I have won many contracts by responding to an RFI.You can have similar success if you 'write for the win' during federal buyer market research.In this training, you'll learn:• How I my initial review of a Request for Information (RFI)• My step-by-step process for quick planning around an outline of the page layout• Ways I find to engage with the federal buyer before responding to an RFI or Sources Sought Notice___________________________________🔥 Join 27,326 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,684 other people do.
FPDS is one of the most valuable tools in your toolbox.Join me in this series and become an expert at using the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS).This is the first of a planned series about FPDS.In this training, you'll learn:• What FPDS is and why it is helpful to small business government contractors• Major sections of FPDS and how they help you find opportunities• Top information that can be found in FPDS___________________________________🔥 Join 27,326 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,684 other people do.
Don't get caught in a reserch whirlpool.At some point you must have meetings with federal buyers to have success.In this training, you'll learn:• Why it starts with having a clear set of objectives you want out of the meeting• How setting a purpose gets everyone on the same page as you• To control a meeting for your success and that of the other participants___________________________________🔥 Join 27,326 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,684 other people do.
President Trump ordered the Department of War to overhaul the entire defense acquisition system, and they did.This new strategy affects every contractor, including small businesses.If you want to stay ahead in FY2026, you need to know exactly what’s changing.In this training, you'll learn:• The biggest shifts in the Department of War’s FY2026 Acquisition Transformation Strategy• Where the new opportunities will emerge first• How to position your company to benefit from these changes___________________________________🔥 Join 27,326 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,684 other people do.
Federal buyers like AFLCM, use Industry Days to tell us what they need.I use them as ways to identify opportunities that can be won.In this training, you'll learn:• What information is shared during industry days.• How I 'scrub' industry day slide decks to find the most valuable information• Steps I take to turn slides into opportunities___________________________________🔥 Join 27,232 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,565 other people do.
Finding staffing contracts in federal agencies is a processIt can seem overwhelming until you know the steps… here's mine. In this training, you'll learn:• How I identified almost 100 'staffing' contracts to pursue in FY2026• How I determine which are the best fit for me• What I do after identifying opportunities that look like a good fit.___________________________________🔥 Join 27,232 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,565 other people do.
The WOSB Program should deliver value to WOSBs… but it does not.This is not my opinion, it is a fact based on awarded contracts.And this isn't a complaint, it's a recognition driving me to train WOSBs how to have success despite the certification.In this training, you'll learn:• The facts about the WOSB program• How the SBA gaslights WOSBs• What to do to win contracts as a woman-owned small business___________________________________🔥 Join 26,811 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,990 other people do.
If you do what all your competitors do, you'll be an also ran.Doesn't mean you won't write a decent proposal, but it does mean you won't appear any different.But it's not that hard to stand out from your competitors by writing better proposals.In this training, you'll learn:• Why starting early matters most• Being success must begin with being clear and compliant• Compelling requires you identifying more than explicit paint points or objectives___________________________________🔥 Join 26,811 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,990 other people do.
Stop teaming with your friends!That's bad for you and them. You both end up losing too often.Instead, team up with the best company to help you win the contract.Of course that might sometimes be your friends, but often it really is not.You both deserve to win more.In this training, you'll learn:• How to set the criteria needed for a perfect teammate on each opportunity• Why it is important to vet possible teammates before committing• Establish a written agreement early on all key points___________________________________🔥 Join 26,811 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,990 other people do.
SAM.Gov is the foundational tool for government contracting.By mastering it's data and how to use SAM.Gov, you will win more contracts.It's not magic, it's just the process for how federal buyers communicate with small businesses.SAM stands for the 'System for Award Management'.In this training, you'll learn:• How to find oppportunities in SAM.Gov• What information is in each opportunity and how it can help you• How to set up SAM.Gov to never miss an opportunity___________________________________🔥 Join 26,811 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,990 other people do.
I get it. It sucks that the federal government is shut down.But we can't control that, only the actions we take.Here are 5 tips for this week that will ensure we keep moving forward even though our customer is not.In this training, you'll learn:• How to keep your pipeline moving even when agencies aren’t buying• The daily habits that separate winners from worriers• What relationships you can (and should) build this week• Why momentum, not funding, is your greatest advantage___________________________________🔥 Join 27,128 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,414 other people do.
Some of the most helpful tools for GovCons are on GSA's site.Successful small businesses master federal tools like those that GSA makes available.In this training, you'll learn:• How to find tools you can use• Which tools will help you as you try to win contracts• Where GSA is going in this 2025/2026 transition___________________________________🔥 Join 27,128 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,414 other people do.
Most proposals sound the same in the federal market.Great ones stand out because of clear Win Themes.A Win Theme ensures all of your activity leads to differentiating your company in a way buyers will value.In this training, you'll learn:• What are Win Themes• How Win Themes strengthen proposals sent to federal buyers• Simple framework you can follow to create your own Win Theme___________________________________🔥 Join 27,128 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,414 other people do.
I just returned from two, back-to-back Defense focused events.Here's how I ensure they have lasting value and how you can too.In this training, you'll learn:• How to triage all the leads you identified from the conference• Short-term steps to take that will turn a lead into part of your network• Long-term steps to make sure your new leads don't fade out of your network___________________________________🔥 Join 27,128 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,414 other people do.
Federal buyers and teammates are stalking you online.They're trying to find you and decide if you're worth their time.This is called in-bound sales and counts for 99% of your business' growth.In this training, you'll learn:• Where federal buyers go to look you and your company up• What signals tell a federal buyer not to select you• Why teammates and buyers check you out before meeting___________________________________🔥 Join 27,128 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 42,414 other people do.
I know it can seem like there's nothing we can do while the government is shut down, but that's not the case.Winners make things happen.Others either 'watch it happen' or 'ask what happened'.To survive the shutdown, you need to be one of the companies 'making it happen'.In this training, you'll learn:• What is really shutdown during the FY2026 government shutdown?• What can small business government contractors do now?• 5 things you can keep doing to increase your chances of coming out on top___________________________________🔥 Join 26,811 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,990 other people do.
As a government contractor, you'll meet so many people.We call them stakeholders when we group them like you see below.By understanding who they are, you can create plans for meeting them.In this training, you'll learn:• About Federal Buyer Stakeholders• About Teaming Partner Stakeholders• About (free and paid) Supporting Stakeholders___________________________________🔥 Join 26,718 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,850 other people do.
If you do not specialize, you will not succeed.This is true for athletes - they don't play every sport.This is true for doctors - they don't specialize in every part of the body.And this is true with government contractors.In this training, you'll learn:• What is a core competency• Why buyers need you to specialize not be a generalist• Why a lack of a clear, core competency will prevent your success___________________________________🔥 Join 26,718 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,850 other people do.
Everyone says you need to meet with federal buyers and teammates?But how? Is the most common question.If you can land 1st meetings with a buyer, you can get a 2nd meeting.And anyone who can have two meetings with a buyer has started and is building a strategic relationship that will lead to sales.In this training, you'll learn:• Why you should have 1 intro meeting per day with someone new• How I prepare to contact a federal buyer or teammate• My process for getting the meetings with people I don't know___________________________________🔥 Join 26,718 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,850 other people do.
AUSA 2025 is the must-attend event for anyone in the defense sector.But what if you can't make it to DC in person?You can still network and build relationships outside of the three days.When you think about it, how can anyone meet even a fraction of the over 44K people expected to be there?They can't. You and they need a plan for pre and post engagement.In this training, you'll learn:• How to engage with key note speakers and panelists• How to engage with the 750+ exhibitors• How to engage with the expected 44,000 attendees___________________________________🔥 Join 26,718 others and subscribe to our GovCon newsletter | https://lnkd.in/es6qfwgk👀 Follow me (Neil McDonnell) on LinkedIn™ and hit the 🔔 on my profile to see more government contracting content like 41,850 other people do.