How to Not Sink: Positioning Your Business for GWACs and IDIQs Or, How to Stop Worrying and Love the Contract Vehicle
All Opinions Expressed are my own. Let’s cut to the chase: in today’s federal contracting environment, if you’re not on a major GWAC or IDIQ, you’re standing on the beach with a surfboard while everyone else is halfway to Maui. Once upon a time, you could build a healthy book of business through standalone contracts, open market buys, and maybe a few GSA Schedules sprinkled on top. But those days are fading like the memory of FedTeDS. Agencies are streamlining. Category Management is gospel. And Best-in-Class contracts —you know, the ones blessed by OMB—are becoming less optional and more existential . So how do you get in on the action? Below is a (semi-sarcastic but still strategic) guide to positioning your business to win long-term GWACs and IDIQs—because in this market, it’s either vehicle up or vanish into the 8(a) backlog. 1. Start Before You Think You Should If you’re waiting for the Draft RFP to “start capture,” that’s adorable. The real players started ...