As the first quarter of FY’24 heads to a close, companies may feel that there isn’t much happening in government procurement.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Here are three things that contractors should know now about the current federal market:

1.  Federal Business Is Not Stuck in Neutral:  Federal agencies continue to work on planned projects and meet current missions.  They’re often looking for input from industry on properly scoping planned acquisitions, the latest technology, and sometimes even recommended acquisition approaches.  While some projects can’t be put out for bid until appropriations are passed, there is a lot of work that can be done up to that point and, in addition, work continues on existing projects.  Knocking on partner doors may open some of that.

2.  Federal Officials May Become More Difficult to Reach:  Just last week we had our first request for a January meeting as all the government people we wanted to talk on an issue are taking “use it or lose it” leave in December.  More and more federal workers will do the same as the end of the calendar year draws near.  This can be frustrating, but there will still be plenty of people around to speak with.  Plus, these opportunities can be used to broaden your contacts.  If the official you’re hoping to meet with is out, try connecting with their “acting” colleague or another member of the team.  You may get a different perspective on an issue and you will create new contacts that could come in handy down the road when personnel inevitably moves around.

3. Consider Developing New Partnerships:  A lot of the market research we’ve done lately for contractors shows that federal agencies buy a lot these days from companies with socio-economic designations.  When was the last time your company spoke to an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) about working together on a project?  Did you know that government agencies can easily make substantial awards to such companies without competition?  ANC’s are just one group of potential partners to get to know.  Service-Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVOSB”), 8(a), and small, disadvantaged businesses are also important contractor groups.  We’ve written a lot, for example, on the administration’s efforts to increase small, disadvantaged business participation in the market and agencies are certainly acting on that.  It’s a best practice to have a group of partners with varying socio-economic designations.  Agencies can often make quick awards to such companies and are mindful of the need to meet purchase goals, especially at year end.  If federal business isn’t stuck in neutral, your company shouldn’t be either.  Make sure you’re taking the steps to obtain business now where possible and position yourself for future success.