THREE THINGS THAT CONTRACTORS SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW

As Congress moves closer to ending “government by CR”, here are three things your company should be doing now to make the last half of the year meaningful:

1.  Work with your customers to understand where money will be spent:  Final appropriations may be coming in a little less than a month. That means new starts and a flood of opportunities.  Smart contractors have started discussions with their customers on when and how that money will be spent once it’s available.  Most of it is already accounted for.  Make sure you’re having those discussions, too, and can help shape opportunities of interest.

2.  Dial down the distraction and stay focused:  A quick read of even the federal market trade press shows that at least editorialists are pre-occupied with issues that have little to do with the business of government.  Don’t get distracted.  We’ll tell you if anything happens you need to pay attention to.  Instead, focus on your pipeline.  Prioritize projects, make sure you have manageable workload and don’t (really, don’t) try to be too many places at once.

3.  Make sure your partnerships are strong.  Acquisition activity will, like Vin Diesel, be “fast and furious”.  One way to make sure you can move quickly – and that your customer can find you fast – is to have your partners as focused and prepared as you are.  Socio-economic partners can help close business quickly, an important factor when there’s lots to do in a short time.  Larger partners could have an edge with your solution.  Make sure your relationships are as strong and prepared as you think.  We’ve been talking about new business since October.  It could actually happen in late April and May.