GOVCONJul 23, 202609:34
5 Ways To Find Your Federal Program Manager Before Everyone Else Does
0:0009:34
Featured guest
Randie Ward
Randie Ward joined Eric Coffie on this episode.
About this episode
Finding federal decision makers before the RFP drops is the real edge in government contracting, and most contractors are looking in the wrong place entirely. In this episode, Randie Ward breaks down the exact hierarchy of people behind every solicitation, from the contracting officer down to the program manager and end user, and reveals a sloppy habit contracting officers don't even realize gives away who's really calling the shots. If you've been submitting proposals into the void with no contacts, this changes how you approach every opportunity going forward.
In this episode, you'll learn
- Learn the difference between a contracting officer, contracting specialist, and program manager, and why only one of them is the true decision maker
- Discover a hidden trick using solicitation comment sections that exposes the program office contact before you ever apply
- Use USASpending.gov to match an award ID to its solicitation number when SAM.gov search comes up empty
- Confirm a decision maker's identity through LinkedIn and Google searches, even when they have no active profile
- Build a relationship with your small business specialist so they'll personally connect you to the program manager
Show notes & timestamps
- 0:00Introduction to finding the real decision maker
- 0:48Understanding the contracting officer and specialist roles
- 1:54Why the program manager is the true decision maker
- 3:00Reading the RFP before it officially drops
- 4:01The sloppy comment section trick contracting officers miss
- 6:21Using USASpending.gov to find the solicitation number
- 7:15Googling and LinkedIn searching to confirm your contact
- 8:27Leveraging your small business specialist for an introduction
