Leading Consultant Firms – 25.13% Increase in RFP Releases 2018

During late September 2017, OCI conducted a survey assessing opinion as to past and future volume of federal RFP releases (2016 – 2018). Proposal consultant firms surveyed included the following:

AOC
Lohfeld Associates
OCI
Proposal Development Consultants
Shipley Associates
Winning Solutions
Win-Pros

Respondents were asked to rate the speed of the market for RFP releases on a scale of 10 with 10 being the fastest and 1 being the slowest. They provided responses for 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Average results were as follows:
2016 – 6.0
2017 – 5.6
2018 – 7.0

Do the math, and you see the companies that responded show a 25.13% increase in confidence for faster RFP releases in 2018 compared to 2017.

Reasoning for the answers can be seen below:

2016 – There was the election uncertainty
2017 – There was the transition in government with the slow establishment of the new administration
2018 – (A.) The threat of war in different regions causes an uptick in military spending. (B.) Budgets are trending upward; congress has amnesia about sequestration caps; and is “hell bent” on spending more. (C.) Political appointments get completed.

About the Author: Russell Smith

Russell founded OCI in 1985, and has been serving as President ever since. He has overseen its growth into one of the largest and most recognized proposal service companies in the nation. For him, every part of the work is exciting: Serving the customers, educating the prospects, engaging the consultants. Prior to founding OCI, he worked as a proposal manager for several federal contractors including ManTech. Originally from West Texas, Russell completed two degrees at the University of Texas before moving to Virginia. Following service in the Army, he completed his Doctorate at the College of William and Mary. He is a past president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the APMP.