“Been there, done that” is an easy trap to fall into if you’ve been in the federal market for some time.  Traps are harder to get out of than into, though.  Here are three tips for companies to remember to stay on the road to business and out of the complacency ditch.

1.  This is a small market:  While the dollars spent on acquisition are considerable, there are fewer than three degrees of separation in the federal commercial item and service marketplace.  The concentric circles and overlapping networks are substantial.  Maintaining a good reputation is key, including such nagging details such as returning calls or emails, following through on promises, and showing up to where you said you would go.  Also, keep in mind that the person causing you trouble today may be tomorrow’s customer or ally.  This is a market where people know each other’s business.

2.  Never assume you “know” what the customer wants.  Contractors of all sizes and experience levels have fallen victim to the internal surety that they “really” know what a customer wants, even if what they say they want is something different.  Make sure your offers are truly responsive to the stated need and, if there’s a question about what that is, ask for clarification before bids are due.  The old country music line “I’ve seen the longshot win the race/seen the sure thing blow up in my face” is good to remember here.

3.  There is a decent chance you’ll get caught if you commit fraud:  No one thinks that it will ever happen to them, but the list of contractors dinged for transgressions great and small keeps growing.  Sometimes it’s something silly like claiming an item is on contract when its not.  At other times, its people like Onur Aksoy, who was just convicted of selling fake Cisco products to federal agencies – even after Cisco told him to stop.

Aksoy must payback all victims, forfeit $15 million, and is looking at federal prison time of 4 ½-6 years.  The Department of Justice is also still operating its Procurement Collusion Strike Force, pursuing both people and companies that misbehave.  It really is cheaper and easier to play by the rules.  “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time” is also a useful phrase to remember.