In overall terms, HYJEK & FIX, INC. believes that the government marketplace can best be visualized as a triangular relationship involving the Product or Service, the Customer, and the Administration or Congress.

  • A Product or Service must be offered to the government that fits a stated or acknowledged need, operates as advertised, and incorporates quality with reliability.

  • Second, a customer agency or proponent must exist who supports the purchase or utilization of the client's product or service.

  • Third, the Administration or Congress must then provide the necessary funding and procurement structure for acquisition of the product.

No program can survive without successfully incorporating at least two of these elements. To be fully successful, all three must be incorporated and operate in concert.

As a practical matter, more potential government customers exist than the federal budget will allow each year. Similarly, the vast majority of companies in the U.S. and overseas produce quality products and services whose procurement would benefit the federal government. It is the third leg of the triangle, the provision of necessary funding, that challenges most companies in their quest to sell to the government.

HYJEK & FIX, INC. knows how to make this federal procurement triangle work for your firm. For example, the firm and one of its clients, working in close coordination, have been able to secure Congressional approval of over $30 million since 1997 for the procurement of an automated system to modernize the maintenance and logistics operations at the highest priority Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard bases. The federal sales triangle worked so well, in fact, that on June 5, 2000, DOD awarded a Joint Electronic Commerce Pioneer Award (which recognizes programs that push the state of the art in electronic commerce technology and achieve improved efficiencies or improved government customer service) to the Air Force for this SATS system.

In another case, HYJEK & FIX, INC. and a client convinced the Air Force to set aside a small sum of money (which was supplemented by additional funding provided by the Congress) to perform a Demonstration and Evaluation (DEMVAL) of a new laser eye protection (LEP) technology. Continued efforts with the Department and the Congress led to the approval of a formal joint service requirement for LEP equipment and further funding to conduct the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. A concurrent effort with Air Force planners that led to a decision to include the client's LEP technology in the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) for procurement in Fiscal Year 1999 and beyond.

HYJEK & FIX, INC. is very pleased that the client has since received over $20 million in procurement funding, and that the U.S. Army recently joined this program by purchasing LEP equipment with this technology through the Air Force's contract. This technology will also soon be transferred from the UK to a facility in California, establishing a U.S. production base.

Specific areas in which HYJEK & FIX, INC. can provide government procurement assistance include:

Strategy Development: The firm works with its clients to fully understand who within the federal government would be helped by the acquisition of their product of service, and to orchestrate the development of a strategy that fully addresses the procurement triangle. A key element of this process is to determine the client's optimal objective, as well to develop appropriate fall back positions that meet the client's minimum essential requirements. Compromise is key in working with the Congress, and those who adopt an "all or nothing" position frequently are granted the latter. HYJEK & FIX, INC. develops a tailored strategy and message that will harmonize all interested parties into an effective bloc supporting a procurement.

Intelligence Gathering: The firm identifies key decision-makers in the department/agency, administration, and Congressional arenas for a given product or service as well as what it will take to gain their support for its procurement. Other elements of support for the include the provision of current information on the status of programs within the executive and legislative branches, as well as forecasts of upcoming requirements and critical data on budget and acquisition activities. This also includes 'opposition research' to anticipate the strengths and strategies of competitors to prepare appropriate responses to challenges which may arise and avoid unexpected pitfalls.

Shaping the Environment: Although they remain the "Holy Grail" of the federal procurement world, "sole source" contracts are extremely rare in today's environment. HYJEK & FIX, INC. can, however, help you work with the customer, the federal procurement community, and the Congress, to shape the environment within which a procurement will take place. While the ultimate procurement will be competitive, for example, the product specifications and/or the Congressional language providing the necessary funding can specify certain characteristics and establish their relative degree of importance in the evaluation process.

Teaming: Strategic partnering agreements are often key to a government sale, as they can enhance the viability of a good or service in the view of the procuring agency or department, as well as broaden the political base of support in favor of a product's procurement. The firm has been successful at finding partners who provide needed elements, from manufacturing capacity to agency confidence to political presence, to team with clients who would not otherwise be successful offerors.

Bid Preparation: HYJEK & FIX, INC. is very experienced at assisting companies respond to the requirements and procedures associated with government Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Invitation for Bids (IFB), as well as obtaining answers to the questions that arise in these processes.

Dispute Resolution: During the course of a procurement, bidders or contractors may find themselves in disagreement with the procuring activity or agency. While it is imperative that companies attempt to resolve those concerns with the least amount of friction and at the lowest level possible, circumstances may arise which require elevation of an issue to an department/agency executive or Member of Congress. HYJEK & FIX, INC. is well-versed in how to assist clients in this delicate task while creating a minimum amount of disruption to the procurement process. In those instances where there simply is no other remedy, the firm's personnel have experience working with counsel in defending a contractor's rights in federal courts, the General Accounting Office, or administrative tribunals.

Liaison Activities: The firm can also provide effective liaison services with foreign embassies and the Departments of Commerce and State for clients with international business interests.

HYJEK & FIX, INC. looks forward to discussing with you your desires and plans to market your firm's goods and services to the federal government, as well as how it can assist you in achieving your government procurement goals.