Capture planning: find government contracts worth chasing before they are posted.
A focused list of contracts worth pursuing, and a plan to be ready for each one.
The contract you will bid on next year is already in motion.
Government buyers do not come out of nowhere. Contracts have end dates and options. Programs are planned and funded. Incumbents have held their positions for a known time.
Firms that only look at what is open today are choosing from whatever is left, with whatever time is left. Capture planning is deciding where to look, early enough to act on what you find.
What is knowable before an RFP appears
All of it from public sources. None of it is a secret.
- When current contracts end. Award notices and contract terms often show the end date and any options to extend.
- Who holds them. The incumbent, and how long they have been there.
- What the buyer says it plans to buy. Published plans, budgets and priorities, where buyers publish them.
- How the buyer talks to suppliers. Industry days, information sessions and supplier registrations.
- What is changing. Shifts in procurement policy and in how contracts are packaged.
What six months buys you
Compare it with having ten days.
With ten days, you can write a response. With six months, you can get a question in front of the buyer, line up a partner or subcontractor you are missing, put an insurance or certification requirement in place, and decide calmly whether to bid at all.
Most of what wins a bid is decided before the RFP is posted. Capture planning is how you start on it.
What the plan looks like
An illustration of the format. The content is invented.
A ranked list of target opportunities, each with a likely timing, why it fits, and how confident we are. Then a 12-month calendar: what to check and what to do each quarter, ahead of each target. For example, in the first quarter, register with a buyer you have not sold to and ask for the debrief on a past award. In the second, line up the partner you are missing. In the third, decide whether to bid on the first target and get a price floor.
You see where your time goes, and why, before you spend it.
What capture planning covers
What we look at
- Which buyers and departments spend on what you sell
- Past awards, incumbents and likely renewal dates
- Published procurement plans and forecasts where they exist
- Where your strengths fit, and where you would be stretching
You walk away with
- The buyers and contracts worth your attention
- A ranked, timed list of target opportunities
- A 12-month bid calendar
- What to do now to be ready for each
How it works
Set the target
We agree what you sell, where you want to grow and what you can take on.
Fixed quote
Scope and fee agreed before work starts.
Research and ranking
Four to six weeks of buyer, incumbent and renewal research, turned into a ranked list.
The plan
A 12-month calendar and a walkthrough. A quarterly refresh is optional.
Is this the right fit?
Best for
A growth target, a new offering, or a push into a new department, province or state. Also firms that keep finding opportunities with only days left to respond.
Not the right fit if
You already have a live opportunity and need to decide whether to chase it. Start with a Bid Economics Assessment instead. This also does not replace a bid-alert service. It tells you where to point your attention.
Questions
Where do the opportunities come from?
Public sources: tender portals such as CanadaBuys, MERX and SAM.gov, published award history, procurement plans and forecasts where buyers publish them, and what is known about the incumbents. We do not claim access to anything that is not public.
Can you guarantee the contracts will be posted?
No. Plans change, budgets move and some contracts are never retendered. The plan ranks opportunities by fit and likelihood, and says how confident we are in each.
Do you cover both Canada and the US?
Yes, and we can look at one, the other, or both depending on where you want to grow.
Is there a refresh?
Yes, a quarterly refresh is available so the calendar stays current.
Related
- Bid Economics Assessment: decide which of the targets are actually worth bidding.
- Win/Loss Review: learn from the last two years before you plan the next one.
- Fractional Bid Manager: keep it going every month.
- All services
Tired of finding RFPs with a week left?
Book a free Bid Health Check and tell us where you want to grow.