The Summit Explorer

aka why your contracting strategy better include GSA right now. If you’re not paying attention to what GSA’s doing right now… you’re gonna miss the bus. A very big, very central, very government-wide bus.

“Brand” feels like the last thing you should be thinking about right now. With budgets tightening and everyone laser-focused on pipeline and revenue, spending time (and money) on branding or marketing can feel… optional. Frivolous. A “nice to have.” But here’s the truth: If your marketing isn’t actively supporting your sales efforts, you’re leaving money on the table. Not tomorrow. Today.

Federal contracting is in a weird spot right now. You’re seeing RFPs pulled at the last minute, indefinite delays, budget reshuffling, and long sales cycles getting even longer. And if your entire BD strategy is built on “wait it out and hope things pick up,” that’s not a strategy. That’s denial. It’s time to talk about SLED.

If your team is stuck in a cycle of reactive business development, disconnected marketing efforts, and proposal fire drills, you don’t need a new CRM. You need a Win System™. A Win System™ is the foundation behind consistent growth. It’s how successful companies align business development, marketing, capture, and proposals into one intentional strategy – so they’re not just chasing work, they’re winning it. Here’s what that actually looks like in practice.

Government contracting is crowded and competition is fierce. To stand out, you need bold, precise messaging. At Summit Strategy, we know that a modern capabilities statement and briefing are your front-line ambassadors. Here’s how to build them with a laser focus on what decision-makers truly value.

In government contracting, past performance is one of the biggest factors in whether you win or lose. And in a hyper-competitive GovCon market, “good enough” won’t cut it. If you’re aiming for a Blue rating (aka “Exceptional”), you need more than just a list of contracts. You need to prove that your experience is relevant, recent, and exceeds expectations. Let’s break down how to craft past performance write-ups that actually score.

Navigating the world of federal contracting is no small feat, and as any experienced contractor knows, the landscape can shift unexpectedly. As the current federal contracting world gets a bit more... well, unpredictable, many small businesses are exploring new avenues for growth—specifically, SLED (State, Local, and Education) contracts.If you’re considering a shift from federal to SLED government contracting, you're not alone. With federal budgets tightening and procurement slowing down, SLED contracts offer a fresh opportunity to scale your business while potentially sidestepping some of the chaos in the federal space.

Government contracting doesn’t always feel or seem straightforward when you’re looking in from the outside. Even once you get past all the acronyms for different agencies, just trying to understand different contract types and their acronyms can be a lot. We get it. The good news is that once you understand the different contract vehicles the federal government uses, it gets a lot clearer AND you might even get excited when you see a specific type of contract vehicle pop up on an opportunity you’re interested in.