How DIBBS Really Works Day-to-Day
Day-to-day, DIBBS is about rhythm: scan, filter, evaluate, decide, submit, log. The worst thing you can do is treat it like a random scroll session. You want a checklist, a cadence, and a dashboard.
A typical morning routine might be: run your saved queries, export interesting RFQs to a spreadsheet, quickly check history and competition, mark hot candidates, and then move into quoting mode.
Over time you will discover patterns—certain NSN ranges, certain buying activities, certain packaging requirements—that either fit your capabilities or are automatic no-bids. Write these rules down so they become policy, not memory.
Mermaid Block — Business Workflow
graph TD
Scan[Scan DIBBS RFQs] --> Filter[Apply Niche Filters]
Filter --> Analyze[Analyze History & Competition]
Analyze --> Decide[Bid / No Bid]
Decide --> Exec[Execute Award]
Exec --> Learn[Capture Lessons & Metrics]
Mermaid Block — Interaction Sequence
sequenceDiagram
participant You as You / LLC
participant DLA as DLA / DIBBS
participant Supp as Supplier / Shop
You->>DLA: Submit Quote (Ch 3)
DLA-->>You: Award / No Award
You->>Supp: Place PO
Supp-->>You: Deliver Parts
You->>DLA: Ship + Invoice
Action List
- Write down one concrete experiment you will run related to this chapter.
- Identify which RFQs, suppliers, or tools you need to test the idea.
- Define a small success metric: a quote submitted, a new supplier found, a script written.
- Schedule a review to capture lessons learned and update your playbook.