Every contractor knows that getting a meeting with a potential client is one of the keys to winning business. At December 2015’s DHS Cybersecurity Industry Day, leaders from the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C) outlined the unusual way that they determine who gets a meeting.

 

Overwhelmed by an overflowing inbox, DHS officials, including CS&C Deputy Under Secretary Phyllis Schneck and Assistant Secretary Andy Ozment, explained the process that CS&C uses to whittle down the requests to a manageable number. CS&C asks that vendors send capability statements and meeting requests to their Vendor Engagement email address: cs&c.bizops@hq.dhs.gov. Periodically (some suggested this was quarterly) they gather up all meeting requests they’ve received and list them out by capabilities, with the name of the company removed. Together the top leaders examine the capabilities against their most pressing cyber business needs and prioritize the capabilities that seem most promising. The top priorities get the meetings.

 

Here’s the key insight for your Cybersecurity Capture efforts. Regularly research and understand DHS’ cybersecurity mission and needs. Then two or three times a year, tailor your capabilities to the current needs, make a brief compelling argument about why it’s the best – or only – capability of its kind and send to cs&c.bizops@hq.dhs.gov for consideration.

 

Then hold your breath.