The Bitter Truth: 67% of Teams Lose Major Contracts

For those in the Engineering & Construction trenches, the fear of blowing a major contract interview often creates more anxiety than public speaking, which itself ranks higher than death in many fear surveys. Let's face it: Losing sucks. And with 67% of shortlisted teams walking away empty-handed, that anxiety is well-founded. If you've ever wondered how to increase your odds of winning, I have an answer for you.

I’ve spent over three decades winning major contracts totaling over $30 billion in infrastructure improvements. I’ve witnessed a striking pattern: technical excellence rarely determines the winner. Instead, it's how effectively teams translate those capabilities into confidence, clarity, and connection during those decisive interview minutes. And hiring the right presentation coach is key.

Winning requires finding a unique strategy. Something to set you above the competition. There is no one-size-fits-all. Sure, clients may say, “I want to hire a firm that’s designed and built a project like this before.” But what exactly does that mean? Do they want the same firm? People with the same set of skills? My career is in jeopardy, and if I don’t manage the successful delivery of a project, I may lose my job? How can you be sure you have the right input to be sure your strategic message leads to a win?

Using Information Triangulation

The biggest mistake I’ve seen over the years is limited input. Too often, firms don’t understand the importance of triangulating information. Consider the parable of the blind men and the elephant. Each blind man correctly identified a part of the elephant—trunk, tail, leg—but none had the complete picture. Similarly, your project manager understands technical requirements, your business development team knows the competitive landscape, and your executives grasp the politics. Without integrating these perspectives, your interview strategy remains dangerously incomplete. And having an outside set of eyes to hear how the information has been evaluated prevents falling into the costly echo chamber trap.

Winning teams understand that having agency contacts on multiple levels makes information gathering more effective. Strategic teaming partners can fill any gaps. The levels go beyond the selection committee. The selection panel is empowered to review and grade proposals and interviews against stated criteria. Their selection is reviewed by an agency team to ensure all protocols were followed. Then, in many agencies, some form of elected body reviews the suggested outcome to ensure fiscal responsibility in expending taxpayer funds. Oftentimes, access to these individuals is limited during the proposal and evaluation phase to ensure a level playing field, so contacts must be made in advance. Relationships are extremely important, and honestly evaluating their strength is difficult.

Hidden Agendas: A Cautionary Tale

I had a situation once, where an Agency Project Manager, who was not going to be a part of the evaluation panel, told me the contractor partner we were considering made him uncomfortable due to their poor safety record. Others on the team got feedback indicating the contractor would only be evaluated on previous schedule performance and price. We went ahead with the teaming arrangement, hoping we could emphasize our schedule and cost advantage. When the final scores were made public, our team lost. We failed to take into consideration how much influence the PM would have over the process. One of my team members even said, “It’s like they never wanted our team in the first place.” Which was exactly what I was told. Knowing the hidden agendas is extremely important.

I always start by asking teams I’m working with about how they plan to win. Everyone understands how their team is positioned in relation to the selection criteria. Many even understand how they fare against the competition. Surprisingly, when I ask how they think they will lose, the answer is usually, “We blow the interview.” This recognition is actually the first step toward prevention. It's why the Five Ps are essential: Proper preparation prevents poor performance. But preparation without insight is just rehearsal, which is why I use another slogan when it comes to winning: Know what you don't know.

Know What You Don’t Know: The Strategic Advantage

If there’s an unknown in any level of your understanding of the selection process, your odds of winning decrease. Presenting qualifications of how the team has performed before on a similar project is only a part of a winning presentation. Knowing what you don't know isn't just philosophical—it's tactical. For every critical selection factor, you should be able to answer three questions: What do we know with certainty? What do we suspect but can't confirm? What blind spots might we have entirely missed? An effective interview coach helps identify and address all levels of knowledge before you enter the room.

In order to come across as a cohesive team, rehearsals are mandatory. So is having outsiders sit in to provide feedback. But feedback has some drawbacks, too. Even giving positive criticism to help a presenter improve their performance still leaves them with an underlying thought: I’m not perfect. And doubt creates fear that can fester like an underlying infection waiting for the opportune circumstance to take over and wreak havoc. Reducing doubts and fears is the key to getting a team ready for a winning performance.

Creating Team Confidence

Agencies use the interview process to confirm the messaging in the proposal. The most important part of an interview is seeing if your message connects with the panel members. It’s the ultimate game day performance. There is one thing on each of the selection panel’s minds: Will selecting this team advance my agency's goals? Team dynamics don’t come through on paper; they need to come across through actions. Do other team members listen attentively while someone else is speaking? Do they look enthusiastic, like they want the project? If someone makes a mistake, how do others on the team compensate?

Using an interview coach will help your team be ready for the moment when everything is on the line. But remember this: The best teams don't just prepare for the interview; they prepare for the specific selection panel sitting across the table and understand any forces that can sway their scoring. They align their narrative with the unstated concerns of each evaluator. They showcase their unique chemistry through subtle interactions. And most importantly, they answer the single question that trumps all selection criteria: 'Why is this team the best use of public funds?'

In my three decades helping teams win over $30 billion in contracts, I've learned that the difference between the 33% who win and the 67% who lose rarely comes down to technical qualifications. It comes down to whether they've uncovered the real story behind the RFP and whether they're prepared to tell the story in a way that resonates with the people who matter. The brutal truth is that most teams don't. Will yours?