Steffan Lyson
The federal government enables a highly diverse community where federal agencies, government contracting giants, small businesses, and foreign contractors work together to sustain the multi-domain dominance of the United States. Joining this community presents an opportunity for networking across a wide range of industries in the federal sector.
In the rapidly evolving government contracting landscape, contractors must stay ahead of the curve by strengthening their networking efforts. This article explores the importance of networking as well as methods to network in the government sector.
Why Networking Matters More Than Ever in the Government Contracting Landscape
Networking unlocks opportunities for all participants involved in the community. For example, a small business owner looking to collaborate with industry giants can use networking to gain industry connections. The same thing applies to government contracting leaders using networking to connect with potential subcontractors for their government contracts.
Take a look at some of the benefits to reap by networking through various government contracting channels.
1. Establish the brand’s credibility in the industry
Networking is critical for small businesses to establish their brand in the industry. Building connections among like-minded executives and contractors helps small businesses boost their credibility by receiving good words and recommendations from those who already made their mark in the industry.
For example, a small business delivering niche IT solutions for file organizations must seek networking opportunities for partnerships with tech giants, such as Amazon Web Services, Alphabet, or Oracle. Once their partnership succeeds, it should cause a domino effect of bigger opportunities later. Eventually, this can lead to an opportunity to work with the government.
2. Build lasting relationships with contracting offers
Organizations with a demonstrated history of government contracting must build lasting relationships with contracting officers. This way, their business can be considered in future projects needing their products or services. After all, networking doesn’t end when a deal is made; it’s a continuous process of building and sustaining relationships.
Moreover, having government contracting experiences in the business portfolio attracts diverse opportunities in federal and commercial spaces. As the U.S. federal government is one of the largest markets in the world, the business immediately becomes more reputable in its respective industry.
Related article: Noteworthy Contracts and Procurement Executives To Follow in 2023
3. Meet potential investors, clients, or partners
Networking means meeting with different types of people who want to enter the government contracting landscape. Among these people are potential investors, clients, and partners who can help grow the business, operations, products, and solutions. This benefit alone makes networking even more crucial in today’s landscape.
Another advantage of meeting new people through networking is the opportunity to expand in sectors that the business hasn’t previously thought of. For example, an organization focusing on national security may not have explored artificial intelligence applications without an executive who has encouraged collaborations between two industries.
4. Gain valuable data, knowledge, and insights
Networking is one of the most effective methods to grow your data directory, knowledge base, and expert insights. These pieces of information allow you to be more competitive in developing industry-leading products and services, which are particularly critical in the dynamic government contracting environment.
Aside from the innovation of products and services, networking can improve business operations by giving different perspectives on leadership, processes, and objectives. Reinventing these factors by tackling its roots in management can revolutionize the organization, making it more appealing to investors and government agencies.
5. Expand the pool of talents and professionals
One of the best benefits of networking is gaining connections with talented experts, trailblazers, revolutionaries, and executives in the field. Hiring these people is pivotal to driving operational growth and creating lasting developments in the government contracting industry.
However, if hiring them isn’t an option, having a network of professionals can still be helpful when needing assistance, mentorship, or consulting. In return, make sure the relationship is equally beneficial. Give them an assurance that being a part of each other’s network is just advantageous when they need assistance, mentorship, or consulting.
How to Network with the Federal Government and the Government Contracting Industry
Networking is important; there is no contest to that. It brings various benefits to the government contracting industry, such as spurring current development, creating lasting relationships, and influencing the trends in the future.
The important question to ask is—how do organizations, small businesses, executives, and government leaders network with each other? Here are some effective networking methods.
1. Attend government contracting events and gatherings
Networking starts with meeting different executives involved in government contracting. Setting an individual meeting isn’t exactly practical, especially as the industry is rapidly growing. Thus, attending government contracting events enables the meeting of these executives in one place.
Potomac Officers Club organizes summits, forums, and conferences to incite conversations on various topics related to defense, contract management, and government contracting. These events are joined by industry leaders, government officials, and other government contractors, making them a phenomenal networking channel.
Become a member of the Potomac Officers Club and join the following upcoming events.
- 2024 Space Summit
- 5th Annual Intelligence Summit
- 5th Annual CIO Summit
- 2024 Cyber Summit
- Achieving Transformative Cooperation for National Defense Forum
2. Develop personal branding to stay above the competition
A lot of businesses and executives are trying to network, too. To stand out from the competition, develop personal branding—a unique point, a distinctive quality, or a particular product or service that competitors may not offer. Once personal branding is established, it boasts the association of the business or the executive within that specific niche.
Developing personal branding makes the business or executive more distinguishable from the competition. Here are a few examples of developing and maintaining personal branding.
- Define the leadership approach, communication style, and professional expertise.
- Stay updated with industry trends, follow online news sources such as ExecutiveBiz and ExecutiveGov, and connect with thought leaders.
- Collaborate with other like-minded organizations and professionals.
3. Approach organizations and executives with a purpose
Networking becomes more fruitful when approaching executives, leaders, and professionals with a purpose. For example, a startup in aerospace approaches big players, such as Boeing, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, in hopes of collaboration to develop weapons and systems such as the LGM-35A Sentinel, USS Gerald R. Ford, and more.
In this manner, large-scale government contractors know the intentions of networking, which is more likely to attract their attention. Otherwise, the startup becomes just like any other business out there that is networking for the sake.
4. Find a common objective to establish a lasting relationship
Approaching with a purpose works excellent for starting a relationship with government contractors and federal agencies. However, the goal of networking must be long-term. Building a lasting relationship among government agencies, organizations, and executives involves finding common ground and working together strategically toward achieving this goal.
Also read: The Largest Defense Contracts Awarded by the Federal Government
5. Build an online and social media business portfolio
For small businesses, networking can be challenging, especially if they have no prior experience delivering successful government contract results. The best way to start networking is to put the business out there—be it through actively participating in conferences or strengthening your online presence on websites and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.
6. Engage with other organizations and executives in the industry
Building an online and social media business portfolio is simply the first step to networking within the federal government sectors. Be sure to engage, react to the posts, or leave positive comments on the content of government agencies, contractors, and industry leaders. This way, the brand becomes more recognizable and gains better recall.
7. Diversify connections across various sectors in the government
The federal government has diverse communities, so don’t feel limited on who and which industry to network with. Even if it’s not today, connecting with industry leaders can be beneficial in the future. Network with various industries, regardless of whether the business, executive, or government is related in any way to the organization.
Read more: The Importance of Networking With Executives & CEOs
