In This Week's Newsletter:

• Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: TSA DISCOVER II

• Four To Follow: Get the lowdown on four interesting pursuits

• Pricing Insights: Subcontractor Price Analyses: A Quick “How-To”

• Capture Corner: Win-back Strategy Approach

Opportunity Alert – TSA DISCOVER II

Contact Katie: [email protected]

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Dynamic Integrated Secure Connectivity for Operational Value and End-Point Resiliency II (DISCOVER II)

TSA requests corrective maintenance, modernization, enhancement, and operational support for the STIP platform, its applications, services, and clients, covering performance, monitoring, change management, and capacity planning. This $20-$50M effort is estimated to be released under GSA MAS as a Full and Open/Unrestricted. The estimated timeframe for release is September 2025 with a projected award of Q2 FY 2026. Reach out to Hinz Consulting for Price to Win, Competitive Analysis, and Proposal Support.

Four to Follow

1. Department of the Navy, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Development and Training Support. On June 16, 2025, the Contracting office released a Sources Sought notice to include a Draft SOW and a request for information to assist the Contracting office in considering the capabilities of small businesses and other socioeconomic groups for a possible set-aside. Responses are due no later than 1:15PM PST on July 7, 2025. This $50M IDIQ is estimated for final release on or around September 2025, with a potential award timeframe of  March 2026. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for further information.

2. General Services Administration (GSA), OASIS+. On June 17, 2025, the Contracting Office released an RFI for Phase II of the OASIS+ program, detailing five additional domains that will potentially be covered in the next phase. Responses are due no later than 5:00PM July 8, 2025. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for further movement on the On-Ramp of OASIS+ for all applicable competition types.

3. Department of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN), for Research, Development, and Acquisition (RDA), Professional and Administrative Support. On June 13, 2025, the Government released an RFI and Draft PWS via SeaPort NxG. Responses for this $20M, Small Business set-aside are due no later than June 20, 2025. The Government intends to release a final RFP around August 2025 with a potential award timeframe of February 2026. Continue to monitor SAM.gov and SeaPort NxG for further changes.

4. Department of the Air Force, Enterprise Collection Planner (ECP) Prime Integrator Developer. The Contracting office released an RFI for this opportunity on June 16, 2025. Responses are due June 23, 2025, by 5:00PM ET. The Government is conducting market research to identify potential sources to become the prime integrator/developer for ECP. The value and competition type for this effort are currently unknown. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for updates.

Subcontractor Price Analyses

Contact Tom: [email protected]

Occasionally, solicitations will require an offeror to conduct a subcontractor price or rate analysis. This task ensures that subcontractor costs are fair, competitive, and aligned with market standards. Typically, a subcontract manager or analyst performs this task; however, pricing analysts are also well-suited to complete it.

Here’s how to approach the process systematically. The steps below can be tailored to your preferences. Note that some subcontractors may decline to share the details behind their proposed costs, as that information is considered company proprietary. In those situations, they may forward their detailed pricing directly to the end client, typically the Government.

1. Collect Subcontractor Price Data

• Obtain detailed cost proposals from the subcontractor, including breakdowns of labor, materials, overhead, and profit.

• Review historical rates for similar work.

• Gather market benchmarks or industry standards for comparison.

2. Evaluate Cost Components

• Direct Labor Costs – Hourly wages for subcontractor staff performing the work.

• Fringe Benefits – Includes insurance, paid time off, and other employee benefits.

• Overhead – Business expenses such as office rental and utilities.

• General & Administrative (G&A) Expenses – Salaries of executives and costs related to indirect business operations.

• Profit Margin – Assess whether the subcontractor’s markup is reasonable and aligned with industry norms.

3. Compare Against Market & Industry Standards

• Use Government rate databases as a reference point.

• Assess regional pricing variations—costs may differ by location.

• Compare rates to internal benchmarks from past subcontracted work.

4. Assess Fairness & Reasonableness

• Evaluate whether proposed prices are competitive within the industry.

• Confirm that labor classifications align with the defined scope of work.

• Conduct a cost realism analysis to ensure proposed rates are feasible for project execution.

5. Negotiate Adjustments

• Propose modifications based on your findings if prices appear too high.

• Request justification for costs that seem inflated.

• Agree on terms that balance fairness with project success.

A solid price or rate analysis ensures cost-effectiveness, compliance, and transparency in subcontractor agreements. For situations when a subcontractor declines to share proprietary cost breakdowns, a meaningful price/rate analysis is still possible. For example, Step 3 above can be performed at the fully burdened rate/price level.

Win-Back Strategy Approach

Contact John: [email protected]

A win-back strategy in the Capture Method focuses on winning back work you lost. It requires a strategic blend of intelligence, relationship management, and the clear value that sets you apart. A proven approach aligned to each capture phase should consist of the following:

Customer and Competitor Intelligence

• Conduct a loss analysis: Identify the reasons for losing the account (price, solution, service delivery issues).

• Monitor dissatisfaction: Track signs that the client may be unhappy with their current provider (missed SLAs, pricing issues, technical failures).

• Perform competitive analysis: Assess the incumbent’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities and where your solution now outperforms theirs.

Account Strategy and Alignment

• Reset relationships: Re-engage formerly favorable stakeholders and build new relationships if there has been turnover.

• Reposition your value: Align with the agency’s or organization’s current goals, not just the rationale behind your past engagement.

• Create a re-entry plan: Build an internal team with client history and credibility to lead the win-back effort.

Positioning and Differentiation

• Demonstrate improvement: Highlight service or product enhancements, new capabilities or offerings, leadership changes, or lessons learned since the loss.

• Offer a compelling return: Consider incentives such as seamless transition/onboarding, service credits, subsidies, guarantees, or innovation plans.

• Position for the future: Emphasize how your roadmap aligns with the client’s mission, goals, and evolving needs.

Tailored Engagement & Messaging

• Use targeted campaigns: Develop white papers, case studies, and solution briefs that directly address the client’s priorities/hot buttons.

• Leverage executive communication: Show executive-level commitment and engagement to reinforce the value of the relationship.

Understand the Procurement Environment

• Track re-compete opportunities: Monitor expiring contracts/agreements and the re-release of bids.

• Influence future solicitations: Reconnect before the RFP drops to help shape the scope or evaluation criteria.

• Understand procurement triggers: Be aware of budget shifts, new mandates, legislative changes, or service failures that could prompt a new opportunity.

Relationship Mapping

• Identify influencers and evaluators: Map the customer organization to locate the center of power, including evaluators, decision makers, and source selection members.

• Show long-term commitment: Demonstrate readiness to invest in a renewed partnership.

• Engage the right team: Use pursuit personnel with relevant client history, especially if past team dynamics created friction.

Execution Plan – Proposal Readiness

• Plan the transition: Include a clear transition approach, detailed pricing, and KPIs tied to known or past client pain points.

• Mitigate risks: Address any concerns from the prior relationship directly and offer counter-tactics to alleviate them.

• Refocus the proposal: Make the response about the client, centering on their mission and needs, not your company’s products or accomplishments.

• June 24-27th: Government Fleet Expo & Conference in Charlotte, NC

• July 13th: World Congress 2025 in Grapevine, TX

• August 18th: Premier Navy Procurement Expo in San Diego, CA

• August 18th: Small Business Expo in San Diego, CA

• August 25th: National Homeland Security Conference in DC

About Hinz Consulting

Hinz Consulting provides services across the full business development cycle:

• Proposal Consulting

• AI Services

• Strategic Pricing

• Training

• Capture

• Competitive Intelligence

• BD Transformation Consulting

• Process/Methodology Consulting

• Tools and Templates

• Production Services

• Small Business