Extensive Research, Persistent Pitching Wins Government Contract
THE WIN
Prospect Associates, a healthcare PR firm in Silver Spring, Md., was awarded a five-year, $18.2 million contract in February to support the Office of Prevention, Education, and Control (OPEC) arm of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Health Information Network.
NHLBI federal initiatives include the National High Blood Pressure Education Program, National Cholesterol Program, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, National Heart Attack Alert Program, the Obesity Education Initiative and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research.
MAIN COMPETITION
Prospect Associates' two main competitors in the bidding for the large government contract were R.O.W. Sciences (incumbent) and Macro Systems.
PITCH TEAM
Prospect Associates: Laura Henderson, president and CEO; John Alciati, EVP; Richard E. Stout, VP and director of information technology; Dee Dee Johnson, digital media manager; Jan Carrese, performance management framework manager; Charlene Blackstone, director of publications; and Sue Whittier, VP, account grouphead.
ASSIGNMENT
To win the NHLBI contract, Prospect Associates spent a number of years researching relevant industry issues to demonstrate its ability to:
- maintain a contact center where users of NHLBI can call in to request orders and obtain information;
- update NHLBI's current programs by integrating technological advancements, including the development of a Web site and database designs;
- support creation and distribution of a variety of NHLBI publications;
- oversee distribution and warehousing operations; and
- organize program planning development and evaluation.
HOMEWORK
Stout says this was the company's third attempt to win the performance-based contract.
Over the years, Prospect Associates built a pitching arsenal by putting together a solid track record of contracts with companies focused on related topics that would appeal to NHLBI.
Stout worked to develop a team of professionals that offer knowledge and understanding of NHLBI's marketing needs.
To prepare for the NHLBI pitch, Prospect Associates:
- focused initial efforts on strategic marketing;
- researched technological advances aimed at dispersing research findings to two key audiences: healthcare professionals and consumers; and
- developed techniques for fielding questions and addressing concerns from the abundant user inquiry requests of the six national health education programs NHLBI offers.
PRESENTATION
Spanning more than a year's time, Prospect Associates' presentation included four phases: the initial written proposal; fielding technical questions; a half-day site visit including a panel of oral presentations; and a comprehensive session of final questions.
The proposal highlighted Prospect Associates' strategies for enhancing technological advancements and improving the quality of customer service provided by the Health Information Network.
Based on the government review of the initial proposal, the pitch team was able to develop answers to most questions before they were asked.
The oral presentations involved four or five team members speaking on key themes from the previous round of technical questions.
PITCH TIPS
Due to the technical nature of government proposals, Stout attributes the firm's success to anticipating key client questions.
Another winning strategy was the use of a media consulting team from Susan Peterson Productions.
Prior to the half day site visit and oral presentations, the panel did a mock presentation and critique for a week internally under the guidance of the media consulting team.
(Prospect Associates, Miriam Kamin, 301/592-8600, ext. 2140)
Prospect Associates
(Washington, D.C. Metro region)
Founded: 1979
Employees: 160
1998 Revenues: $12.9 million
Healthcare Clients: CDC, NIH, Maryland Department of Health, Pfizer