Events

Many companies fill out piles of paperwork to apply for the 8(a) program, but a few years into the program feel that they are not getting quite the payoff they had expected. The program has many benefits, but targeting sole source contracts may seem like searching for a needle in a haystack. Additionally, preparing for an 8(a) set aside competition requires a deliberate strategy that may involve enticing the incumbent to join your team. Opportunities rarely leave the 8(a) program once entered. The answer is not only how to identify the 8(a) opportunities in advance, but how to navigate the challenges of knowing which opportunity is real, what graduating companies may be looking for a successor to take over the role of the prime contractor, and how to get in front of the right decision makers in the government and industry. This session focuses on developing a cohesive strategy to get the most from your 8(a) designation and develop an opportunities pipeline in the 8(a) program.

Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, CF.APMP Fellow, president and CEO of OST Global Solutions, Inc. (www.ostglobalsolutions.com – home of the GovCon Incubator and Bid & Proposal Academy), has more than 20 years of experience in business development, communications, and marketing, including more than 15 years in contract capture and proposal management. She led winning bids for four out of five top government contractors, winning more than $20 billion over the course of her career. She is the author of the book How to Get Government Contracts: Have a Slice of $1 Trillion Pie. She also consults and teaches others how to get contracts with the government and large commercial organizations, as well as developing processes, tools, and Bid & Proposal Academy courses that enhance business developers’ abilities to win business. She has taught a graduate course at the Stevens Institute of Technology, and provided training to Treasury and NASA. She has served for two years as the President of the National Contracts Management Association (NCMA) Bethesda/Medical Chapter, and for 2 years as the President of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) National Capital Area Chapter. She is recognized as an APMP Fellow for her contributions to the field of capture and proposals – the highest honor in the business development profession. Prior to supporting hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and small businesses as a proposal consultant and growing OST, she worked as a business developer for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and wrote for the Financial Times of London.