(This article is part of a 10-part series for the blog of Public Contracting
Institute called, "A Government Contractor's Ten
Commandments.")
Because of the complexity of the Government's procurements,
the dollar amounts involved, and the chaos that unfortunately
governs a contractor's life, smart executives develop habits
and rules by which they survive. One of those rules echoes the Boy
Scout motto: Be prepared. In other words, do your homework.
Regardless of where you are in the procurement cycle, you must
prepare in advance for what is about to happen. In the solicitation
stage, your team must familiarize itself with the potential
customer: Understand its culture, its modus operandi, and its
peculiarities. For example, one might assume that all Navy offices
conduct business in the same way; however, the Naval Air
Systems Command and the Naval Sea Systems Command operate very
differently. If you don't keep that in mind, you could find
yourself on the outside
