The latest “myth-busting” memo from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy aims to give contractors a road map for effective communication with their customers.

The memo is part of an effort to get government contracting officials and contractors talking to each other. “Early, frequent, and constructive engagement with industry leads to better acquisition outcomes,” acting OFPP administrator Lesley Field wrote in the Feb. 7 document.

The first myth-busting memo last year tried to educate government buyers about how to communicate with industry. (SAA, 2/18/11) The latest one targets what Field called “vendor misconceptions” about talking to the government.

The memo advises contractors to take advantage of industry days and other outreach sessions, and to communicate with customers both before an RFP is issued and after a contract is awarded.

At the requirements development stage, Field wrote, “Early and specific industry input is valuable. Agencies generally spend a great deal of effort collecting and analyzing information about capabilities within the marketplace. The more specific you can be about what works, what doesn’t, and how it can be improved, the better.”

After award, she said, “Unsuccessful offerors should ask for a debriefing to understand the award decision and to improve future proposals.”

The memo urges contractors to seek one-on-one meetings with government decision-makers, and to rest assured that government officials won’t reveal proprietary information to competitors. In the 2011 memo, OFPP urged government personnel to meet with vendors and solicit as many responses as possible to RFPs.

In launching the myth-busting campaign, former OFPP chief Dan Gordon said program managers and contracting officers were often reluctant to talk with prospective offerors for fear of being accused of favoritism and generating a bid protest. “For much too long, we’ve placed too much emphasis on the ‘don’ts,’” Gordon said last year. “This memo is an effort to highlight the ‘do’s’ and to tell our people what they can do and not only tell them what they mustn’t do.”

To encourage communication, a new vendor collaboration feature has been created on the FedBizOpps home page to list all upcoming contractor events, such as industry days, pre-RFP conferences and vendor forums.