Glossary term
Incumbent
The contractor currently performing the work being recompeted.
Incumbents hold real advantages — customer relationships, performance history, and knowledge of the actual work — but incumbency is not decisive. Incumbents lose by assuming continuity, submitting a proposal that describes what they do rather than answering what was asked, and pricing on the assumption no one will undercut them. Challengers win by finding the gap between what the customer has and what it wants.
Categories
- capture
- business
Related terms
- RecompeteA new competition for work currently under contract, held as the existing contract's term ends.
- Bridge ContractA short-term extension or sole-source award covering a gap while a recompete is completed.
- Past PerformanceEvaluation factor measuring how well a contractor performed on relevant prior contracts — often captured in CPARS.