Market Engagement Phase

Summary:

  • Goals: The government’s goal in the Market Engagement (ME) Phase is to test the plan they developed in the Planning Phase by reaching out to industry to get feedback on:
    • The need
    • The anticipated solution
    • The potential vendor ecosystem
    • How the government plans to buy
  • When it starts: The ME phase begins when the government makes their first formal outreach to industry, which is typically an:
    • RFI
    • Sources Sought
    • Listing the solicitation in the forecast
  • When it ends: The ME phase ends when the government gets proposals from industry, or they cancel the acquisition

The key activities during the Market Engagement phase

  • Government: The government is:
    • Alerting industry to the pending acquisition: Publishing in the forecast
    • Publishing formal requests for industry input: RFI, Sources sought
    • Publishing a formal request for proposals and pricing: RFP
    • Holding events and Q&A sessions with industry
  • Industry: Industry is:
    • Preparing proposal materials, teams, and partners
    • Respond to RFIs and Sources Sought to shape the eventual RFP in their favor
    • Building a solution, proposal, and pricing