EXCEPT

When I was hired for the launch team of Federal Computer Week, I had to learn the public sector market quickly. I spent the first six months asking everyone I met to explain the market to me. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Lynn Bateman, a woman who consulted for both government agencies and private sector contractors.

This was a woman who spent her evenings reading the FAR and FIRMR in the bathtub. One day, as we were discussing the intricacies of the procurement process, she told me something I never forgot. She said, “You must understand, the government always buys the same way, “EXCEPT.” And the guy who figures out the “excepts” makes a lot of money.”

I asked her what she meant, and she explained. ” The government program manager running a procurement is besieged by his internal customers. The agency’s operations people want the most effective solution that enhances their effectiveness. The IT team always want the latest and greatest solution. The financial stakeholders want the cheapest solution. So, the program manager and the procurement officer must figure out the best option and how to justify it since it’s rarely the least expensive offering. That means they must be able to explain why this procurement should be an “EXCEPT.”

Over the past twenty-five years, I’ve focused on crafting messaging that explained the operational and financial business case justifications that resonate with public sector decision-makers and motivate them to buy. When interviewing SMEs, I use a structured discovery process that’s focused on the key takeaways, the operational benefits and financial justifications designed to extract high-value insights in minimal time. So, we skip the “what is it?” and go straight to the “why it matters.”