How to Position Your Business for Federal Awards

by Nathan Clark, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant

There’s a natural tendency in government contracting to treat proposals as the main event. You find the opportunity, scramble your team, fill in the templates, hit the deadline, and hope it works.

But the best proposals don’t start with a request for proposals (RFP). They start with relationships long before the opportunity is ever posted.

Proposals Are the Output, Not the Strategy

If your federal growth strategy begins when the RFP hits SAM.gov, you’re already behind. Agencies don’t fund strangers. They fund known quantities: companies that have been showing up consistently, engaging with program teams, and aligning their capabilities with agency priorities.

Winning proposals are the byproduct of trust. And trust takes time, attention, and the right posture.

What Happens Before Matters Most

Before a solicitation is released, there are signals: RFIs, draft notices, conference presentations, quiet rumblings from technical leads. These are the breadcrumbs that savvy contractors follow.

At Charleston Tartan, we help clients tune into those early-stage cues. We help them:
– Build relationships with the people behind the programs
– Show up with insight, not just interest
– Position capabilities as solutions, not sales pitches
– Make it easy for agencies to say yes, not because the proposal is flashy, but because the relationship already feels familiar

The Long Game Wins

There’s a reason why some companies win repeatedly while others feel like they’re always chasing. The winners aren’t just great writers. They’re great partners. They treat the proposal as one step in a broader journey, not a last-minute Hail Mary.

Charleston Tartan works with clients to reframe the process, to move from transaction to connection, from submission to strategy.

If your team is grinding through RFPs and wondering why nothing’s sticking, the problem might not be in the proposal. It might be that the relationship curve never started.

Proposals should confirm interest, not introduce it. And when they do, your odds of success go up dramatically. We’re here to help make that shift. Contact us at support@chstartan.com today!