A Former Government Buyer Reveals How to Write the Statement of Work Before the Solicitation Drops with Ryan Atencio

Shaping a government statement of work through sources sought is the single most overlooked way small businesses win federal contracts before they are ever competed, and in this episode a former government buyer breaks down exactly how it works. Ryan Atencio spent years on the inside developing statements of work as the end user, and he walks through how to feed the customer minimum requirements, recommendations, and language that come back out inside the actual solicitation.  If you have ever wondered why some contractors seem to win the moment a bid drops, this is the mechanism nobody teaches you. How to add suggestions and recommendations to the end of every sources sought response so the contracting officer passes your language straight to the customer Why influencing the end user before it reaches the contracting officer is the real edge, and how to hand them a sample statement of work that is aimed at your company The subcontractor pitch that primes almost never hear: being turnkey, aggressively developing business, and expanding the scope of services a prime can offer the government How to become the sub a sought-after prime actually responds to, and why janky, poorly worded outreach emails get ignored Why 14 months is the average time to a first government contract, and how a consultant can become the government arm of an already successful private-side business EPISODE CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Sources sought as the way to shape a solicitation 0:54 - Reaching the end user before the contracting officer 1:29 - Writing the statement of work that wins the bid 2:36 - Adding recommendations and minimum requirements to responses 3:36 - Why a good contracting book still can't teach influence 4:08 - Becoming attractive to a large prime partner 4:54 - The turnkey subcontractor pitch primes want to hear 5:30 - Making a new requirement out of nothing 6:00 - How consulting clients find him and how he lands them 7:13 - Why 14 months to a first contract sells consulting 8:04 - Falling into government construction as a consultant 9:04 - Why only 1 to 2 percent of small businesses win Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them. Sign up for free Daily Alerts and get opportunities delivered to your inbox before the day starts. 👉 Get your free Daily Alerts here 🔗 https://getmindy.ai Connect with Encore Funding: http://govcongiants.org/funding