How to do business with Government - A Primer Chapter 8

Doing Business with Government – A Primer is written from the inside perspective of a seasoned public sector director who had decades of executive responsibility in acquiring hundreds of millions of dollars of goods and services for government consumption. What the government is looking for from its bidders, proposers, and providers, and what it doesn’t want to see are all spelled out in a direct, easy to read, and conversational style. You no longer need to rely on the outsider’s view from consultants and competitors on how government does business. With this primer, you can have access to the thinking and decision-making of an award-winning government director.

Chapter 8

Public Relations

In This Chapter:

*Officials in government do not want to be held up to ridicule

*Become known as a responsive Bid Winner

*Avoid becoming known as a bid loser

*Shared publicity

*Public Education

*Onsite demonstrations

Due to the inescapable public nature of government work, everything it does is subject to inspection, inquiry and comment from the taxpayers. This scrutiny is both vital and nourishing in stimulating healthy and open government of, by and for the people. The direct effect of this necessary frank and ingenuous approach to government acquisitions is best characterized as authentic public relations.

If we work from the concrete premise that no government official or employee wants to be held up for a public flogging, and, further, that every action taken is available for public examination, we can easily see the advantages in developing and following policies, procedures, laws, statutes and regulations to the letter. The downside of the failure to be so forthcoming is often greatly embarrassing and occasionally truly career-limiting.

At the same time, successes, too, reap the benefits of publication. Bid-winning providers have demonstrated a commitment to serving the public (as the “low responsive bidder”) and have had the opportunity to further display their ability to actually deliver the product or service. Becoming known as an aggressive and responsive bidder who battles hard and smart and wins competitive solicitations makes you attractive to other buyers (government and private) of your goods and services, and appreciated by the public for your cost-conscious, community-aware, and capable work.

Conversely, repeated failure to win competitive bids makes all too obvious flaws in pricing, capabilities, product attributes, and bidding philosophy. These failures become easily known, first among your industry and then among those who would be buying your products. Carrying the label of “highest price” or “low quality” will do little in stimulating business. You become, instead, the provider that everyone has “notched their gun on”. With this said, if you cannot take a solid competitive position, do not bid. There is very little chance that taking a flyer with a non-competitive offer will somehow manage to win. Even on the obscenely remote chance that there are no other bidders, it is widely recognized that a non-competitive bid will ultimately result in someone’s embarrassment. A title of “bidder of last resort” is no claim to fame.

Success in providing goods and services to government feeds upon itself. The government is always ready to shout its achievements and when it does, the supplier gets to ride along. Press releases, recommendations, shared presentations, awards, articles in the industry and lay press, and growing business opportunities are all part of the bragging rights that accrue to the winner. Part and parcel of such rights are the prospects to help build the body of knowledge and educate the public. Being the provider responsible for the seminal work in a large government project generates access to others, both in and out of the industry.

Since so much of the government’s activity is not particularly observable or necessarily noticeable, it is not uncommon at any time in the process for the government to wish to publically display their plans (or their completed works) in a smaller convenient venue. Do not pass up an opportunity to participate in such demonstrations. While the government will not “shill” for anyone, they will usually be glad to share the truth about the contributions of those involved in the various projects. These vignettes always contain the information about the larger project including the involved suppliers and their competitive selection. Simultaneously, company specific information may be made available from live presenters or printed materials.