Desarae A. Veit

WHAT ARE SET-ASIDES, AND WHY UNDER $50K?

Set-asides mean the government "sets aside" a contract for specific groups, like small businesses, to promote fairness and diversity. For Iowa state agencies (think Department of Administrative Services or Transportation) and local ones (cities like Des Moines or counties like Polk), this often applies to low-dollar procurements—anything from $1K to $50K for things like event planning, vehicle maintenance, or software licenses.

- WHY UNDER $50K? These are "micro" or "simplified" buys. Iowa law encourages direct awards or quick bids without full-blown RFPs (requests for proposals) if the value is low. No need for fancy proposals; often, it's a quote or one-page response. Plus, under Iowa's thresholds (around $50K for goods/services), agencies prioritize local small businesses to hit their annual goals—aiming for 10-25% of spend with targeted groups.

Pro tip for newbies: Start here. A $20K local set-aside win builds your resume (past performance) for bigger fish later.

IOWA'S KEY PROGRAM: THE TARGETED SMALL BUSINESS (TSB) PROGRAM

Iowa's flagship is the TARGETED SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM, run by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS). It's free to join and designed for businesses like yours—small, Iowa-based, and ready to hustle.

- WHO QUALIFIES?

- Your business must be independently owned and operated (not a subsidiary of a big corp).

- Annual gross sales under $10M (recently updated for flexibility).

- At least 51% owned/controlled by Iowa residents.

- Bonus: Extra points if you're a woman-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, or service-disabled veteran-owned business (aligns with federal SBA categories like 8(a) or WOSB).

No experience required—just prove you're legit with basic docs like your articles of incorporation and tax ID.

- UNDER $50K PERKS:

- 48-HOUR EARLY ACCESS: TSB-certified vendors see opportunities 48 hours BEFORE the public. Imagine spotting a $15K printing contract for a county fair while others are still scrolling email.

- DIRECT AWARDS: For buys under $25K-$50K, agencies can skip bidding and award straight to you if it fits (e.g., you're the only local TSB match).

- SPENDING GOALS: State agencies must project TSB spend annually—last year, it was over $100M total, with plenty in the sub-$50K bucket.

Local twist: Cities and counties often mirror this. Des Moines has its own small business preference for bids under $50K, giving 5-10% scoring edges to locals.

HOW TO SPOT AND WIN THESE OPPORTUNITIES

Newbie mistake: Waiting for ads. Iowa posts on IMPACT (Iowa's procurement portal via Jaggaer software)—sign up free at das.iowa.gov/procurement. Search "TSB opportunities" or filters like "under $50K."

- STEP 1: CERTIFY (1-2 WEEKS). Apply online at das.iowa.gov/tsb. Upload basics; DAS reviews fast. Once in, you're golden for 3 years.

- STEP 2: HUNT SMART (DAILY 15-MIN ROUTINE).

- Check IMPact for RFQs (requests for quotes) or sole-source notices.

- Local: Scan city/county sites (e.g., dsm.city for Des Moines) or Iowa League of Cities.

- Tools: Free alerts via GovWin IQ (trial) or SBA's local office in Des Moines.

- STEP 3: BID LIKE A PRO (KEEP IT SIMPLE).

- Response: 1-3 pages max—price quote, why you're the fit (e.g., "Local team, 20% under market via Iowa suppliers"), and proof of TSB status.

- Pricing: Be competitive but real—factor 10-20% margin. No need for fancy spreadsheets.

- Timeline: 5-14 days to respond. Win rate? 30-50% for TSBs on small buys, per DAS stats.

Example: A $30K set-aside for web design for Iowa DOT's rural offices. As a TSB, you get the RFQ early, quote $28K with local hosting, and win because you're Iowa-based—no shipping delays.

COMMON PITFALLS AND PRO TIPS FOR NEWBIES

- PITFALL: OVERCOMPLICATING. Skip the 50-page proposal; these are quote-based. Focus on "local value" (jobs created, quick response).

- PITFALL: MISSING REGISTRATION. You need a vendor profile in IMPact AND SAM.gov (for any federal pass-throughs).

- TIP: NETWORK FREE. Attend DAS webinars (monthly) or Iowa Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in every county—they're newbie goldmines for mentors.

- TIP: SCALE UP. Use a $10K county win to chase $100K state ones. Track everything in a simple spreadsheet: opportunity, response date, outcome.

Bottom line: Iowa's under-$50K set-asides are low-risk gateways—quick cash flow without the federal red tape. Certify today, check IMPact tomorrow, and you could invoice by next month. Questions? Hit up DAS at 515-281-5369 or your local SBDC. You've got this—small starts big in Iowa.

Your fellow Capture Manager

@desaraev

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough. Staff smart, not fat.

CAPTURE MANAGER (FULL-TIME ON BOTH):

Owns the win from rumor to award. Builds pipeline, attends industry days, qualifies every lead (P-win (probability of win), budget, fit), runs customer calls, sets win themes, gates every dollar spent, decides bid/no-bid, locks solution before RFP drops.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (BD):

Scans SAM.gov (System for Award Management), GovWin, agency forecasts, partner teasers. Attends every relevant conference, golf outing, webinar. Qualifies opportunities on BANT (budget, authority, need, timeline). Builds call plan, logs every handshake, feeds intel to the shared drive. No pursuit starts without green light.

PROJECT TITAN ($250M IDIQ)

Team Day 1:

- Capture (CM)/BD – pipeline, events, qualification, customer shaping, win themes

- Technical/Solution – early architecture, block diagrams, proof-of-concept sketches

- Pricing – ROM (rough order of magnitude), target price-to-win, subcontractor ROMs, affordability guardrails

- Contracts– teaming agreements, NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), rep-and-cert (representations and certifications) drafts, flow-down analysis

- Past Performance SME (subject matter expert) – CPARS (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System) pulls, client references, performance narratives, gap analysis

- 2 Writers – customer-facing strawman pages, executive summary drafts, theme integration

- Graphics – solution visuals, process flows, timeline mockups

- 3 Teaming Partners (one rep each) – scope split, joint win themes, shared ROMs

RFP drop (+ dedicated Proposal Manager, more Writers, Prod specialist).

Expendable pre-RFP: nobody. $250M demands every brain from the starting gun.

PROJECT SPARK ($8M TASK ORDER)

Team Day 1:

- CM/BD (part-time) – qualify in 4 hours, 2 customer calls, ROM sanity check

- Tech Lead (double-hat solution) – reuse prior solution, 1-page approach

- Pricing (part-time) – ROM in Excel, plug incumbent rates

- 1 Writer – drafts all volumes, reuses boilerplate

RFP drop (+ Proposal Manager part-time, pull graphics from library, 1 Red review only).

Expendable pre-RFP: Contracts, Past Perf SME, dedicated Graphics, Partners. 40 hours total pre-RFP, max.

Good enough is the right size team at the right time. Titan needs the full orchestra early; Spark needs a pickup band that knows the tune.

Your fellow Capture Manager

@desaraev

We’re 120 days out from the Goliath O&M draft RFP. Everyone on the capture team—yes, everyone—starts Day 1, not Day 90. No lanes, one boat.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough. Get the whole squad in the room early, lock the win theme together, and build the proposal as a single heartbeat. No last-minute heroics, no budget bonfires.

Win theme workshop (Week 1): Full team—Capture, Proposal Manager, Tech Lead, Pricing, Volume Leads, key SMEs, writers. One whiteboard, one rule: speak in customer language only. Output: three-sentence “why us / why now / why this way” that fits on a sticky note. Tape it above every monitor.

Customer pulse (ongoing): Rotate call duty. Writers sit in on end-user chats. Pricing hears the 3 a.m. pain. SMEs take notes, not just talk. Everyone owns a hot-button log—update it live in the shared drive.

Story map (Week 2): Tech Lead draws the solution skeleton. Volume Leads claim bones. Writers flesh muscle. Pricing tags cost drivers. All in one Miro board, all hands touching it weekly. No section lives in a silo.

Budget guardrails: Capture sets the hours bucket. Proposal Manager tracks burn in real time. If we’re over by Friday, we cut scope, not corners. Transparency beats surprises.

Iterate early, iterate often: Weekly 60-min stand-up. Read one page aloud from each volume. If the win theme doesn’t echo, rewrite on the spot. No leader parachuting in at the 9th hour—because every leader has been in the room since kickoff.

Good enough is a proposal that sings the same tune from page 1 to price. We get there by starting together, staying together, and never letting one voice drown the chorus.

Your fellow Capture Manager

@desaraev

We’re six weeks out from the rumored J-9 recompete drop. The shared drive already has a 42-page “draft” technical volume, a ghosted cost model, and a win-theme slide that says “Best Value” in 72-point font. Delete it all.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough—don’t even let it be the enemy of *starting*. Starting without intel is just rehearsing a loss.

No RFP yet? Fine. No customer conversations? Unacceptable. You can’t divine wants vs. needs from the SAM.gov teaser. You can’t invent a “why” without the “ 3 a.m. pain the PM loses sleep over. You can’t craft “why now” when the incumbent’s option year just got extended. And “why us” is meaningless if the KO never heard our name.

Kill the premature prose. Replace it with:

1. Call list: three deep on the end-user side, two on the contracting side.

2. One-page hot-button capture sheet—fill it with their words, not ours.

3. Calendar blocks for ghost-card interviews before the draft RFP lands.

Good enough today is a blank page plus five scheduled customer touches. Perfect next month is a compliant tomb nobody asked for.

Your fellow Capture Manager

@desaraev

The clock on the Acme IDIQ recompete just hit T-minus 36 hours. Section M-2 is compliant, the cost volume balances, and the past-performance citations are locked. That’s it. Close the file.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.

Evaluators scan for shall/will/may compliance, then flip to price. They don’t award style points for the 47th synonym of “innovative.” A sentence that survives Pink Team without a red flag is a sentence that ships.

Kill the impulse to reopen Volume II for “one last polish.” Every minute spent chasing elegance is a minute the pricing team can’t stress-test the plug numbers or the subcontract lead can’t confirm burn-rate assumptions.

Good enough today beats perfect next week, and next week the shuttle is gone.

Your fellow Capture Manager

@desaraev

He was a good friend through college and easy to talk to. Tall as a Red Oak. I am very short but he seemed bigger than most.

He introduced me to my friend Katie and his brother John. I’m thankful for their friendship and sad to hear he passed.

The accompanying images are a storyboard crafted for a commissioned activity book about Iowa’s capital. This visual tool sequences pages into a clear narrative. Much like wireframes for UX, the goal is to visualize the big picture and organize concepts. This method keeps concepts loose and easy to rearrange.

WHAT IS A STORYBOARD?

Storyboarding transforms ideas into a vivid sequential blueprint. Conceived in 1930s film studios, it uses sketches or notes to map a narrative or project’s trajectory. This method crystallizes concepts into actionable plans to foster precision via a shared vision.

NEXT: How to use this method to enable teams to communicate and organize ideas logically.

HOW TO USE

Storyboarding drives innovation across industries with its visual clarity.

• Filmmakers sketch scenes to perfect pacing, as seen in Pixar’s pre-production for films like Toy Story

• Marketers map campaigns for impact, like Coca-Cola ads

• UX user journeys refine apps (e.g. for seamless navigation)

• Educators sequence lessons visually

• Linguists storyboard to elicit narratives, enriching studies in indigenous language preservation

Each field leverages storyboarding to align teams and brainstorm.

BOOK DEVELOPMENT

Books rely on storyboards to develop content into a cohesive flow. No tool is required; sketches can be done on paper or using Photoshop, Canva, or Adobe InDesign for layouts. Tools like app.aCo.digital or Scrivener may also refine page layouts, ensuring activities align with themes.

HO TO USE

IN CAPTURE / PROPOSAL

Capture managers can leverage storyboards for proposal teams in the strategy phase. Teams visualize proposals, mapping client needs, win themes, and solutions, much like wireframes for bids.

EXAMPLE: storyboarding a government proposal:

- differentiators (innovative approaches)

- persuasive ideas

- themes

- designs

This aligns stakeholders early, reducing revisions. The result is a compelling, client-focused narrative.

UX / PRODUCT

UX and product management thrive on storyboards (see portfolio for samples).

Storyboards map user journeys, visualizing interactions. Storyboarding can identify friction points, ensuring intuitive navigation. Panels align teams on features, much like wireframes, to refine prototypes early. This drives user-centric products.

Tools: Figma, Sketch, aCo and Adobe

FOR LAWYERS

Lawyers could employ storyboards to distill complex cases. Visual timelines sequence evidence and arguments, clarifying narratives for judges or clients. Storyboarding a timeline for a corporate lawsuit organizes key events, like contract breaches, to build a persuasive case. This strategy can enhances courtroom storytelling to build trust.

ABOUT

Desarae V. 15+ years of expertise in IT, UX, WCAG and government contracts. 10+ years experience in product management, and business development.

Can you help? I am looking for introductions to hiring managers, recruiters, or networking events in these fields.

1. Lockheed Martin $70,846M

2. RTX $31,337M

3. General Dynamics $26,920M

4. Boeing $23,759M

5. Northrop Grumman $17,380M

6. Optum 360 $16,220M

7. Leidos $10,808M

8. HUNTINGTON INGALLS INCORPORATED $10,290M

9. McKesson $10,246M

10. TriWest Healthcare Alliance $7,984M

11. Humana $7,914M

12. L3Harris Technologies $7,903M

13. BAE Systems, Inc. $7,707M

14. Honeywell $7,491M

15. Booz Allen Hamilton $7,477M

16. SAIC $5,958M

17. Analytic Services $5,308M

18. Atlantic diving supply $4,615M

19. Triad National Security, LLC $4,578M

20. Amentum $4,406M

21. Fluor Corporation $4,381M

22. GE $4,361M

23. CACI International Inc $4,134M

24. Peraton $3,841M

25. Deloitte Touche Venture Support Tohmatsu $3,711M

26. Centene Corporation $3,601M

27. Bechtel Corporation $3,598M

28. CONSOLIDATED NUCLEAR SECURITY, LLC $3,329M

29. Jacobs Engineering Group Incorporation $3,214M

30. Pfizer $3,206M

31. SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES INC $3,188M

32. Dell $3,061M

33. Accenture $2,973M

34. Lawrence Livermore National Security $2,966M

35. California Institute of Applied Technology $2,949M

36. UT-Battelle $2,712M

37. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions $2,539M

38. General Atomics $2,365M

39. Battelle Memorial Institute $2,295M

40. Mitre $2,260M

41. Cencora $2,239M

42. Battelle Energy Alliance $2,234M

43. Vectrus Fed Services GmbH $2,222M

44. KBR $2,199M

45. Amerisource Bergen Holding $2,140M

46. Merck & Co $2,073M

47. The Johns Hopkins University $2,068M

48. Oshkosh $2,043M

49. Textron $2,005M

50. Maximus $1,928M

51. Intl Fcstone $1,686M

52. Microsoft $1,659M

53. Cardinal Health $1,629M

54. Chenega Corp $1,600M

55. Hewlett Packard $1,500M

56. IBM $1,450M

57. PAE $1,400M

58. Raytheon $1,350M

59. UnitedHealth $1,300M

60. University of California $1,250M

61. Verizon $1,200M

62. American Systems $1,150M

63. ASRC Fed $1,100M

64. AT&T $1,050M

65. Black & Veatch $1,000M

66. CGI Fed $950M

67. Cisco Systems $900M

68. Clearwater Analytics $850M

69. Cognizant $800M

70. Computer Sciences $750M

71. Deloitte $700M

72. EMC $650M

73. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - $600M

74. Global Linguist $550M

75. Google $500M

76. HP $450M

77. IBM India $400M

78. Johnson Controls Fed $350M

79. KPMG $300M

80. Leidos $250M

81. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics $200M

82. ManTech $150M

83. Meta $100M

84. NetApp $90M

85. Oracle $80M

86. Palantir $70M

87. PwC $60M

88. Red Hat $50M

89. Salesforce $40M

90. SAP America $30M

91. ServiceNow $20M

92. Symantec $10M

93. T-Mobile $9M

94. Unisys $8M

95. Verizon $7M

96. VMware $6M

97. Workday $5M

98. Xerox $4M

99. Yahoo $3M

100. Zscaler $2M

Can you help me? I’m looking for a 1:1 introduction to your favorite recruiter in technology or government contracting.

If you don’t know any recruiters, that’s alright. Chances are if you’re in my network that you know:

✅ a lawyer - someone who specializes in government affairs, lobbying, business contracts, trusts or estate planning

✅ someone working for the government

✅ someone in government contracts

✅ a leader in technology

✅ someone in business development, growth or capture management

✅ someone you think is geeky

✅ Anyone with a blog or podcast I could join

✅ Event organizers looking for public speakers about tech

✅ Anyone who works for Defense Unicorns, Boeing, General Dynamics Information Technology, the LEGO Group , SAIC, Karsun Solutions, CACI International Inc, Rockwell Collins, Lockheed Martin, Leidos, Accenture Federal Services, AGovX LLC, GOVX, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Department of War, United States Air Force, SpaceX, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Space Force,U.S. Department of the Interior, Federal Aviation Administration (not a complete list but gives you an idea)

✅ upcoming gov con events

✅ Anyone who loves flying or being a pilot as much as I do

✅ Anyone hiring for capture, growth or product management

✅ Anyone who needs a website or might be interested in commissioning art

These are people I would like to meet.

My name is Desarae. I am currently unemployed after a company-wide layoff at GDIT in May. And I am interested in networking with likeminded peers. I’m looking for a job as a capture manager.

Please comment or send me a message as a group chat. I had to end my premium membership and can not send messages to anyone outside of my network.

Design systems should be ever-changing, a true team effort.

Sometimes you have to make a call, back it up with reasoning, and stick to it until there’s a solid reason to change. Take Apple and Microsoft—they’ve got different takes on button placement, and UX studies from folks like Nielsen Norman Group show there’s no one-size-fits-all. You decide, you commit, but you stay open to adapting when it makes sense.

I dream of a base design system for every coding language, something that ties together tools like Figma, Storybook, and Ionic. The goal? Spend less time sweating the coding details and more time building experiences that connect with users—using AI, web morphing, or content that shifts to fit the individual.

Imagine code wrapped in microservices or high-level wrappers. Every component you’d ever need is designed once, reusable anywhere, and updated constantly without tedious rework.

Picture a design tool hooked up to SASS, managing a core color palette and app-specific ones, like white-labeling components for consistency. No more mismatched colors across projects.

Naming conventions should be standardized. Words like “new,” “add,” or “create”—pick one and stick with it. Same goes for date formats, time formats, everything. Consistency is key.

I’ve built these ideas into my Pedantic Design System. It’s responsive, handles multiple design systems, but uses a single set of components for ongoing optimization.

With code linting, CI/CD pipelines, and repos that spin up as needed, we automate the boring stuff to focus on the big picture.

Once the foundation is solid, teams can zero in on personas, edge cases, and real people. Imagine websites that adjust for color blindness, or switch between video, audio, or text based on what you need.

Pages that transform based on your mood, geolocation, or activity? That’s the future I’m chasing.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We can do so much better. What do you think?

Emerging technologies in 2025 are poised to radically transform our government

Transformation may be the future of government operations, pushing the boundaries of efficiency, security, and citizen engagement.

My next few posts will dive into some of the most extreme and intriguing advancements, spanning multiple domains, that could redefine how governments function in the near future:

#1. Quantum Computing for Unbreakable Security and Data Analysis

Quantum computing is no longer sci-fi!

NOW in 2025, quantum systems are being explored for cryptographic applications, potentially rendering current encryption obsolete while introducing quantum-resistant algorithms.

Governments could use quantum computers to analyze massive datasets in seconds, enabling real-time decision-making for national security, disaster response, or economic forecasting.

EXAMPLE:

Agencies like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could simulate complex threat scenarios or optimize resource allocation during crises with unprecedented speed.

The catch? Quantum tech is a double-edged sword. Adversaries with access could decrypt sensitive data, pushing governments to adopt quantum security protocols.

Risks could include: data-misuse, new forms of hacking, over-automation, surveillance and privacy issues, oversight or lack of human oversight.

These technologies aren’t just tools; they can become catalysts for a radical reimagining of government. The catch is balancing innovation with ethics, security, and equity.

Then he found the aCo App (app.aCo.digital). It was like a weight lifted off his chest. With aCo, Alex didn’t just manage his work—he reclaimed his life. The app’s AI-driven social media automation was a revelation. He’d write a blog post about his latest service or product, and aCo instantly transformed it into tailored posts for platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn—no scheduling required. The app’s smart algorithms analyzed his content, pulled key snippets, and shared them across his social channels in real time, perfectly formatted to engage local clients. No more agonizing over when to post or what to say. While Alex focused on creating, aCo handled the rest: organizing leads in its CRM, streamlining invoices, and tracking projects with seamless precision.

One crisp evening, Alex sat on his balcony, laptop closed, watching the city lights. For the first time in years, he felt unburdened. He wasn’t just keeping up—he was thriving. His posts were reaching clients effortlessly, his inbox was manageable, and his business was growing. He smiled, thinking of the hours he’d gained to dream up new ideas, to live again.

The term “enshittified,” coined by Cory Doctorow, describes the decline of digital platforms that initially prioritize user experience to attract users, then shift to favor business interests with ads or data collection, and finally exploit both users and businesses with aggressive monetization, like ad-heavy feeds or manipulative algorithms, degrading the platform’s original value.

The future lies in HLM + LLM, not AI replacing human connection, with niche human-driven platforms thriving as spaces for wisdom and interaction.

I’m offering to build quick portfolio or resume sites for those avoiding DIY. AI can’t replace the skills needed for quality websites. I can include a contact or quote form to collect contacts and emails for freelancing or networking.

Recommended site content:

- About page

- Resume

- Contact or quote form

- Social media links

- Minimum 5 case studies (covering challenges, solutions, media, and quantified contributions)

- Job overview

I’ll work with you on pricing. I ask for a donation payment, a Starbucks coffee, and a referral to someone who can help me land a gov con capture manager job. If I get too many responses, I’ll start a waitlist.

Here are the steps for the process:

- Choose a single-page or multi-page site

- Start with content creation and get your approval

- Assist with writing case studies

- Design the site and get your approval

- Include a contact or lead form funneling to a free CRM (app.aCo.digital, $15/mo for form management)

- Set up hosting ($10-20/mo; I’ll explain provider options) or use free single-page options that don’t require a domain or hosting costs

- Secure a domain ($5-30/yr; you buy, I need DNS access) or use free domain options

- Optional Google Workspace email setup ($8-15/mo)

- Code the site after content and design approval (takes 2-6 weeks, depending on your feedback)

I’m flexible on pricing tell me what you can pay, provide a couple job referrals, and we’re good. I typically charge around $3,000 for a site like this. Please help with referrals for gov con jobs.

This is meant just to help. Focus on what you’re good at. Don’t worry about learning how to code if that’s not you’re thing or using a no-code template.