When you enter a new complex market, it can be difficult to get all the required basics to succeed in one place. No matter the work or enterprise, always make sure to get your foot in the metaphorical door. Good news if you are already at this point! There are several ways to collaborate with experts and get training!!
Some relationships are just for a project and others are intended to be longer term to help build up skills within your industry. We are going to talk about 4 ways you can collaborate to build your reputation and portfolio.
The ultimate way to start into government contracting is by working as a subcontractor. When you take a portion of a larger contractor’s work, you may work on huge projects that you would have not otherwise had the chance to win.
Applying for subcontractor work is the greatest path to win realistically, in our humble opinion. You can build up your credibility and work history – also known as ‘past performance.’
Specialize and socialize to guarantee higher chance of success. This advice is so good that it works for almost for any industry!
Warning! May see abnormal levels of awards if you master playing as a subcontractor.
Partnerships are an easy and quick way to collaborate on a project. If you don’t mind a partner – this is the best way to start contracting with ease. You can easily find a
partnership agreement online and tailor it to your specific needs for the project.
Joint Ventures (JVs) are usually more involved – they are legal entities consisting of two or more companies created to go after a determined project. Since they are a bit more work to get started companies tend to do at least a handful of projects together since they created a new entity for the work.
JVs are great because you can share your past work history with your partner as if it were your own and combine resources to create a power duo or trio, etc.
Mentor Protégés are long term commitments where a more experienced person or firm takes on a student or protégé to show them how to perform well in their industry. These are intended to be mutually beneficial – the mentor is allowed to teach the protégé by training and exposure to work opportunities (for the mentor) and the protégé gains valuable experience working with a senior firm.
As with any planning for potential serious relationships, it is important to shortlist and vet your best-case scenarios and go from there.
Get recommendations for proven partners from your local events, chambers of commerce and small business administration for reliable people.