Derrick L. Heard is a nationally recognized federal acquisition executive, strategic advisor, and public sector innovator with more than 35 years of experience leading complex government acquisitions, grants, compliance, and organizational transformation initiatives. As a distinguished former member of the Senior Executive Service (SES), he served as Director of the Office of Acquisition and Grants Management (OAGM) and Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where he oversaw a multi-billion-dollar acquisitions and grants portfolio supporting one of the nation's largest healthcare agencies.
Today, Heard Advisory & Consulting helps companies successfully compete for and perform work across the federal health marketplace, with deep expertise in CMS and the broader Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). We provide strategic guidance that helps organizations qualify opportunities, strengthen capture strategies, position compelling solutions, build strategic partnerships, and successfully navigate complex federal health acquisitions.
Strategic Advisory for CMS, HHS, and the Federal Health Marketplace
Identify the agencies, operating divisions, mission priorities, modernization initiatives, programs, and customer organizations that best align with a contractor’s capabilities.
Client Value: Focus business development resources on the customers and markets offering the strongest potential fit.
Evaluate potential pursuits based on customer needs, acquisition history, incumbent contractors, contract vehicles, competitive conditions, acquisition approach, organizational capabilities, and probability of win.
Client Value: Pursue fewer, better-qualified opportunities with greater confidence.
Provide experience-based insight into CMS and HHS acquisition practices and publicly available procurement information, including task orders, phased evaluations, oral presentations, technical demonstrations, and source-selection approaches.
Client Value: Better understand how federal health agencies acquire services and how contractors can prepare to compete effectively.
Develop agency-specific value propositions and messaging tied to customer priorities, mission requirements, and measurable outcomes.
Client Value: Clearly differentiate your organization and communicate its value to federal customers and potential partners.
Advise on prime and subcontracting relationships, contractor team arrangements, joint ventures, mentor-protégé relationships, strategic partnerships, and contract vehicle options.
Client Value: Establish the right teaming and vehicle strategy before committing significant capture and proposal resources.
Support bid/no-bid decisions, capture planning, win-theme development, executive reviews, proposal readiness, staffing strategy, oral presentations, and proposal risk assessments.
Client Value: Strengthen pursuit decisions, improve proposal preparation, and position the organization to compete more effectively.
Prepare executives for customer meetings, partner discussions, industry events, oral presentations, and executive briefings.
Client Value: Help leaders communicate a clear, focused, and credible mission-based narrative.
Experience and Perspective Built Across Federal Health
Flexible Support Aligned With Your Growth Priorities
Partner with Derrick L. Heard and Heard Advisory & Consulting for practical insight, executive-level strategy, and focused support across CMS, HHS, and the broader federal health marketplace. Strengthen your positioning, pursue the right opportunities, and approach complex acquisitions with greater confidence.
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