By Paul Karch, Founder, GARDANT GLOBAL
Published: December 2025
Executive Summary
As we close out 2025, one thing is indisputable: the GovCon landscape has fundamentally changed. Between DOGE, the government shutdown, and a rapidly evolving procurement environment, traditional approaches to government contracting no longer suffice. Success in 2026 will belong to organizations that define their solutions with clarity, demonstrate value in real-time, and deliver with speed and compliance.
Why GARDANT GLOBAL—and Why Now
When I founded GARDANT GLOBAL 20 years ago, my mission was simple: empower organizations—large and small—to win in government contracting through outsourced business development, capture, proposal management, and post-award support.
Why “GARDANT”?
Webster’s Dictionary defines GARDANT as:
“Turning the head toward the spectator, but not the body; — said of a lion or other beast.”
It’s a fitting metaphor for our ethos—eyes fixed forward, focused squarely on the goal.
Today, that focus matters more than ever. Agencies are moving from static, paper-based evaluations to value-driven, capability-focused assessments—including real-time code challenges (as we’ve seen in recent DHS opportunities), technical sprints, and proofs-of-concept prior to award. The message is clear: demonstrate value early, often, and unambiguously.
The 2025 Inflection Point: What Changed—and What It Means
- Procurement Modernization: Rapid updates to vehicles and evaluation methods are pushing contractors to show—not tell their capabilities.
- Budget and Policy Disruptions: The government shutdown reminded teams that resilience, pipeline diversification, and cash-flow discipline are strategic, not optional.
- Evolving Vehicles & Categories: Vehicles like GSA OASIS+ (on-ramp), GSA 2GIT Reimagined, FAA SAVES, Army Open Solicitation, and GSA MAS remain essential—but requirements, categories, and evaluation criteria are shifting.
Bottom line: The traditional GovCon playbook has been rewritten. Agility, evidence, and speed now drive competitive advantage.
2026 Focus: Define, Demonstrate, Deliver
1) Define: Clarity Wins
- Solution Architecture: Document exactly what you deliver, for whom, and how it reduces risk, cost, or time for the government.
- Value Evidence: Tie each capability to mission outcomes and KPIs (e.g., cycle-time reduction, defect rates, audit readiness).
- Compliance Mapping: Align your solutions to relevant standards (e.g., security, accessibility, records, quality), and prove it.
2) Demonstrate: Show Your Capability Early
- Challenge-Ready Teams: Prepare for code challenges, technical sprints, live demos, and sandbox evaluations.
- Reusable Assets: Build a demo library—repeatable scripts, datasets, test harnesses, and reference architectures.
- Past Performance Packaging: Curate evidence-rich case studies with outcomes, metrics, and stakeholder testimonials.
3) Deliver: Execute with Speed and Discipline
- Proposal Velocity: Maintain a ready-to-use proposal library (management, compliance, resumes, pricing models, risk registers).
- Teaming Strategy: Pre-negotiate roles and rates; identify gap-filling partners for certifications, clearances, or past performance.
- Post-Award Excellence: Stand up delivery playbooks with governance, QA, reporting, and continuous improvement loops.
Vehicles & Opportunities to Watch in Early 2026
- Kickoff your NASA SEWP VI win with quotes, bids and proposals. Build your response team now and be ready to engage immediately after award.
- GSA OASIS+ (On-Ramp & Second Iteration): Position core teams, references, and categories now.
- GSA 2GIT Reimagined: Validate product categories, supply chain resilience, catalog readiness, and customer support models.
- GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS): If you don’t have one, start now; if you do, expand SINs and optimize pricing/catalog.
- FAA SAVES & Army Open Solicitation: Confirm your fit, teaming options, and evaluation readiness (technical + management).
Ask yourself:
- Do we have a GSA MAS?
- Are we truly positioned to win or add categories in OASIS+, 2GIT, FAA SAVES, Army Open?
- How are we marketing, selling, and proving our value proposition—fast?
Your Q1–Q2 2026 Action Plan
January–March
- Conduct a MAS gap analysis; initiate new SINs if needed.
- Refresh the capture pipeline; prioritize 12-month and 24-month targets.
- Build a demo/code challenge environment and practice runs.
- Finalize OASIS+ on-ramp readiness: team, categories, labor mapping, past performance packages, and compliance artifacts.
- Lock pricing strategy (labor + materials) and teaming agreements.
April–June
- Complete 2GIT Reimagined catalog validation and supply chain readiness.
- Publish evidence-based case studies aligned to target agencies and missions.
Ongoing
- Maintain proposal library hygiene, pre-build management sections and risk registers.
- Track win-rate, Pwin (probability of win), cycle time, and evaluation feedback to drive continuous improvement.
Marketing & Growth: Make Value Observable
- Message Market Fit: Translate technical capability into mission outcomes for each target agency/program.
- Thought Leadership: Publish use cases, short demo videos, and micro-proof points (metrics + impact).
- Account-Based Capture: Pair BD with capture analytics; prioritize targets by funding, urgency, and mission alignment.
Downloadable Checklists
- GSA MAS in place (or in progress)
- OASIS+ categories mapped; past performance curated
- 2GIT catalog and supply chain validated
- Demo/code challenge environment and team rehearsed
- Proposal Library updated (resumes, templates, compliance, pricing)
- Teammates identified and prenegotiated
- Case studies with outcomes + metrics published
- Post-award playbook prepared (governance, QA, reporting)
The Takeaway
Success in 2026 won’t come from doing what worked in 2020. It will come from a disciplined, evidence-based approach that defines solutions clearly, demonstrates value in real time, and delivers with speed and compliance.
This is the moment to lead—not follow.
Ready to Lead in 2026?
Let’s start the conversation.
Connect with GARDANT GLOBAL to position your organization for success in the new era of government contracting.
📩 Email: paul.karch@gardantglobal.com
🌐 Website: www.selltogovernment.com or www.gardantglobal.com
📅 Schedule a Strategy Session: Book time to meet with me
Offer: Book a 30-minute 2026 Readiness Session—we’ll review your vehicle strategy, readiness, and proposal library, and give you a prioritized action plan.