The Crafteny blog

Practical notes on winning federal contracts and grants, and on how we build for it. Written by the people who build Crafteny.

Match01Decide02Team03Price04Write05Review06Submit07Win08Crafteny does the work at every stage. You make the calls at 2, 4 and 7.
The problem1 September 20265 min read

Why the firms that should win federal work never bid

The work is the same. Only the team is missing.

Not for lack of ability. For lack of a capture team. What that team does, and how Crafteny puts one behind every firm.

Read the post
1Set-aside, NAICS, size standard2Question and offer deadlines3Statement of work: scope, then every "shall"4How the offer is evaluated5What you must submit: volumes, pages, forms
Contracts1 September 20265 min read

How to read a federal solicitation in ten minutes

Five things decide a bid, and every solicitation puts them in roughly the same places. Read those first, in this order.

ContractGrantWhat is boughtA thing or a service the government needsA public purpose the government fundsWho may applyThe firm: size, set-aside, registrationThe applicant type: government, nonprofit, university, businessThe moneyA price, built from your costs and marginA budget by federal category, checked against the cost rulesHow it is judgedEvaluation factors, read by a panelReview criteria with points, read by expertsWhat you submitVolumes, in the format demandedA narrative, a budget and the federal forms
Grants1 September 20265 min read

Contracts and grants: what changes when you pursue both

The instincts are the same; the mechanics differ in five places. Know where, and one team can pursue both.

Registered firmscodes, certifications, size, locationAward recordwho won what, for whom, for how muchthe gap01020304Partners ranked for the pursuit
Teaming1 September 20265 min read

Finding a teaming partner among 700,000 registered firms

Name the gap, search the registry and the award record together, rank, reach out, and sign before you write.