Zero Dollar Winning - Part 3

Author's Note: We (the general public) can't see the full transaction details of the federal spend for FY 2024 until January 1, 2025. That's because of the protocol of delaying DoD's content for 90 days. What we can see, as of November 16, 2024, is total obligations of $656B year-to-date, with 24.5% of that spend landing on multiple-award vehicles. That number hasn't improved in several years, despite the hype from those who don't know, and some who should know better. In this third segment of Zero Dollar Winning, I'm sharing tactics we use to help our members and students get beyond the zero in zero dollar winning.

Just in case this installment is your introduction to this conversation, Zero Dollar Winning is the result of competing for, and being successfully awarded, a federal multiple-award contract that has no work or dollars associated with the initial award. All set? Here we go.

Long before celebrating the win of an agency-specific or governmentwide multiple-award contract (MAC), there were decisions made. In the days following the notice-to-proceed, there will be many more decisions made. The quality of the questions, and of the information leveraged to produce answers and inform decision-making, will have immediate and continuing impact on results. There is a multitude of considerations and challenges waiting for anyone pursuing and winning zero dollar contracts. Understanding if alignment exists to the intended customers and requirements is just the tip of the iceberg.

Let's roll this back to when a decision was made to go win a zero dollar contract. Information from one or more sources sparked ideas and aspirations based on what was known at the time. This zero dollar award was seen as a way of growing and achieving short and long term goals. Maybe an M&A event?

Now, let's jump ahead to a successful MAC award. Congratulations! Are you ready? What's your plan for achieving any or greater visibility to buyers and customers? How are you boosting your awareness of related priorities and programs that may land on the contract? How well do you understand how work can be awarded? Is it really subject to Fair Opportunity? What is the anticipated schedule and spend? Are you and your team ready to perform?

The factors we like our students to consider as part of preliminary, and ongoing, due diligence include:

• Affordability
• Biddability
• Marketability
• Understandability
• Winnability, and
• Workability

Each of these is a measure of how prepared your organization needs to be prior to pursuit, at a minimum. Since winning a zero dollar contract is truly just the beginning, it doesn't end there. Your entire existence on a zero dollar award needs to be grounded in these metrics for each and every opportunity you will encounter. I'll dive into Affordability, Biddability, Marketability, Understandability, Winnability, and Workability as I continue to dive into Getting Beyond the Zero in Zero Dollar Winning.

These elements are the foundation of our upcoming training and certification program called Zero Dollar Winning Successability?. What do you think of these factors as it relates to pursuing and winning federal agency MACs?

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Peace, Health, and Getting Beyond Zero,

Go-To-Guy Timberlake

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The American Small Business Coalition (The ASBC?)