Meet Dr. Nazeera Dawood | Government contracting coaching company

Several of our team members like myself have worked in public administrations and understand the request-for-proposal (RFP) and procurement process. The RFP process is designed to be results-oriented and impartial, but the requirements tend to be complicated. I found that few innovative providers had the knowledge to position themselves as viable and competitive, and to also effectively navigate RFP ‘red tape’ along the process.

Why do businesses shy away from doing business with the government?
Many businesses still shy away from entering into a contract with the government due to several reasons. Among many other reasons, here are a few 1. the stringent application process
2. slow ROI
3. mistrust in the government
4. complicated documentation
5. overwhelming from reading through lengthy solicitations
6. putting together a comprehensive proposal that meets many specific and detailed requirements.

We recognize that many small to mid-sized clients don’t have the resources to maintain a team of experts for bidding in the public sector. That shouldn’t hold back providers of great solutions from bidding.

What are some of the myths out there about government contracting?

Below are common myths out there about government contracting.

“Government” contracting means the federal government
All contracts have already been decided internally
A picture with the commissioner will hand me the contract
If I have certifications that means I have won contracts
The Government does not pay, or it takes forever to get paid
Getting “registered” is enough
Government sales is “easy money”
It will be impossible to make any money
The low bidder always wins anyway
I am too small of a company to be competitive, only the large companies are successful
I will spend a lot of money and time and may not even win

Why is Vendorship unique?

Of course. The Vendorship philosophy has little to do with business and individual contractor profit as much as it does with service and advancing the capacity of communities and constituencies. We pride ourselves on being motivated to help governments solve problems and help governments innovate quality-of-life enhancements in the delivery of public services.

While our work is certainly not a new idea, our drivers and our goals are based on social entrepreneurism. We connect good ideas with community needs through the funnel of business interests and responsive governance. We work with companies, larger and small, new and well-established, to build and condense capacity to get the attention of governments, and build contractual relationships with governments over time, to solve problems and even raise more interests in specific lanes of social and structural innovation.

To best excel at this kind of solutions approach, we don’t have to be lucky in a numbers game of helping companies win more government contracts. We have to be proficient in understanding how the government thinks, what the government is really looking for, and then shaping capable players into those gaps. It’s also the best way to sustain relationships and therefore, success outcomes.

What is VendorshipJourney?

The VendorshipJourneyTM is powered by more than 65 years of high-level executive government management, procurement and appropriations experience to better position any company, large or small, to sustain valuable longer-term partnerships with government to satisfy the shifting dynamics of community need.

Are government certifications worth the time and effort?

Of the dozens of potential clients we meet each week, a majority of them still are underutilizing this asset. That’s right. Understanding how to strategically use your mastery of selling your company in a space where you customarily might not have competitive equity, is a significant asset. In other words, being adequately certified, and knowing how to use your certifications.

We know it can be complicated. We know that it is not always feasible to have a person designated just to do applications with intense follow up. But you don’t have to defer the anxiety to “I’ll look at it tomorrow or over the weekend,” or “I’m not sure I qualify,” or “I’m not sure I really need it…”

All you have to do is get credentialed to walk in through that door and present “I am certified ready!” Yes, it can seem to be a complicated process from some perspectives, and once you’ve attained it, optimizing your use of it is best applied with some coaching. That’s why we coach ‘effectively using certifications’ as an “asset.”

It was so great to reconnect. One last question – how can our readers connect with you, learn more or support you?