Key takeaways
- Forty-six states start their fiscal year on July 1, and most school districts do too, so departments are drafting requests for next year now.
- Projects that aren't in the budget usually don't get bought. Late fall is when department heads decide what to ask for.
- Agencies on a calendar fiscal year are adopting budgets now, which makes newly funded projects easy to spot.
- The goal of a November call isn't to sell. It's to learn priorities and be the vendor they think of when they write the request.
The budget is written before the RFP
Most government purchases follow a simple rule: if it isn't in the budget, it usually doesn't get bought. And budgets are written long before anything is posted for bid.
Forty-six states start their fiscal year on July 1, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and most school districts start July 1 as well. Many cities and counties do too. For all of those agencies, the budget for the year that begins next July is taking shape now. Department heads are deciding what to request, finance staff are building forecasts, and capital improvement plans are being updated.
That makes late fall one of the most valuable times of year for vendors, and one of the most overlooked. Most sales teams are focused on closing the calendar year. Agencies are focused on next year.
Who is planning right now
- State agencies in July 1 states are preparing requests that go to the governor's budget office and then to the legislature, which meets in most states starting in January.
- School districts are building budgets for the next school year. Purchases often happen in late spring and summer, but the money is set aside months earlier.
- Cities, counties and utilities on a July 1 fiscal year are drafting operating budgets and capital plans for council and board review in the spring.
- Agencies on a calendar fiscal year are adopting their budgets for January now, which means newly funded projects are about to become real.
Five things to do in November and December
- Call department heads about next year's priorities. Ask what they're trying to get funded and what problems keep coming up. You'll learn more than any database can tell you.
- Offer budgetary information, not a pitch. Department heads often need a realistic cost estimate to include in a request. Being the vendor who helps them build an accurate number puts you in the plan.
- Read capital improvement plan updates. Projects that appear in a draft capital plan this winter are often the solicitations of next year.
- Mine newly adopted budgets. For calendar-year agencies, December budget adoptions show exactly which projects just got money. Those buyers are ready to talk.
- Line up your school district conversations. If you sell to K-12, conversations now set up purchases that happen before students return next fall.
What the conversation should sound like
A budget-season call isn't a sales call. Public buyers are cautious, and the fastest way to lose them is to push. A better opening sounds like: "I know you're probably working on next year's budget. Is replacing your current system something that's on the list, or has it moved down?" It gives them room to say no, and it usually gets an honest answer.
How KSG helps
Kensington Sales Group's SDRs time outreach to the budget cycle, reaching department heads while next year's plans are being written and booking meetings for your account executives. Every conversation also returns market intelligence on priorities, timing and current vendors. See how our B2G lead generation works, or check your target agencies' timing in our fiscal year calendar.
Sources: NCSL, FY 2027 state budget status; KSG's government fiscal year calendar.