Q4 RFP Rush: Brace for the Flood 🌊
As we enter Q4 of the federal fiscal year, we usually find ourselves in the early stages of a busy season, inundated with RFPs. However, due to the continuing resolution and delays in passing a budget earlier this year, the landscape has shifted. Instead of the expected flood of RFPs in June, we are seeing an unusually heavy volume of RFIs for this time of year.
This delay means that Q4 is going to be exceptionally busy with RFPs as agencies rush to meet their fiscal year deadlines. We should anticipate a particularly intense final few weeks, with numerous RFP responses required in a short period.
To prepare for this whirlwind, here are two critical considerations:
Plan Resourcing Accordingly: Ensure your current staff are available and ready to handle the increased workload. Arrange for surge staff to be on standby to assist during peak times. Don't be caught off guard and miss the opportunity to respond based on resourcing.
Prepare Now: Begin teaming efforts and preliminary writing tasks now, even before the RFPs drop, if you haven't already. Optimize essential building blocks like management plans, past performance citations, resumes, and other key components to streamline your efforts when the RFPs are released.
If you can benefit from outsourced support, please let us know. Our team is ready to manage, write, and review past submissions to optimize for future RFPs, ensuring we can meet the upcoming demands efficiently.
Lastly, we know many of you have been eagerly anticipating the NIH PICS III awards, which were expected in June. While delayed, we do expect them to be announced in the near term. On the other hand, OASIS+ for Marketing and Public Relations (Phase 2) continues to slide to the right as GSA is still finalizing the first phase awardees. Be on the lookout for that as well as the proposed scorecards.