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