Pens Down Blog

Pens Down Blog2024-03-28T16:03:54-04:00

The Federal Proposal Industry: A Tradition of Connections and Legacy

In the world of federal procurement, a unique and fascinating trend sets it apart from many other career paths: it’s an industry built on connections, traditions, and legacies. If you ask someone how they ended up in the federal proposal industry, chances are you won’t hear, "I majored in this," or "This is what I always dreamed of doing." Instead, you’re more likely to hear, "I had never heard of this job until so-and-so suggested I apply," or, "My entire family works in this field." A Hidden Gem of a Career Federal procurement isn’t a common topic of conversation in most households or classrooms. It’s a niche industry that doesn’t typically appear on career day posters or college major lists. For many, the entry point into this world comes through personal connections. A friend or family member might suggest applying for a position, often leading to a fulfilling and stable

By |July 21st, 2024|Categories: Blog, eZine, Regular Article|0 Comments

APMP Virtual Women’s Summit: Meet our NCA Presenter – Molly Cox

By |July 31st, 2023|Categories: Blog|

APMP’s second annual Women’s Virtual Summit is August 4th! It’s your opportunity to learn about the most pressing, current, and emerging issues for professional women and how you can be an advocate and ally of women in business.  We had an opportunity to sit down with Molly Cox, presenter and APMP National Capital Area (NCA) member, to talk about what they’re excited about, what to expect from their session and how APMP is helping them

APMP Women’s Virtual Summit: Meet our NCA Presenter – Sarah Miranda

By |July 31st, 2023|Categories: Blog|

APMP’s second annual Women’s Virtual Summit is August 4th! It’s your opportunity to learn about the most pressing, current, and emerging issues for professional women and how you can be an advocate and ally of women in business.  We had an opportunity to sit down with Sarah Miranda, presenter and APMP National Capital Area (NCA) member, to talk about what they’re excited about, what to expect from their session and how APMP is helping them

APMP Women’s Virtual Summit: Meet our NCA Presenter – Shanitra Davis-Howard

By |July 28th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Home Page|

APMP’s second annual Women’s Virtual Summit is August 4th! It’s your opportunity to learn about the most pressing, current, and emerging issues for professional women and how you can be an advocate and ally of women in business.  We had an opportunity to sit down with Shanitra Davis-Howard, presenter and APMP National Capital Area (NCA) member, to talk about what they’re excited about, what to expect from their session and how APMP is helping them

Growth in the Face of the Ever-Extended GWAC Timeline

By |July 10th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Home Page|

Red Team Consulting's blog republished here with permission. The original article can be found here: https://redteamconsulting.com/2023/06/27/extended-gwac-timelines/ Over the last 3-4 months, I’ve had countless conversations on the current state of affairs for GWACs and multi-award IDIQs. This of course included contracts such as NIH CIO-SP4 and GSA Polaris but also GSA OASIS+, VA T4NG2, and future GWACs such as NASA SEWP VI. These discussions included questions on how agencies are evolving the way they compete

Innovation and Insights at APMP’s BPC 2023

By |June 5th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

The Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) hosted the highly anticipated Bid and Proposal Conference (BPC) at the magnificent Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel and Resort in Orlando, Florida this year and several NCA Board members had the opportunity to attend. The conference brought together industry professionals, experts, and enthusiasts for an immersive experience filled with insightful sessions, networking opportunities, and the latest trends in proposal management. BPC Orlando brought together proposal management professionals from

APMP BPC ’23: How to Make an Entrance

By , |May 15th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

It’s that time of year again! Time for APMP Bid and Proposal Conference (BPC), affectionately known as BidCon...time for reconnecting with old friends, networking with new colleagues, and discovering what’s new in the dynamic world of proposal management. Last year we talked about meeting new people, and how “always be introducing” helps us thrive at networking. How owning our space helps us own our power. How joining a random lunch table tells people we have

APMP-NCA Capture Power Breakfast Empowers Networking and Strategy

By |April 12th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

In March, APMP-NCA held its annual Capture Power Breakfast – an informative and engaging morning of strategy and networking with DMV federal and civilian capture management experts. The sold-out event, back in person for the first time since 2019, included eleven speakers sharing insights on today’s most pressing capture topics; everything from competitive intelligence and pricing to Gamestorming. What’s the competition's strategy? What does the program plan need to achieve? What is the most

How Qualification Improves Capture Planning: An Interview with Jennifer Namvar

By |March 26th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Home Page|

Originally published on Patri’s website at https://patri.io/blog/2022/12/how-qualification-improves-capture-planning-an-interview-with-jennifer-namvar/ After 20 years of experience leading diverse teams to win $2B large, complex business development (BD), capture, and proposal efforts for the top federal government systems integrators within the United States defense and civilian agencies, Jennifer Namvar founded The Peerless Group. She is now focused on helping her clients succeed in capturing government contracts primarily in technology, engineering, and research and development (R&D) services and integration, up to

So You’re Just Getting Started In Proposals?

By |February 13th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Home Page|

I’ve been asked about what guidance I would offer to an individual just starting out in proposal development. First and foremost, become an information “sponge.”  © Dr. R.S. Frey. Known as the “Sponge Capital of the World,” Tarpon Springs, Florida, is an area where Greek immigrants settled during the early 1900s. Learn about the Federal acquisition lifecycle or commercial client’s buying cycle, as well as your organization’s Business Development, Capture Management, and Proposal

7 Quality Questions For Sales Calls

By , |January 24th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Home Page|

Among the many informative sessions at last month’s APMP-NCA Mid-Atlantic Conference, one struck me as especially brilliant. It provided an elegant tool to take along to those client or potential client meetings to accomplish what you need. You know those meetings; when you finally get the attention of the buyer in your target agency, and you know that running through a boring capability briefing is an easy way to fill the time and satisfy yourself

Don’t Make Me Think: 5 Ways to Improve Proposal Readability

By |December 2nd, 2022|Categories: Blog, eZine, Featured Article, Home Page, News|

This article is reposted from our corporate partner Key Solutions, Inc’s blog. The original post can be found here. In proposals, clear writing is critical to ensuring the evaluators understand your message. Even if you have the most valuable solution, if you can’t clearly articulate it, you won’t have a high chance of winning the work. Why is this the case? Because it’s simply difficult to score a proposals so evaluators can understand your solution

How to Get Your Company On-Board with Better Qualification

By |November 1st, 2022|Categories: Blog, Home Page|

There are few things worse than finding yourself working late or on the weekend trying to wrap up a proposal you know your company will not win.  Maybe the account executive thought, “why not, it’s worth the shot,” or a go-to-market leader thought your company needed to throw their hat in the ring or that they needed to respond because a competitor did as well. Whatever the case, you and your company are in a

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