Edge Creation Going Into 2022

Really quick - What do I mean by "edge creation" in the context of government purchasing and the world of RFPs? Well, simply, edge creation refers to the ideation of winning themes and strategies that will form your reason to be shortlisted.

Edge is not merely subjective, and as we enter 2022, it will require more than just compliance and price justification.

Prior edge creation, pre-pandemic circa 2015, rested on administrative compliance and having strong past performance. It also depended on one's ability to show "best value." How you justified this might vary: boosting your team's capabilities by adding experts and subconsultants, highlighting your experience in the region, showcasing scheduling sophistication with Gantt Charts, and so forth.

Edge creation in 2022 will rely on the following:

1. A demonstrated effort or an accumulation of efforts to reach out to associations, nonprofits, adjacent departments, and chambers of commerce to form partnerships in geographical proximity to the purchaser who issued the RFP you're pursuing.
2. A demonstrated and real attempt to close the gap between the purchaser's stance on environmental matters (advocating for biodiversity, more equitable land use, etc.) and yours. A great case study on this edge includes the City of Palm Springs and their environmental departments there, which are friendly towards vendors who seek to make the region better during and after a contract's term. One City representative stated: "A company that cares about their time serving our community, and wants to make deployments more eco-friendly is SO REFRESHING."
3. Conversations before, during, and after the RFP process.
4. Regional specificity; can you deliver a response that feels local, familiar, and comfortable?
5. Communication expertise and the ability to train purchaser staff.

How do you showcase these in your proposal? Look at the page real estate in your Appendix sections, and don't forget to include email communication (yes, this counts as partnership-formation evidence)!

Want to work with the experts on a future proposal project? Schedule a chat here: https://calendly.com/theknowledgestack.

TKS (www.trytks.com) is changing the nature of competition, forever. Stack contract wins and amplify your edge with us.