Answering the Call to Service

February 28, 2024

Supporting our nation’s armed forces and government clients is not only a top priority for King Aerospace; it’s also a higher calling. The process of bidding for new contracts – whether in support of a brand new mission for the U.S. government, an extension or expansion of existing service or a search for a new contractor – can be very complicated but also highly rewarding.

The procurement process begins with a request for proposal, or RFP. The U.S. government posts these requests to a dedicated government website that KAI Business Development Manager Rob Burchett continually monitors, using specialized software that identifies RFPs for which King Aerospace may be particularly well-suited.

For example, King Aerospace specializes in contractor logistics support (CLS) services, but this term isn’t often spelled out in the RFP. “It might be listed as ‘Customs Administration,’ or ‘Aircraft Maintenance/Modifications,'” explains Burchett. “So, we need to decipher each request a bit to determine if it’s something we want to go after – and, most importantly, one that we’re qualified to pursue.

“I advise the executive team when, for example, the Air Force posts a new RFP,” he adds. “The next step is to decipher the requirements by going through the entire proposal with a fine-tooth comb and pulling out all the requirements. I call it ‘shredding.’”

Occasionally that process also finds issues and discrepancies in the original RFP. “It’s not uncommon for KAI and other potential bidders to go back to the government and let them know if something doesn’t quite make sense,” Burchett says. “That might lead to amendments to the original RFP.”

Most RFPs carry an initial 30-60 day deadline. Bids on larger contracts may be several hundred pages in size, contained in five or more volumes. “The last major contract we submitted was for a $1 billion program,” Burchett says. “That was the largest solicitation RFP I’ve ever worked on in my career. We all worked 90-hour weeks for three months to get the bid done.”

Identifying ‘Hot Prospects’

While the government may issue RFPs at any time, Burchett and his team develop a pipeline early in the year with contracts that are expected to be posted or are already in-work. “These are the ‘hot prospects,’” he adds. “Our goal is typically to pursue three or four major programs a year, and several smaller ones.”

Unlike larger competitors that may have entire departments dedicated to responding to RFPs, King Aerospace team members may work across multiple departments and job roles when preparing the company’s bid.

“We’re smaller, more nimble and more flexible,” says Keith Weaver, vice president for business development. “Everyone involved in responding to a given proposal is an expert in that area. Their technical skills and operational competencies are incredibly valuable when drafting our response and ensuring we can perform the mission.”

That means the King team “probably works longer hours” on each bid, but Weaver emphasizes that, “In the end, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can successfully execute every mission we submit. That is definitely a strength.”

Bidding on an RFP is also something of a game of chance. In addition to the possibility the contract may be awarded to a competitor, Burchett recalls times when King Aerospace opted not to pursue a new opportunity to maintain focus on a prior RFP, only to have the government later decide to pull the request or delay its decision timeframe.

“It comes down to bandwidth,” he says. “We can usually support two active proposals at a time, and we’re working to extend that capability specifically to avoid that kind of situation.”

With military and government procurement contracts an important part of King Aerospace’s business model, Burchett notes it can also be extremely difficult to decide when not to respond to a proposal.

“Part of our commitment to servant leadership is recognizing that, as much as we’d love to have a particular program, sometimes our bid simply wouldn’t be competitive or may not align with our core strengths,” Burchett says.

That said, the RFP process isn’t a one-way street. “[King Aerospace Founder and Chairman] Jerry King has a few questions we must answer before proceeding with our response to an RFP,” Burchett says. “At the top of that list are, ‘will it make a difference in people’s lives?’ and ‘can we pay our people fairly?’

“Our mission at King Aerospace is to make a meaningful, significant difference in people’s lives,” he concludes. “That’s really what this is all about.”