One of the biggest challenges for small businesses looking for new customers is getting in the door. For many businesses, a great way to get started is to work with another, more experienced company in a teaming arrangement. Teaming can also provide experienced contractors with a new way to access more opportunities to grow. While businesses find a teaming strategy useful for government contracts, it can also be used in corporate procurement and selling to small and mid-sized firms.
I spoke with Janice Hamilton, 2010 Victory in Procurement Government Contractor of the Year and founder of JMH Education, for her insights and tips on teaming. Janice’s company helps corporations, associations and government agencies spread their message through educational outreach programs, and she has worked as a government contractor for 13 years. In fact, about 50 percent of her company’s business is currently with the federal government. Here are some tips she shared with me.
Build relationships. “We’ve focused on three government agencies that we feel are the best fit for our services, and we continue to work on building relationships within those organizations,” Janice says. As she and her team meet new people in these agencies, her company’s name gets passed along, building on the existing relationship. It’s also important to continually be looking for potential teaming partners. “As you meet people at events, always keep your eye out for impressive people with similar or complementary expertise who could potentially be a teaming partner later.”
Choose partners wisely. Some companies choose to work with a direct competitor to gain access to larger contracts that neither company could win separately. Others join forces with a business that offers a complementary service that will help provide a competitive advantage. Whichever route you choose, select a partner who is compatible with the way you do business. “It’s incredibly important to choose a teaming partner who shares your values and ethics—a business that has the same commitment to client service and that can deliver the same level of quality you provide,” Janice advices.
Start out small. Starting small is good advice for any government contracting beginner, and it also holds true for teaming. Doing so allows partners to get to know one another and it provides inexperienced contractors with a taste of government work. “I met the president of a small company in a related field and was really impressed with the work she and her team did,” Janice recalls. “When the opportunity to work together came up, I brought her in as a subcontractor on a small project. It was a great way to get to check one another out—and we’re still working together seven years later.”
Put it in writing. “Two perfectly reasonable people can have a conversation and walk away with two very different ideas,” Janice warns. “You and your teaming partner need to put all responsibilities in writing so there’s no confusion or room for disagreement.” Having a clear contract protects the prime contractor, who is ultimately responsible for the project outcomes, and it helps clarify the working arrangement for a subcontractor who may be inexperienced and unclear on responsibilities.
Keep up communication. No matter how well you’ve chosen a teaming partner, you won’t get the results you want without proper communication. “To keep projects on course, account managers from our company and our teaming partner are in constant communication,” Janice notes. Otherwise, perfectly good partners can veer off in separate directions, to the detriment of the project and the companies’ reputations.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can make teaming a part of your government contracting strategy, you can check out our resources on government contracting and download the Teaming Insight Guide.