HOME | CONTACT

Marketing Corner: SF 330 by Scott D. Butcher, CPSM

Are your Standard Form 330s current?  If not, now is probably the right time to create or update them.  Even if you don’t normally pursue government work, more and more design firms are “following the money,” which means submitting to the Federal government.  The General Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, Veterans Administration, and Department of Defense are among the recipients of billions of dollars for facility construction, modernization, and energy efficiency upgrades.

I’ve had the opportunity to team with many firms over the years, and have seen a wide variety of approaches to preparing the standard forms.  Some add shading and colors to the forms to create a bit of visual interest.  Some use uncommon fonts to stand out.  Most include photos or graphics in their project descriptions but, surprisingly, many don’t use images, flowcharts, or tables in Section H  “Additional Information.” This is really where you have a chance to break out from the pack.  The best submissions I’ve been involved with approach this section as if it were a book or magazine – the form is the template, but the content is laid out in columns, with photos and graphics and tables to emphasize points and present content. 

The reality is that these forms go through a series of reviews.  A “gatekeeper” checks to make sure you have all the required information – presented in the correct order.  No matter how qualified your firm is, if you can’t follow simple instructions and address every question and requirement, you probably won’t make it through the first round.  Once you’ve made it through the initial review, your submission really needs to stand out from the pack.  Under this current economic climate, I’ve seen an unbelievable amount of competition.  In one case, a whopping 36 firms – from as far away as several hundred miles – attended a pre-proposal conference for a $400,000 office building.  And over 130 firms responded to a project announcement for a $5 million library renovation.

With this in mind, can you imagine the competition for some of the Federal contracts that are out there?  Focus on a few quality submissions and take the time to really do it right.  Don’t use a “one size fits all” shotgun approach.  It is no longer enough to just make sure you’ve addressed everything in the project announcement – you really have to elevate the caliber of your submissions in the presentation of the content.  Remember, you’re probably competing with both the small firm down the street as well as the major multi-national firm with a large marketing department. 
 
Back to News.

© 2009 by JDB Engineering, Inc.