Understanding the Commitment

For those just starting out in the Federal space, be advised that while potentially lucrative, winning contracts is a long and difficult process.  Government procurement is guided closely by statute, in this case the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).  The sales cycle is generally far longer than in commercial markets, generally speaking, months to years depending on the size of the opportunity.  What this means is that you will need to allocate sales resources along the entire sales cycle - tell this to your boss!!

Increasingly, in our current economy, many companies are turning to government work. They are too often ill prepared and overly optimistic with regards to how quickly they can start making things happen. There is a significant amount of process that will need to be leaned, training for your sales staff and.........a lot of patience will be required by the corporate leadership, continually pressured to make their near-term sales numbers. If you are unwilling to commit resources across the entire sales cycle than don't look for federal work or at least lower your near-term expectations.  

Make no mistake, there is a lot $$ in federal work.  Government contracts of 3-5 years (with options) create a stable revenue base to support cyclical variations and downturns in the commercial markets and can contribute in this regards to overall reductions in overhead that support greater price competitiveness in the commercial space.  Good luck and good hunting!!

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