Learn how this mad guitarist, Chris Facey, lands a $21 million IDIQ in transportation!
BACKGROUND
Chris Facey graduated with an English degree, but he started his career working in a trucking company.
For five years, he tried to get out of the job, until an opportunity came and he then started a brokerage.
Currently, he is a freight broker specializing in end-to-end logistics and is an independent agent for TForce Worldwide, a logistics and supply chain company.
“So, I was working for the carrier and I had an opportunity to start my own thing and be my own boss. And so I said, ‘All right, screw it. I’m doing it. I’m going to give it a shot.’ And here I am, like more than 10 years later.”
DIVING INTO THE GOVERNMENT MARKETPLACE
For years, Chris Facey had been doing business in the commercial marketplace wherein he ships different kinds of products, depending on his clients.
He only got interested in how the government contracting works when he watched the movie “War Dogs.” That’s when he went down the online rabbithole and found our YouTube content.
“I remember thinking when I was watching a movie, I was, like, sitting there drinking a beer. And I was like, is this real? And so I, like, Googled it. And the next day I was like, I’m going to look into that.”
And if you’re watching our videos on YouTube, you might have seen him in one of our videos where he debated why the cost of flying PPE in America is expensive. That actually happened right after he commented on our video about price gouging.
Because of that healthy discussion, Facey then signed up on our GovCon Giants course and joined our weekly Tuesday calls with a series of guitars always on his background.
WORKING ON PAPERWORK
Meanwhile, after watching a clip from the 16-year old military contractor, Wesley Ross, he then decided to take action.
He found a transportation readiness contract on beta.sam that his team is qualified for and decided to pursue it.
And like any other contract opportunities, he focused on the paperwork before submitting it. He even answered the proposal while also going on a vacation.
Throughout the process of working on the paperworks, Facey called and pulled out different resources. He asked help from the people in his industry and we also made sure that he will be supported throughout the way.
Apart from that, he also ensured that he can answer anything that the government agency asks regarding his proposal. This also goes to any changes that the agency wants from the requirements to the size of the content.
“I feel like I learned a ton just doing that one— Like if I had done the bid and not gotten to any award, it’s still… I still view it as, like, a huge win just to go through the process.”
AFTER WINNING THE CONTRACT
After sending the proposal to the ethers, Facey waited over two months before getting an email that he won the contract.
However, the next process is not that simple because that’s when he really needs to do the work.
In fact, he still needs to compete in each of the individual task scores because his contract is not a one-way type contract.
While also doing that, he plans to continue looking for more opportunities.
“This is my favorite part, the hunt. That’s what I love. It’s like the lead up to it, you know… like getting the award that was, like, amazing and, like, exciting, like fun. But like, I really love the hunt.”
BIGGEST LESSON THAT HE LEARNED
The biggest lesson that he learned from diving in the federal marketplace to winning his first contract is to ask for help.
All throughout the process, he didn’t hesitate in calling GovCon Giants to ask for something in his contract that he didn’t understand.
Although in some cases, the answer is already in the course, he just goes through with it and that helped him land that $21 million IDIQ.
“I’d asked for help a million times putting the contract together. And as a result, I’m a lot better at it now than I was even four months ago or whenever I started.”
RESOURCES
If you want to learn more on how Chris Facey lands a $21 million IDIQ in transportation, then be sure to click the resources below.
You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!
The mad guitarist lands a $21 MILLION IDIQ in transportation