XL EagleCapture (Capture Management)
Capture stands for Capture Management. Capture, or capture management, is the effort a company makes to win a specific opportunity before the solicitation is released and while the proposal is being written. It includes learning the customer's needs, studying the incumbent and competitors, finding teaming partners, and deciding on pricing strategy.
Capture usually starts when an opportunity appears in a forecast, a sources sought notice or a conversation with the customer. It ends with a strong proposal, or with a decision not to bid.
Why it matters to a small contractor
Even a two-person trade business can do capture. Read the forecast, call the contracting office with smart questions, visit the site if allowed, look up who holds the work now and what they are paid, and line up subcontractors early. Companies that start at the RFP release are often playing catch-up.
Example
A paving company sees a road repair project on an agency's procurement forecast for next spring. It looks up the last award on USAspending, answers the sources sought notice, and lines up a striping subcontractor months before the IFB comes out.
Capture: common questions
Is capture the same as business development?
Close, but narrower. Business development looks for opportunities in general; capture focuses on winning one specific opportunity.
Is talking to the agency allowed before the solicitation?
Generally yes, and agencies are encouraged to talk with industry before release. Once a solicitation is out, questions usually go only to the named contracting contact.
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