18F/18f.gsa.gov

---
title: "Using RFPs to make every dollar count"
authors:
- mchopson
- brendan
tags:
- acquisition services
- procurement
- agency work
excerpt: "We were thrilled to be invited to help National Endowment for the Arts and even more thrilled that we could help them succeed in a way that prevented years of back-and-forth exchanges and many millions of dollars spent. Instead, they invested $30,000 and a couple months to build the Bright Spots interactive graphic."
description: "In the early spring of 2016, 18F Acquisitions was approached by the National Endowment for the Arts about adding interactive data visualizations to their existing website. After a brief discovery session, helped them write an agile contract that was able to save them $150,000 in just a few weeks time. This is a huge savings, especially when the total cost of 18F’s effort was less than $1,000."
image: /assets/blog/nea/bright-spots.jpg
---
In the early spring of 2016, 18F Acquisitions was approached by the
[National Endowment for the Arts](https://www.arts.gov/) (NEA) with a
novel challenge. As part of its mission, NEA wanted to add interactive
data visualizations to their existing website to highlight their work.
After a brief discovery session, we agreed that a ghost writing
engagement would best fit their needs. What surprised us at 18F, is that
in just a few weeks time we were able to help NEA save over $150,000.
This is a huge savings for such a short engagement, especially when the
total cost of 18F’s effort was less than $1,000.

18F emphasizes the importance of human-centered design, agile
development, and modular contracting in its work with agency partners.
We also know that you can get a surprising amount of value from [every
single dollar](https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/11/06/micro-purchase-lessons/).

Towards that end, we also approach agency clients with as much empathy
as possible realizing that they’re dedicated, highly-skilled civil
servants themselves. At NEA, we found an agency with a smart and strong
acquisition strategy that already envisioned a phased, incremental
approach; it also benefitted from being a fantastic use case that would
result in an engaging and interactive experience with the public.

The problems that NEA did have were very typical of traditional
government contracting, mainly that a purely paper-based exchange with
vendors makes it difficult to fully address, or even consider, certain
aspects of this kind of project. After a few hours with two 18F
staffers, we provided feedback and thoughts about potential options to
deal with some of the traditional hurdles.

Some of our approaches included:

-   Simplifying any instructions to any vendor(s) using lightweight
performance work statements (PWS) like Statement of Objectives
(SOOs)

-   Ensuring that any code the government buys using taxpayer dollars is
open source per both [18F’s own
policies](https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/01/16/open-source-for-good-government/)
and the Office of Management and Budget’s [recent
memo](https://sourcecode.cio.gov/)

-   Emphasize aesthetic consistency and human-centered design principles
with modern standards (such as responsive design)

18F also recommended using experienced, available people who could do
the type of modern development that makes a great digital experience for
the public. NEA agreed and it prevented them from pursuing a different
path that would have likely required substantially more time and money.

With a simple pivot and minimal effort, a good plan got even better. We
were thrilled to be invited to help NEA and even more thrilled that we
could help them succeed in a way that prevented years of back-and-forth
exchanges and many millions of dollars spent. Instead, they invested
$30,000 and a couple months to build the [Bright Spots interactive
graphic](https://www.arts.gov/50th/creativity-connects#literature).

![The bright spots graphic with Colorado selected.]({{site.baseurl}}{{page.image}})

“We were challenged in finding the right way to visualize and display
the Arts Ecosystem and the connection to other sectors. 18F helped to
shape the focus of the query; pinpoint the best method to gain results;
and the most efficient process to get site up and running. Without 18F
consultation, we could have wasted time and money,” said Winona H.
Varnon, Deputy Chairman for Management and Budget, National Endowment
for the Arts.

One of the biggest barriers to getting digital services done in
government is the habit of approaching the procurement process in the
same way that you would for buying the types of things the government is
used to buying. Modern web services are different and need to be
approached differently in ways that favor showing not telling. These
kinds of small engagements give agencies an opportunity to get a feel
for the benefits of moving from requirements to working code. As this
approach spreads through the government, agencies can expect to see
better solutions, delivered faster, and the public can expect to see
improved services that cost significantly less taxpayer money. We think
that’s pretty cool for everyone.