Capture Management

The most successful government contractors know that 80% of contract wins are determined before the RFP is released. By the time a solicitation drops, agencies often have a preferred vendor in mind based on prior interactions, incumbent relationships, and vendor capability demonstrations. Capture management is how you become that preferred vendor.

The Shipley capture process (industry standard):

• Identify — Find the opportunity early, ideally 12-24 months before award (via FPDS recompete analysis, agency budget documents, or industry days)
• Qualify — Run a bid/no-bid decision: Can you win? Can you perform? Is the return worth the investment?
• Capture — Execute the capture plan: meet with the customer, shape requirements, identify competitors, build the team, develop win themes
• Propose — Write a proposal that reflects what you've learned during capture — not a generic response to the RFP

Core capture activities:

• Customer engagement — Meet with the program office, attend industry days, respond to RFIs. Build relationships with the end user, not just the CO.
• Competitive intelligence — Who are the incumbents? What are their weaknesses? Who else will bid? What price did they charge last time?
• Win themes — Identify 3-5 compelling reasons why your company should win, grounded in customer hot buttons and competitive differentiators
• Teaming decisions — Lock in partners early. The best subs get committed to multiple primes — don't wait until the RFP drops

The Capture Manager role is distinct from the Proposal Manager. The Capture Manager owns the strategy and customer relationship; the Proposal Manager executes the writing process. On small teams, one person often does both — but the capture activities must happen regardless.