342: How to Win Government Contracts With No Connections by Targeting the Right Buyer

Colin Nchako shows, live and unscripted, exactly how he spots partnership opportunities inside real sources sought notices — and how to use member pairings to build past performance even when you're just starting out. He walks through a real solicitation in real time, catches a missed 508 compliance requirement with help from the group, and shares the true story of nearly missing a submission deadline (and sending it in at 3 AM anyway). Chapters: 00:00 - Building past performance through member pairings 00:34 - Why timing matters: sources sought to award window 01:14 - Using your proposal bootcamp template 01:49 - Live example: spotting a partnership need in a real notice 02:23 - The group catches a missed 508 compliance requirement 03:44 - Why answering RFIs gets you shortlisted 05:01 - Real stories: what happens when you answer (or don't) 05:44 - Government's push to cut fraud, waste & abuse 06:05 - The 3AM deadline scramble story 06:57 - Should you still submit if you're late? 07:02 - Low response volume can work in your favor 07:17 - Spotting the proofreader/editor opportunity live 08:16 - Why past performance and proof of concept matter most Market Intelligence gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai

Eric Coffie walks a small business owner through a real Schedule of Values for a fire suppression construction contract — showing exactly how to break work into billable phases so you get paid periodically instead of waiting until the project is complete. He covers how to divide work by trade, what to include in each line item (materials, installation, design), how percentage-complete billing actually works, and answers the #1 question new contractors ask: can you get paid upfront for bonding or mobilization? Chapters: 00:00 - Why you need to bill in phases on longer contracts 00:38 - How percentage-complete billing works (25% example) 01:01 - Breaking a $200K project into line items 01:24 - The blank Schedule of Values template 02:02 - Q: How do I decide what goes in each column? 02:57 - Real example: fire suppression contract walkthrough 03:21 - Breaking work down by trade/division 03:49 - Applying it to demo, install, and design 04:38 - Where materials fit in your schedule of values 05:47 - Do you need this before or after the pre-construction meeting? 06:23 - It doesn't matter when work happens — only % complete 06:45 - Who do you bill, and how does inspection work? 07:13 - Do you invoice per phase or per billing period? 07:35 - Can you get money upfront for bonding or mobilization? Market Intelligence gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai

If you want to know how to win government contracts now that the overhauled FAR says the government only has to inform you, not assist you, this episode is the targeting playbook for it.  Former Air Force contracting officer Kevin Jans, who spent 16 years on the government side and now runs Skyway Acquisition, breaks down how he narrowed 212,000 contracting people down to the 135 who actually buy what he sells, and why reaching them during the market research window, before the RFP ever drops, is what separates winners from the crowd bidding blind. He walks through the three deciders, the four acquisition time zones, and the exact word changes in the new FAR ("shall consider" to "may consider") that make targeting non-negotiable. Listen for the reason emailing 500 officers loses the deal that two lunches would win. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open: who buys what you sell 02:57 From Air Force CO to founding Skyway 07:04 What Kevin no longer believes about contractors 14:32 The three deciders in every purchase 19:44 The four acquisition time zones 25:06 Inside the FAR overhaul: shall vs may 44:60 The unsexy skill: targeting 49:32 Your first four weeks to a contract 54:00 Why relationships decide the award Market Intelligence gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding Connect with Kevin Jans: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjans/

Shaping a government statement of work through sources sought is the single most overlooked way small businesses win federal contracts before they are ever competed, and in this episode a former government buyer breaks down exactly how it works. Ryan Atencio spent years on the inside developing statements of work as the end user, and he walks through how to feed the customer minimum requirements, recommendations, and language that come back out inside the actual solicitation.  If you have ever wondered why some contractors seem to win the moment a bid drops, this is the mechanism nobody teaches you. How to add suggestions and recommendations to the end of every sources sought response so the contracting officer passes your language straight to the customer Why influencing the end user before it reaches the contracting officer is the real edge, and how to hand them a sample statement of work that is aimed at your company The subcontractor pitch that primes almost never hear: being turnkey, aggressively developing business, and expanding the scope of services a prime can offer the government How to become the sub a sought-after prime actually responds to, and why janky, poorly worded outreach emails get ignored Why 14 months is the average time to a first government contract, and how a consultant can become the government arm of an already successful private-side business EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Sources sought as the way to shape a solicitation 0:54 - Reaching the end user before the contracting officer 1:29 - Writing the statement of work that wins the bid 2:36 - Adding recommendations and minimum requirements to responses 3:36 - Why a good contracting book still can't teach influence 4:08 - Becoming attractive to a large prime partner 4:54 - The turnkey subcontractor pitch primes want to hear 5:30 - Making a new requirement out of nothing 6:00 - How consulting clients find him and how he lands them 7:13 - Why 14 months to a first contract sells consulting 8:04 - Falling into government construction as a consultant 9:04 - Why only 1 to 2 percent of small businesses win Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding

GovCon consulting starts with one skill most people skip: finding the opportunity before you ever find the client. In this episode, consultant Zach Golden walks through a real day in the life, showing exactly how he sources federal opportunities, uses sources sought notices to open doors, and turns a single environmental remediation bid into a new teaming relationship. If you want to consult in government contracting but think you need deep industry expertise first, this one rewires how you approach the whole business. In this episode you'll learn: How to find clients and opportunities at the same time by leading with a live sources sought notice instead of a cold pitch The exact outreach email Zach sends to environmental firms, referencing a real 115th Fighter Wing soil remediation requirement, and why he follows every email with a phone call Why teaming and subcontracting with GSA schedule and IDIQ holders is exploding as spending tightens, and how to position yourself in that market How to sound like an authority in an industry you know nothing about by being honest about where your expertise actually lives (the federal side) Why Zach avoids pricing at all costs and focuses on proposal assembly and technical approach writing to make sure every "shall" requirement gets covered EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Finding clients and opportunities at the same time 1:00 - Teaming with GSA and IDIQ prime contractors 1:52 - Choosing an industry and finding a source 2:37 - The exact sources sought outreach email that works 3:53 - Following up by phone and explaining contract vehicles 4:59 - Building prospect lists from the small business database 5:18 - Winning clients in industries you know nothing about 5:43 - Construction ebbs and flows every contractor understands 6:40 - Being honest that your expertise is federal, not technical 7:13 - Checking contract language on annual amounts 7:45 - Why Zach avoids pricing and focuses on technical writing 8:24 - Covering every "shall" in proposal assembly Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding

New government contractors keep asking the wrong question about money, and it's quietly stalling their business before it starts. In this Federal Help Center Q&A, Eric Coffie breaks down why reinvestment (not taking profit home) is the only realistic move in your early contract volume, how to delegate with virtual assistants when cash is tight, and why the "starving period" is longer than almost anyone admits. If you're building a govcon business solo with no team and no cushion, this is the honest conversation you need before you spend your first check. Why you can't keep the money yet: how reinvesting your first contract revenue back into help, systems, and business development is the practical path when volume is still slow Delegating with virtual assistants: how Eric lists every recurring task, decides what to hand off, and hires online help he's used for 20 years across content and operations The real "starving period": why it can run five to six years, why revenue like $500K or even $2M doesn't equal take-home or feeling successful, and the revenue vs. profit trap new contractors miss The community advantage: why telling your network you're pursuing government contracts (even a 10-million-follower audience) is what makes people actually help you Tracking projects early: how following a contract from release gives you the scope, documentation, and prime relationships that awarded records on SAM.gov will never show you EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Finding federal opportunities across SAM.gov and beyond 0:49 - Building a govcon community where entrepreneurs help each other 1:14 - Hiring virtual assistants to delegate contracting tasks 1:47 - Reinvesting contract revenue instead of keeping the money 3:08 - Telling your network you want government contracts 4:05 - Doing every job yourself in the beginning 5:31 - The real starving period for new contractors 7:27 - Revenue versus profit and the take-home misconception 8:40 - Tracking contract projects before they hit SAM.gov Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding

Understanding the rules of federal small business programs is the difference between winning contracts and losing them to a protest, and in this episode David Rambhajan breaks down exactly how he used the FAR, the VAR, and the SDVOSB set-aside rules to protect a multi-million dollar Army Corps award. He shares the mentor-protege and like-kind subcontracting strategies that let veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned firms actually profit in the federal marketplace. If you think a certification alone gets you work, this conversation shows you what really moves the needle. Why veteran-owned status alone carries no leverage in federal subcontracting, and why service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) is the tier that unlocks set-aside opportunities How like-kind subcontracting lets a prime meet 15 to 25 percent self-performance goals by hiring another veteran-owned firm, straight from a contracting officer's own ruling The exact three-point script David used to defeat a protest on a veteran set-aside contract at the Army Corps of Engineers How the mentor-protege program makes a 51 percent owner's entity a small business that can bid and win as an SDVOSB The joint venture two-year rule most contractors never check, and how to use it to legally clear a lower bidder off a contract EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Mendi Media finds federal opportunities across SAM.gov 0:48 - Veteran subcontractor pipe insulation relationship story 2:00 - Service disabled veteran owned versus veteran owned rules 2:55 - Like-kind subcontracting to meet self-performance goals 5:20 - Mentor protege program makes protege a small business 6:10 - Defeating a protest on a set-aside contract 7:40 - Joint venture two-year bidding rule strategy 8:56 - Know the rules debrief and keep learning Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts.   👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding

Limitations on subcontracting and work share rules decide whether your 8(a), SDVOSB, or woman-owned small business can actually win the government contracts you have access to. In this episode, Ryan Atencio breaks down why Tribal 8(a)s can pull $100 million non-protestable DOD sole source awards while a regular set-aside caps out around $4.5 million, and he lays out the exact 50/50 labor split most small businesses get wrong. If you have the set-aside advantage but not the capacity to perform, this is the compliance workaround you need. Why Tribal 8(a) is the "easy button" the DOD uses to push out $50M to $100M construction projects fast with no protest risk How the sole source ceiling really works: up to $100M for Tribal 8(a) versus roughly $4.5M for SDVOSB and woman-owned set-asides The 50% direct labor work share rule for services (and why construction only requires 15%) Why "pay to play" 8(a) partnerships mean giving away 49% to 50% of your labor and profit The "internally balancing profit" workaround that keeps you compliant while a sub does 80% of the work EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Mindy AI research assistant intro and podcast welcome 0:50 - Tribal 8(a) sole source and $100M DOD contracts 1:55 - Work share rules and finding a subcontractor partner 3:20 - Direct labor requirements and the 50% split 4:30 - Pay to play 8(a) partnerships and W-2 employees 6:00 - Why giving away 49% is a bad deal 6:50 - Services versus construction work share percentages 7:55 - Internally balancing profit compliance workaround 8:50 - Splitting labor 50-50 while keeping profit uneven Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding

Your SBA profile inside SAM.gov and the Dynamic Small Business Search is the first thing federal agencies pull up about you, and Randie Ward explains how contracting officers instantly tell a novice from a pro by how it's completed. This episode of the Federal Help Center podcast with Randie Ward walks through the exact profile mistakes that hide small businesses from agencies, from the capability narrative to your past performance, plus how to get procurement-ready before you ever ask for a contract. Discover why the Dynamic Small Business Search is where agencies actually find your company and vet you for teaming partners and place-of-performance opportunities Learn why your capabilities narrative must be a delineated keyword list, not long sentences, or the database won't surface you in searches See how the FAA and other agencies read your printed profile in a capabilities briefing and want past performance broken out by prime versus sub role Get the pre-approach checklist Randie uses: capability statement, project sheets, resumes, org chart, and PPQs ready before responding to a sources sought or RFP Understand why small details like a professional email over a Gmail or Yahoo address shape an agency's first impression of your business EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - SBA profile as your snapshot inside SAM.gov 1:22 - Dynamic Small Business Search explained for agencies 2:09 - How agencies spot a novice contractor profile 2:24 - FAA capabilities briefing prints your profile 3:24 - NAICS codes and SAM data that roll over 3:57 - Past performance broken out by prime versus sub 4:50 - Capabilities narrative mistakes that hide your company 6:01 - Professional email and brand first impressions matter 6:55 - Gathering capability statement, project sheets, and resumes 8:15 - PPQs and raving reviews before you respond Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding

If you want to win government contracts with no experience, a former government-side contracting officer's rep explains why the door you think is closed is only regulated, and how a small business gets through it. Remi Bankole spent years inside federal contracting as a COR and contracting specialist, a US Army reservist since 2001, pushing out solicitations and vetting the vendors who won. He breaks down how to position yourself, why aligning with a contract vehicle is gold when agencies need someone fast, and the prime partnership hack where you run the work a prime can't touch and split the profit. It is systematic, not daunting, and being small can be the edge that gets you selected.  CHAPTERS 00:00 The door is only regulated 02:15 Both sides: government and business 03:39 Inside the COR and contracting specialist roles 06:26 What market research really means to a buyer 08:26 IGE, SOW, and PWS made simple 10:36 The real mistakes small businesses make 13:22 What has changed: more scrutiny above $20M 16:19 Why contract vehicles are gold right now 17:48 The prime crumbs partnership hack 22:55 Three tiers: from no experience to scaling Market Intelligence gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding Connect with Remi Bankole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/remi-bankole