It’s a well-established fact that relationships drive federal business success.  The trust built up over time by working together is hard to replicate.  Part of this is knowing what’s on the mind of your federal customer.  If they’re distracted or concerned about a work issue, that could slow the pace of an acquisition or project.  Here are a couple of issues that may be on the minds of your federal contacts right now.

1.  Potential Pay Raise:  Whether in DOD or a civilian agency the prospect for a future increase in pay is being widely written about right now.  There are various proposals to raise military pay, not all of which have strong support in Congress.  Civilian agencies have similar expectations and concerns.  Your customer or contact is almost certainly hoping that their pay will go up at a time when inflation remains a factor, and the holidays are fast approaching.

2.  The Outcome of the Election:  Whether its worrying about the creation of “Section F” government jobs with fewer protections than current civil service classifications, new policy directives, or the disruption of a transition, your federal customer is almost certainly watching the outcome of the election closely.  Career officials will eventually get new political bosses with their own ideas and priorities.  Current appointees will either leave government agencies or redeploy elsewhere based on the election outcome.  This uncertainty can definitely slow the pace of business.

3. Requirements to Return to the Office: The Office of Management and Budget is clear:  They expect most federal workers to come into a physical office for at least part of each work week.  Some feds had gotten very used to working from home and, to be fair, no one really wants to be in a “slug line” at 5:30 AM in Woodbridge, VA.  Requirements to return to work have many feds thinking about alternate employment options, whether at another agency or in the private sector.  Many companies are also struggling with this issue and, as such, smart contractors can understand the impact on their federal counterparts.

This is, at best, a distraction and, at worst, could lead to good contacts electing to move on.  Not only can understanding these workplace concerns help you drive relationships, but they can also give you important insight into another factor shaping your government market.