What Firm Fixed Price and Cost Plus Contracts Mean for Your Bid Strategy

Learn how to shape a solicitation before the government even releases the final RFP. In this episode, Eric Coffie walks through a real example where his sources sought suggestions were added directly to an SDVOSB set aside solicitation on Seaport. The government added his recommended minimum past performance requirements and an organic small UAS capability, dramatically increasing his win probability from maybe to definitely.

How adding minimum past performance requirements raises the standard and elbows out LPTA lowest price vendors
Why the government added organic small UAS capability to the solicitation and what that tells you about the incumbent
The difference between firm fixed price, cost plus fixed fee, and time and materials and which one puts risk on you
How to use Naval special warfare past performance to win regular Navy weapons training contracts
Why OCONUS performance in Bahrain and Virginia beach changes your pricing strategy
What it means when the government keeps a contract on Seaport under an engineering NAICS code that has nothing to do with engineering

EPISODE CHAPTERS:
0:00 - How a sources sought response shaped this entire solicitation
0:57 - Putting customer logos on your cover page in Microsoft Word
2:24 - Keeping it SDVOSB on Seaport to elbow out competition
2:54 - Adding minimum past performance to raise the standard for vendors
3:54 - Why best value trade off beats lowest price technically acceptable
4:22 - How the government added organic small UAS capability to the RFP
5:21 - Why the incumbent probably does not have drones and is not performing
5:51 - OCONUS performance in Bahrain and Virginia beach
6:19 - Firm fixed price means you eat every mistake you make
7:18 - Cost plus fixed fee locks your profit at 8 percent with less risk
8:16 - Time and materials is a blank check for disaster cleanup
9:09 - Why the military pays whatever it takes to stay mission capable
9:37 - Using Naval special warfare past performance for regular Navy training

If you want to learn more about the community and to join the webinars go to: https://federalhelpcenter.com/
Website: https://govcongiants.org/
Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(748)

Why Subcontracting First Is the Smartest Move Before You Pursue a Prime Government Contract

Subcontracting is not a fallback plan in government contracting — it is the fastest way to learn how federal agencies operate, who the key players are, and how to position yourself to win as a prime. ...

1 Jun 7min

Government Contracting Tools That Help Small Businesses Win More Federal Contracts Faster

Government contracting tools can either accelerate your business or waste hours of your week clicking between SAM.gov, FPDS, USAspending, and Google Sheets. In this episode Eric Coffie breaks down why...

31 Mai 10min

Starting a Government Contracting Consulting Business Around AI Companies in 2026

Marketing a GSA schedule the right way can completely change how a small business grows inside federal contracting, especially when AI and cybersecurity are reshaping every RFI and RFP hitting the str...

30 Mai 8min

How Overhead Costs Will Kill Your Small Business if You Don't Watch Them Carefully

Small business overhead costs are the silent killer that takes down more government contractors than slow sales ever could. In this episode, West Edwards breaks down exactly how to separate cost of go...

29 Mai 9min

Why Most Small Businesses Lose Federal Contracts Before They Even Submit a Bid

Go no go decision speed is the single biggest reason small businesses lose federal contracts they should have won. In this episode Ryan Atencio breaks down how to shred a solicitation in 48 hours, why...

28 Mai 8min

8 Brutal Truths About Government Subcontracting That No One Tells Small Businesses | Ep: 326

Government subcontracting is where most small businesses leave millions on the table, and in this episode Eric Coffie breaks down the 8 brutal truths he learned the hard way about working under prime ...

27 Mai 50min

What Procurement Readiness Really Looks Like Before You Walk Into Any Agency

Government contracting procurement readiness is the difference between being treated like a serious prime and being talked down to by a small business rep who thinks you don't know what you're doing. ...

26 Mai 8min

How to Find Prime Contractors and Pitch Tribal 8a Firms for Subcontracts

How to find prime contractors and pitch them for real subcontracting work is one of the most overlooked skills in federal contracting, and most small businesses get it completely wrong. In this episod...

25 Mai 10min