Case Studies
ITS Corporation
The winning formula for big contract dollars
Situation
ITS Corporation grew from a small West Coast partnership originally known as Datex to a leading provider of engineering and technical services work to the public sector. In 1998, the company expanded its portfolio of small regional contracts by winning the coveted ANSWER contract from the General Services Administration (GSA), which marked the company’s first Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) vehicle.
Soon after, ITS won the high-dollar Millenia Lite contract — and with it, the company had the financial strength and confidence of an industry leader. It was also primed to pursue one of the government’s largest IT contract vehicles, Alliant, which was the follow on to both ANSWER and Millenia Lite.
With three acquisitions under its belt, ITS was armed and ready to position itself for a “make or break” contract. To win Alliant, however, ITS needed to establish a D.C. presence to reach Beltway decision-makers — including the press.
The company embarked on a “pre-RFP” campaign that prepared the D.C. market for ITS to make a splash. Performance-based contracting (PBC), earned value management (EVM) and a legacy of past performance with GSA would be important criteria for Alliant. ITS came to Boscobel for help introducing the federal community to its capabilities, promoting its leadership and expertise, and successfully positioning the company to win.
Objectives
- Build the company’s brand in both the government space and in the DC area.
- Introduce subject matter experts as thought leaders in performance-based contracting, earned value management and GSA past performance.
- Support merger and acquisition activities with PR and internal communications.
- Position the company to capture the lucrative Alliant contract.
Tactics
Media surveys and messaging sessions helped to create the foundation for key ITS messages, which Boscobel then used in all outreach and press activities. Introductory briefings with key publications, including Washington Technology and The Washington Post, gave ITS the forum to announce its Alliant aspirations and explain the company’s unique strengths related to the contract. Boscobel interviewed subject matter experts, placing and writing thought leadership pieces on topics of significance to the Alliant contract. These articles, written specifically for audiences that understand and influence the business of government, appeared in key industry and government publications.
Boscobel also assisted ITS with internal and external communications pertaining to two acquisitions: Noesis, Inc., and LEADS Corporation. Editing of government and employee newsletters, development of news releases and proactive media relations supported the important transition created by these acquisitions.
Results
Boscobel’s pre-RFP activities brought ITS lasting and tangible results.
Executives were quoted regularly in federal trade publications, including Federal Computer Week, Government Computer News, Washington Technology and Government Executive, on topics relating to the contract vehicle such as GSA, GWACs, Alliant, PBC, EVM, GSA-related issues and more. Boscobel also secured bylined and commentary placements in National Defense, Contracting Magazine, Government Procurement News and Federal Times.
Overall, ITS was quoted more times than competitors almost 10 times their own size. The company also garnered more than 200 million impressions leading up to the release of the Alliant contract, 65 million of which were in government and military audiences. Most importantly, ITS Corporation (now a wholly owned subsidiary of QinetiQ North America) won the Alliant contract, worth an estimated $50 billion over 10 years.