in truth, a lot of good things have occurred/are occurring in government procurement, but at the most basic level, if the government wants to reduce the Federal deficit and  create efficiencies – just write better RFPs.    

From a process perspective, your positioning statement outlines the services/products you provide and your value proposition (e.g., how you do it different/better/more effectively – your competitive advantages).  The messages you develop to convey this information, and their supporting proof points, should be specific to your identified target audience segments.  Segment specific messages should be “tested” with your key target audience segments to verify their appropriateness, effectiveness and optimum means of delivery, e.g., internet, collateral, briefings, trade shows etc.  Your messages may also vary based on both your sales cycle and the government’s procurement cycle.  

In Federal contracting, key target audience segments generally include the following:

1. Key Competitors

2. Potential Teammates   

3. Government Procurement Personnel  

4. Government Users/Influencers

Successful business communication is about identifying and removing barriers to communication in a way that contributes to the bottom line.  Your ability to deliver effective messages to key target audience segments is essential to successful marketing and sales efforts.  A positioning statement is a good methodology to help identify and deliver meaningful and effective segment-specific messages.