The book of rules governing federal purchases is called the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) which can be found at http://www.acqnet.gov/far/. The FAR is as thick as the Bible and reads like the convoluted, bewildering document you would expect to see when lawyers and politics mix. From a sales perspective, procurement rules concerning the sale of products and services to federal buyers can be easily and succinctly summarized in one sentence. It is as follows:

• Vendors are encouraged to meet with federal end users before a purchase is publicly announced.

Excerpts from the FAR discuss the rules about meeting with vendors before receipt of proposals and achieving "best value".

• Exchanges of information among all interested parties, from the earliest identification of a requirement through receipt of proposals, are encouraged.
• Techniques to promote early exchanges of information include one-on-one meetings with potential offerors. (Meetings dealing with potential contract terms and conditions should include the contracting officer.) Editor's note - The term "offeror" means you.
• After release of the solicitation, the contracting officer must be the focal point of any exchange with potential offerors.
• All participants in the (Federal Acquisition) System are responsible for making acquisition decisions that deliver the best value product or service to the customer. Best value must be viewed from a broad perspective and is achieved by balancing the many competing interests in the System. The result is a system which works better and costs less.

Clear as mud, right? The goal is to get the best deal for the taxpayer. To do this, end users must know the features and benefits of what they are buying in order to make intelligent, effective purchasing decisions. The public must be confident that services and products are being bought wisely and fairly. At a practical level, promoting competition is not necessarily consistent with achieving best value.

So what do the FAR rules say to sales people: "Go meet with end users before anyone else does and tell them why your product or service is the best value."