I actually meant to write this much sooner, but I have been just keeping my head above water. Having just finished a website, but still having another website to produce and other time sensitive design work, I thought I might try to squeeze in a bit of writing.

Well I told myself I would not attempt to bid on a government entity project again and I really did hold off for maybe even some years. I did decide to take the gamble again when a bidding opportunity opened with the city bus system. The only reason I tried as because I was a very close skills match to what they wanted and I knew I could knock it out of the park if awarded.

So with that, I, kind of like a fool attended the first kick-out bidding meeting on Thanksgiving. Actually very few vendors showed up. The RFP was scheduled to close right before Christmas, so I made the best of an RFP response that I could, despite the contradictions and inconsistencies in the requirements. I put in a lot of time writing that proposal when most people were in holiday mode. Then right before the RFP closed, the deadline was kicked back. It was continuously kicked in 2 week to month long increments, until it was cancelled all together. I was pretty angry to see it close, thinking all the planning time was a waste, but then it was reissued, with my, and others, submitted questions answered and the wording of the requirements was more clear. But since the RFP was issued again, this brought in more attention to the bid. Since it was not the holidays, many more people were interested in bidding. More questions were submitted to the client from the new crowd, and again the deadline for submissions was kicked back in week or month increments. The good part was that an estimated budget was revealed, so I was able to include more team members on the project proposal.

I even had my personal challenges in constructing a team. In my attempts to find a specialized developer to strengthen my chances of winning the bid to my LLC, one of the programmers decided he would bid directly on his own. It was hurtful, as he had no idea of the bid until I presented it to him and the wanted partnership. I was also angry at that, but eventually ended up deciding I would have to make a better proposal than his to win. I also thought it would be good to not only vet the skills and experiences of the team members, but also their personalities. 

Eventually after trying to find a skilled and trust worthy team that would be so impressive the client couldn’t turn me down, the proposal finally did close late June of the next year. At that moment I did feel proud. I put hundreds of hours building a proposal team, writing out a plan, and getting an accurate estimate together. It felt like a big achievement. It was and is skill a big gamble. If the bid it not won, that is easily 100 or 200 hours of work that could have been to something else.

I am still waiting to see if I am in the running. I think I have a good shot. The expected kick-off date was supposed to be July or August. It is now September, nearly a full year after the RFP was released, and the RFPs are still under consideration. All I can think is, there were a lot of submissions and the client is thoroughly reading them all. 

I actually put a lot of eggs into this basket too. During the long and delayed bidding process, I was confused as to whether to find new jobs, or keep my schedule clear. I was kind of holding a lot of my life on this one bid, but I suppose I started getting in more client jobs. As I said, I have even started and finished website design/builds in this limbo time, so I suppose it is best to carry on trying to work and find work, and not to orient my schedule around a big fish bid until it is landed. If I do end up with too much work, it would be a generally good problem to have.

Of all the times I have bid on a government entity project, I have not won, but I have gotten so far as to present in front of a filtering committee. 

So here is to hoping, if this contract is in my best interest, I win. I totally know I can do it if I am given the chance. It would be nice to make the money directly for my own LLC, rather than being an employee working to make a profit for an employer on one of these governmental bids.

Even though I have more to say, this will have to be enough, as it is creeping on 3am.