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Once your program idea is approved and funded, PMs must focus on securing and organizing the teams responsible for executing the R&D. This involves soliciting proposals, negotiating contracts, and moving from planning to action. At this stage, PMs will collaborate with their office staff to issue and secure proposals, finalize contracts, and initiate key processes. This is where strategic thinking transitions into concrete decisions and actions.

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Practical Outcome: By the end of this section, PMs should have a clear understanding of the specific steps needed to turn their approved idea and funding into a program that is off and running. While the details may vary by agency and office, upon completing this module you will gain a clear idea of how to initiate project solicitations and refine program budgets.

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👉General pointers

As you begin to actually do things, you’ll need to be adaptable. You’ll have had a plan. Parts of the plan won’t survive first contact with reality. You’ll have to constantly adjust your program design based on how things unfold in the action-oriented stages of the program.

In this program engineering stage, it pays to dedicate yourself to the minutiae of the processes in your specific office. Dedicate yourself to understanding the small things that are more administration than R&D. These small details are vital to your program’s success.

Figure out how things are done in your office: what legal constraints are non-negotiable, where there’s flexibility, and how to navigate the system to support your program. Doing this will allow you to have as much freedom and power as you can without getting sued, fired, or going to prison!

While it's difficult to provide universally applicable advice at this point, the following guidelines should offer a good starting point:

• Understand Contracting Constraints: Do the legwork to understand the specific limitations in your organization regarding the types of contracts you can create.
• Build Relationships with Legal: Make friends with your legal team—they are your allies.
• Plan for Transition: Always keep planning for transition in mind, especially around intellectual property (IP).
• Read the Fine Print: You don’t have to be a lawyer to read legal documentation, grasp key details, and bring them to your legal team. They may not be as invested in your program’s success as you are.
• If Need Be, Challenge 'Standard Procedures' With Contractors: Everything is negotiable. Even when an organization insists, “this is just how we do things,” the right incentives can often create flexibility. Many external systems weren’t built with a funder like DARPA in mind, so push for alignment with your program's goals.
• Expect Delays in Negotiations: Contract negotiations will always take longer than expected.
• Handshake Agreements Aren’t Final: Nothing is a done deal until the legal contract is signed and funds are disbursed—and even then, things can still go wrong.

Throughout this process, remain diligent, resourceful, and opportunistic—those qualities can take you far.

🕵️‍♂️ The Importance of Identifying Performers

In DARPA-style programs, there are no in-house labs or research teams. While PMs develop the vision, the performers are the ones who execute the R&D. PMs can influence incentives and actively manage the program, but ultimately, the success hinges on the performers you choose. Selecting the right performers might be the most crucial decision PMs make.

The wrong approach is to simply issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) and assume the best candidates will naturally apply. You need to actively engage with top groups, selling them on why they should submit a bid to do the work. This involves going beyond a passive RFP process—you must proactively seek out the best performers.

However, be aware that your organization may have specific rules regarding how you can solicit and engage with potential performers. This is especially true if you are part of a well-established government office. For example, some organizations mandate an open call for any grant, contract, or position. Even under these restrictions, you should (where permitted) identify the groups you want to work with, ensure they are aware of the opportunity, and encourage them to apply.