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How to Find the Real Decision Makers in Nova Scotia Government

The contact on that RFP is probably a consultant. The real decision maker is in the shadows. Here is how to find them.

Seva Skvortsov

Seva Skvortsov

January 13, 20264 min read

You see an RFP. You email the contact listed. You ask your questions. You submit a great proposal. You lose.

What went wrong? You were talking to the wrong person the entire time.

The Consultant Problem

Government departments frequently outsource RFP management to external consultants. That contact name on the RFP document? Often a hired consultant managing the process. They evaluate and recommend, but they don't own the budget or bear the risk. The real decision-makers, the executives who sign off and stake their reputation on the outcome remain invisible in the formal process.

While you are emailing the consultant, your competitor is meeting with the Director. By the time the RFP is published, the decision is already made. The consultant is just processing paperwork for a winner that was chosen before you ever saw the opportunity.

We Find the Real Decision Makers

At ScotiaSignal, we built a comprehensive directory of Nova Scotia's provincial government. Not the consultants. Not the generic procurement emails. The actual people who control budgets and make buying decisions.

What You Get

  • Names, titles, and departments for thousands of provincial employees
  • Direct contact information
  • Real-time alerts when decision makers change roles

Job Changes Create Opportunity Windows

We monitor for job changes across provincial government. Why? Because leadership transitions are when incumbents are most vulnerable.

New Directors Want Quick Wins

When someone gets promoted, the incumbent relationship belonged to their predecessor. New leaders are open to new vendors. Reach them in the first 90 days.

New Leaders Review Existing Contracts

They ask "Why are we paying this much?" and "Are there better options?" Position yourself as the alternative during their review period.

When a new director is appointed in a department relevant to your business, you get an alert. You are building a relationship with the new decision maker immediately.

Consultants vs Decision Makers

RFP Contacts (Often Consultants)

They manage the process, answer questions, collect submissions. They were hired to run the procurement, not to choose the winner.

They are hired as the public face not the real decision makers.

Directors and Executive Directors

They own the business problem. They hold the budget authority. They tell the consultants what outcome they need. They have the power to influence the requirements before the RFP is written.

They drive the strategy. ScotiaSignal helps you find them.

Why This Information Is Hidden

In private sector sales, you use LinkedIn or ZoomInfo. Government is different:

  • ✗No public org charts. Websites list ministers, not the directors who control procurement.
  • ✗LinkedIn is useless. Government employees rarely maintain profiles.
  • ✗Consultants are the public face. The actual buyers stay behind the scenes.
  • ✗High turnover. Without monitoring, your contact list goes stale in months.

This is why incumbents keep winning. They know the people. New suppliers are stuck talking to consultants who cannot help them break into the market.

The Bottom Line

The contact on the RFP is often a consultant hired to manage paperwork. The real decision was made months earlier by people you have never heard of. ScotiaSignal finds those people for you.

Current Coverage

Our directory covers Nova Scotia's provincial government. Expansion coming soon:

Provincial Government: All departments, live now
Municipalities: HRM, CBRM, others coming soon
Health Authorities: NSHA, IWK coming soon
Seva Skvortsov

Seva Skvortsov is the founder of ScotiaSignal, helping Nova Scotia suppliers find the real decision makers in government.

seva@scotiasignal.ca

Stop Talking to Consultants

Book a demo to see our provincial government directory. Find the directors and executives who actually control budgets.

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