I have delved into the federal proposal side of government contracting. Days of pouring over Fed Biz Opps had my eyes bleeding, my mind muddled, and my ears ringing with the sounds of repeated secretarial rejection as I attempted to reach out to the various POCs listed on each nondescript entry. The sheer amount of hours, painstaking correctness, and research involved in making a viable proposal for just one contract without the guarantee of success is enough to make any businessman cry for his mother…
Managing projects like these is no easy feat – if you’re not familiar with it, I’ll give a brief overview:
State, Local and Federal governments use a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Information (RFI) process when they are in need of a product or service. Companies must meet strict government requirements and follow the RFP and RFI process to explicit detail. There are no guarantees of being awarded the contract after these proposals have been put together.
Why is this process so difficult? It would not be government service without strict regulation. They have very specific rules and regulations on the timeline and management of their data and its security. Also, strict budgetary conditions often require them to seek product cost well in advance of their ability to purchase.
Since this experience, it became clear that the needs, requirements and forecasting involved are immeasurable. The margin for error is tiny. Government contractors need a way to make this process simpler, easier, and compliant with government rules. Since then, 5i Solutions has developed a comprehensive understanding of State and local government processes main need: risk management.
They have specific rules and regulations on the timeline and management of their record keeping. We understand those requirements and the value that government puts on risk management.
How does 5i Solutions perform Risk Management? Our full-service database management of those critical documents at multiple locations (including field personnel) works within the government’s strict framework. It runs at high efficiency while working. Access privileges can include:
1. Full access to the general public, as well as,
2. Restricted access to only one employee can be achieved within the same database for classified documents or community announcements.
Whether we are providing Enterprise Content Management (SaaS), Document Review Software (SaaS), Scanning/Coding of hard copy documents or E-discovery (SaaS), these requirements and the value that government puts on risk management are taken into account well before responding with a proposal. Finally, a way in which GovCon can actually be made easy.
