Opinion
Your PM heard it, but winning just isn't worth it to them
The intelligence is there. The relationships are there. But your operating model has taught your best people that sharing what they know creates more burden than benefit, writes growth expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
The best briefing ever. The customer said nothing.
The gap between how well you think you know your customer and how well you actually do is where your competitors live, writes growth expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
Why your program managers are winning deliverables but losing recompetes
Execution excellence can become the enemy of on-contract growth, writes business development expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
What the Anthropic-DOD breakup teaches government contractors
The warning signs were surely there long before the public feud, and versions of this conflict play out in GovCon every year, writes BD expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
The workforce capability GovCon leaders are underestimating
Under the Pentagon's new portfolio structure, delivery teams who can't gather competitive intelligence are now a business risk, and most executives don't realize how exposed they are, writes BD and capture expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
Why some organizations accelerate while others stall
Under the Pentagon's new Portfolio Acquisition Executive model, success depends on relationship intelligence and workforce capability—not just technical prowess, writes BD and capture expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
The hidden risk in the Army’s new ‘speed to capability’ doctrine
Most defense contractors have aligned their pipelines to the Warfighting Acquisition System but almost none have prepared their program managers, writes Nic Coppings, BD and capture expert.
Opinion
How your PMs are killing deals without knowing it
Federal turnover created a generation of leaders without mentors. The contractors who help them will own the next decade. The ones who pitch them won't.
Opinion
What your program manager hears every week (that your competitors would kill for)
Program managers hear the most valuable competitive intelligence about budgets, priorities and unmet needs. You just need to train them to recognize the value of those conversations, writes Nic Coppings, business development expert.
Opinion
Don't go dark: Why this shutdown demands a different contractor strategy
With 140,000 federal workers already gone, the contractors who stay engaged now will be the only ones with customers left when funding returns.
Opinion
Why your Pwin is an illusion
Delayed awards, slipping RFPs, and flat win rates expose a harsh truth: you're tracking the wrong metrics for your probability of win rate, and it's costing you recompetes and on-contract growth, writes BD expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
The reason you lose recompetes and it's not capture's fault
NIc Coppings, business development and capture expert, explains how companies fool themselves into believing their high probability-win rates and how to avoid that common mistake.
Opinion
Your spouse knows why you're losing bids (even if you don't)
A common mistake even the smartest subject matter expert makes is not taking the time to listen to the customer and understand their concerns, writes BD practitioner Nic Coppings.
Opinion
Why government contractors lose recompetes they should win
How developing your teams human-IQ can transform customer relationships and secure your revenue pipeline, writes BD expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
Beyond BD Intel: How government contractors are tripling win rates without changing their solution
Government contractors lose billions annually on contracts they should have won due to one simple, fixable mistake, writes BD expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
To survive the new GovCon environment, your people are your ultimate competitive edge
Five critical blind spots that threaten you contracts, and how to transform your team before it is too late, according to BD expert Nic Coppings.
Opinion
Navigating Trump’s Cuts: How empathy wins in the new era of government contracting
While contractors chase opportunities, savvy firms build trust with federal employees facing unprecedented uncertainty.
Opinion
COMMENTARY: How to build a winning relationship in the digital age
BD expert Nic Coppings writes that there is a connection crisis in today's market because too many people lean on digital tools instead of the personal touch.
Opinion
COMMENTARY: Why the quality of your customer relationship matters
You were certain you would win but you didn't. BD and capture expert Nc Coppings explains what goes wrong a when a sure thing goes bust.
Opinion