7 Ways a Staffing Strategy Helps Win Government Contracts

By Parke Jacquay, Aerotek Director

When vying for government contracts, you want your bid to be as competitive as possible. For many companies, the biggest wildcard in the planning process is headcount. Do you have access to a deep pool of cleared talent in the right location with the required skill sets — ones who can be mobilized on short notice?

Specialists in business development and capture management need to tap all internal and external resources to prepare their bid. Partnering with an experienced staffing firm can help, bringing strategies that positions your business for success:

1. Leverage past experience

One of the most important factors in a winning bid is recent and relevant experience in conducting the same or similar scope of work as the contract requires. Demonstrating successful completion of similar work, or positive performance metrics if the work is still in progress, provide the best proof points that you can accomplish future work.

2. Evaluate workforce costs

Calculating workforce costs is challenging, and never more so given today’s record-low unemployment. It requires a deep understanding of market rate wages, the size of the candidate pool and other employers competing for the same talent. If nationwide candidate sourcing is required, how much should you estimate in per diem and/or relocation expenses? A staffing partner with expertise in labor market dynamics will provide authoritative data on what your talent will cost, helping you maximize your profit margins and price to win.

3. Provide resumes for key personnel

Optimal contract execution relies on having the right people in the right positions. One of the primary benefits of working with a staffing partner is access to a vast network of qualified and experienced candidates at all times. Whether the contract is awarded immediately or there are delays in the selection process, you’ll know you can fulfill the work when and where it happens.

4. Build out a winning team

Building a winning team means knowing how each role fits into the scope and schedule of the contract and contributes to the achievement of the ultimate goal. Especially if you’re working with more than one subcontractor, you need to fill in the talent gaps to best fulfill your win strategy.

5. Provide transition planning support

Do you have a transition plan ready to deploy upon successful program award? A consultative staffing partner will ensure you have the qualified workforce in place to meet your early headcount milestones. It can also keep staff engaged and performing at the highest level over the life of the contract, in addition to providing transition plans, identifying inefficiencies, tracking performance goals and helping course-correct if necessary to ensure maximum performance.

6. Help you rebid and win the contract extension

Achieving all deadlines and meeting expectations is the best way to earn an extension, renewal or new contract. A staffing partner can help you apply learnings from your initial contract performance to inform your rebid and help you compete successfully.

7. Save time and money

Working with an experienced staffing firm can save you time and effort sourcing, recruiting, hiring and retaining the staff necessary to fulfill your contracts. By taking care of budgeting, reporting, billing and time and expense tracking, a staffing partner can alleviate your responsibilities so you and your internal staff can focus on core business.

In addition to the front-line responsibilities of helping you win contracts, a staffing partner can provide additional overall value to your business. A staffing firm with a national footprint can help you expand your business into new markets by providing you with access to local talent almost anywhere you want to bid on business. Or help you avoid bidding on contracts that are nearly impossible to fulfill, whether it’s due to an unrealistically low pay rate or other issues.

Conclusion

Winning a contract without a staffing strategy in place has its risks— it can put you behind schedule, inflate your costs and overwhelm your human resources department. A staffing partner can act as an extension of your HR team, providing vast resources and support. You’ll have access to talent when you need it, without incurring the long-term costs of permanent employment.

Sidebar

Are you attending the conference?
If you’re attending the Small Business Conference for the Federal Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Facility Maintenance/Management Industry (SBC) hosted by the Society of Military Engineers (SAME), take advantage of the opportunity to connect with a recruitment firm that has expertise in government contracts. Aerotek, which has extensive experience in staffing government contracts, has a national network of offices and access to a high volume of radio frequency engineers and other professionals whose expertise aligns with the capabilities you need to get the job done.

Some of the primary skill sets we specialize in are:

• Engineers
• Hazardous cleanup
• Inspectors
• Environmental specialists
• Architects
• Space & missile personnel
• Armament
• War fighter supporter

To learn more, contact Aerotek now.