04/14/2026
Most companies start competing when the RFP drops. The ones who win started months ago.
In government contracting, the proposal is rarely where the competition is decided — it's just where the scorecards are filled out.
If you're serious about capture, here's what customer engagement before the solicitation should actually look like:
🔍 Know their budget reality, not just their mission
Review agency budget justifications (CBJs), appropriations markups, and program office spending histories. An agency talking about a priority with no funding behind it is not an opportunity — it's noise.
📅 Track the acquisition timeline, not just SAM.gov
Sources Sought notices, Industry Days, and draft RFPs are signals, not starting guns. By the time a draft RFP hits the street, the customer often already has a mental model of their ideal vendor. Your job is to be part of shaping that model.
🤝 Make meetings mean something
Capability briefings that are just company commercials waste everyone's time. Go in with specific questions about their pain points, evaluation priorities, and incumbent pain. Come out with intelligence that sharpens your win strategy.
📝 Leave a paper trail that positions you
RFI responses, white papers, and even thoughtful comments on draft solicitations are opportunities to introduce your technical approach before the evaluation begins. Evaluators read these. Use them.
📊 Build a contact map, not just a contact list
Understand who influences the requirement, who controls the budget, and who will evaluate the proposal. These are rarely the same person. Engaging only the Contracting Officer and missing the Program Manager is a costly mistake.
The pre-RFP phase is where capture is won or lost. The proposal is just the documentation.
What's one pre-RFP activity your team does consistently? Drop it in the comments — let's build the playbook together. 👇
