[ISN] Secrets of Doing Business With the Intelligence Community

http://www.afcea.org/signal/signalscape/index.php/2010/06/secret-of-doing-business-with-the-intelligence-community/

By Maryann Lawlor 
AFCEA Signal Scape
6/23/10

It's sometimes difficult to figure out what's the bigger secret - 
intelligence or the acquisition processes of the organizations that 
gather it. CIA, NSA, DIA plus 13 more agencies are collectively known as 
the intelligence community (IC), but that's where most of the similarity 
ends when it comes to these information hunters and gathers when it 
comes to purchasing goods, services or "carbon units." One fact is 
absolutely true and as open source as is possible: small businesses have 
advocates in IC agencies that fight tooth and nail in their interest.

Some of these experts presented valuable secrets as well as common sense 
about how to capture the IC's business at the AFCEA International Small 
Business Intelligence Forum. All of the big hitters representing either 
an IC agencies, a small business and even a large companies agreed that 
by following certain guidelines, working for work from one of the IC 
organizations isn.t any more difficult than business development with 
other government agencies or even other companies.

Their advice in a nutshell? Be prepared, work diligently, meet 
deadlines, be aware of IC business opportunities and be true to your 
word. Yes, this all may seem simple, but the IC's experience with small 
and large companies alike has been that when just a minority of 
companies don't follow these rules, it is even more difficult to promote 
the idea of turning to small companies for solutions when even just one 
program manager has a bad experience. Word spreads.

[...]


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