If you’re in public sector sales for cybersecurity solutions, you’ve probably felt the pain of showing up too late—after the RFP drops, after the budget is set, or worse, after the decision has already been made.
In our second session of the Beyond the Bid: Industry Insights That Win webinar series, Paige Mockler, Director of Relationship Management & Revenue Recovery at GovSpend, focused on how cybersecurity vendors can move beyond reactive bidding and start identifying, qualifying, and closing opportunities earlier in the sales cycle.
Below, we’re recapping the most actionable insights from the session to help you take your cybersecurity public sector strategy from reactive to revenue-generating.
Why Going “Beyond the Bid” Matters in Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity sales teams face a perfect storm of challenges in the public sector:
- Bids written with a specific vendor in mind
- Contracts awarded before an RFP is posted
- Budget freezes, funding cuts, or misaligned scopes
- Long sales cycles paired with missed renewal windows
- Ghosted contacts and limited visibility into agency tech stacks
Waiting for a bid to be posted is no longer enough. That’s where GovSpend comes in—providing the tools to surface early buying signals, uncover historical spending, and build relationships long before procurement starts.
Key Takeaways from the Webinar
1. Prospect Smarter Using GovSpend Filters
Paige demonstrated how to use GovSpend’s advanced filters to surface qualified cybersecurity opportunities across categories like:
- Network and infrastructure security
- Endpoint and identity protection
- Cloud, compliance, and ransomware response
- Penetration testing and incident response
By using keyword groups and product names, reps can surface relevant open bids or spending patterns with just a few clicks—no more cold calling into the dark.
Pro Tip: Use keyword variants like “MFA,” “SIEM,” “XDR,” and vendor names to cast a wide net across bids, spending records, and contract data.
2. Break the Cycle of Reactive Selling
Most sales teams are stuck reacting to posted bids—but by the time they hit your radar, it might be too late. Instead, use GovSpend data to identify:
- Agencies that should be your customers based on past purchasing
- Contracts coming up for expiration in the next 6–12 months
- Agencies that have stopped buying from a vendor you compete with
This approach gives your team time to build rapport, educate stakeholders, and shape the next RFP.
3. Use GovSpend AI to Triage Bids Faster
GovSpend’s built-in AI assistant is a game-changer for time-strapped teams. GovSpend AI can:
- Summarize lengthy RFP documents in seconds
- Extract technical requirements
- Draft outreach emails or executive summaries
- Clarify eligibility, compatibility, and multi-award options
This makes it easier to prioritize the right bids—and avoid chasing the wrong ones.
4. Tap into Purchase History to Stay Competitive
Want to know what a district or agency is paying for cybersecurity services? With GovSpend’s purchase order and vendor history tools, you can see:
- Which vendors an agency has worked with
- What products and services they purchased
- How frequently an agency buys
- When contracts are renewed—and how much was spent
This intel helps you price smarter, position your value, and even find potential partners.
5. Find Decision-Makers and Personalize Your Outreach
Once you’ve identified a promising opportunity, use GovSpend’s contact filters to find:
- CIOs, CTOs, Directors of IT, and Procurement Officers
- Agency personnel who signed contracts or led initiatives
- Public contacts associated with previous cybersecurity spend
Then, make your outreach count. Paige showed how referencing specific purchase order numbers and contract amounts grabs attention and builds instant credibility.
6. Monitor Meeting Intelligence for Real-Time Signals
Perhaps the most powerful tool for getting ahead of the competition? Meeting Intelligence. GovSpend captures transcripts from public agency meetings—giving you visibility into:
- Agencies discussing ransomware attacks or system failures
- Upcoming firewall upgrades or multi-factor rollouts
- Concerns about compliance, vulnerability, or cloud transitions
Rather than waiting for a posted RFP, you can identify urgent needs as they’re being discussed—then reach out with a tailored solution, not a cold pitch.
Real Example: Highland Public Schools recently discussed a ransomware attack in a board meeting. With GovSpend’s Meeting Intelligence, you could pinpoint who spoke, what they said, and which vendor failed—then position your solution for recovery and prevention.
Action Plan: How to Go Beyond the Bid
Here’s how public sector cybersecurity teams can start selling smarter today:
- Set up alerts for keywords like “data breach,” “incident response,” and “firewall replacement”
- Monitor contracts set to expire within your average sales cycle
- Use AI to triage and qualify open opportunities
- Reference real POs and contract history in your sales messaging
- Prioritize agencies discussing cybersecurity in public meetings
- Let your GovSpend team build reports and alerts for your territory
As Paige put it during the webinar:
“We don’t want you to just respond to bids—we want you to build trust and influence with agencies.”
Want Help Putting This Into Practice?
If you’d like assistance setting up any of the reports or filters Paige demonstrated, reach out to your Relationship Manager or the GovSpend Customer Success team. We’ll help you replicate this exact workflow in your account—so you can spend less time digging, and more time closing. You can also access the webinar recording and slides here.
Click here to register for the next sessions in the Beyond the Bid series, which will cover the Consumables (5/23), Transportation and Highway Traffic Safety (6/6) and Janitorial/Custodial Supplies, Equipment, and Services (6/20) sectors.
If you are not yet a customer, request time with our experts to learn how GovSpend can help you go beyond the bid and win more contracts.
About the Author: GovSpend
