In the federal market, the calendar is a strategy document. The fiscal year ends September 30, and every experienced BD leader knows what that means: Q4 is when unobligated dollars move fast — and Q3 is when the companies that win them get into position.
That makes right now, the start of Q3, the most important planning checkpoint of the year. Here are the five questions I work through with every client before the use-it-or-lose-it window opens.
1. Which of our pursuits can actually award this fiscal year?
Sort your pipeline by a single brutal criterion: can the government realistically obligate funds against this before September 30? Existing vehicles, SBIR topics already open, BAAs with rolling white papers, simplified acquisitions — these can move. A brand-new requirement that hasn’t hit acquisition planning probably can’t. Put your Q3 energy where the calendar allows a yes.
2. Do our customers know we exist — with money still on the table?
Program offices facing expiring funds look for low-risk, known options. “Known” is the operative word. If a contracting officer or program manager hasn’t heard your name by July, you are not on the list they reach for in August. Q3 is for demos, capability briefs, and check-ins with every warm relationship in your CRM — not to pitch, but to be findable.
3. Is our paperwork ready for speed?
Q4 awards favor the prepared. SAM registration current. Reps and certs clean. Past performance write-ups, key personnel résumés, and pricing templates staged. A quote turned around in 48 hours beats a better quote delivered in two weeks — because in September, the government’s scarcest resource is time.
4. What did the first half of the year teach us?
Pull the data. Which sources produced real opportunities — and which produced motion without progress? Which agencies responded to outreach? Where did we lose, and what did the debrief actually say? Mid-year is the last cheap moment to reallocate effort before the sprint.
5. What are we deliberately not pursuing?
This one separates disciplined teams from busy ones. Every pursuit you keep in Q4 costs capacity you can’t spend twice. Name your no-bids now, write down why, and free your best people for the opportunities that meet all three tests: real demand, real funding, a real contracting vehicle.
Q4 rewards positioning, not scrambling. The companies that win September started answering these five questions in April. If you’re reading this in June — good. There’s still time to get into position.
If you want a second set of eyes on your mid-year pipeline review, that’s exactly the kind of working session we run with clients every week. Reach out — we’ll bring the checklist.
