Strategy
Turning expiring contracts into your next win
July 2026
Term dates are public. Build a renewal calendar and start relationships before the recompete drops.
Recompetes are the most predictable work in government contracting. Someone already holds the contract, the end date is published, and the agency will almost certainly buy again.
Build the calendar
Pull awards in your categories, record end dates and option years, and sort by expiration. Anything expiring in nine to eighteen months belongs in active capture, not in a spreadsheet you look at once a quarter.
Study the incumbent honestly
Read the original award, any modifications, and performance history. Modifications tell you where the scope drifted and where the agency has been frustrated. That is where your differentiation lives.
Show up before the RFP
Twelve months out you can ask questions and offer perspective. Two weeks out you are one of eleven bidders the agency has never met.
Price the recompete, not the original
Requirements change between cycles. Base your pricing on what the agency needs next, not on the award amount from five years ago.
Takeaways
- Maintain a rolling calendar of expiring awards and option years
- Read modifications to find the incumbent's weak spots
- Begin capture nine to eighteen months before expiration
- Price against the next requirement, not the last award
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