Game Changers for Government Contractors

In this episode, we talked with Eric "Doc" Wright about The DoD SkillBridge Program. This program allows transitioning service members to get valuable on the job training and experience through industry training, apprenticeships, and internships during their last six months in the military. This also allows industry to test drive these future employees with very little out of pocket costs. https:/...

In this episode, we talked with Leigh Christian about An Attitude for GovCon Success. If you ask any successful business owner about the keys to their success, almost every single one will say that success begins with the way you think. The way you think often manifests in your actions and your attitude. Do you treat yourself with respect? Do believe that your company deserves to win? If you don't...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about the 2021 Infrastructure Bill. This episode is a break down of the bill. Some of the key points: 1. Yes, this is $1.2T...BUT...that's over 5 fiscal years. FY22-26. This really means that it's approximately $240B per fiscal year. 2. A lot of these programs establish brand new offices under agencies and new pro...

In this episode, we talked with Jenny Clark about GovCon Financial Logistics. Government contracting has a unique set of requirements for the financial management of your company. For example, some contracts are Fixed Firm Price (FFP) and some are Cost Plus. You also have to take into consideration the Service Contract Act or SCA rates when bidding on certain contracts. These contracts require dif...

In this episode, we talked with Anna Urman from the U.S. Department of State about RFIs and Sources Sought. We discuss the differences between the two, why you should respond, how to follow up with the contracting officer and much more. ----- Federal Access is helping Government Contractors win more contracts. It can help you too. Here's a special offer. Visit https://federal-access.com/gamechange...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about the Your GovCon Holiday Plan. I love the holidays. I love the downtime. I love getting caught up on projects and I use this time to sharpen my skills. This podcast talks about four things that I recommend you use your "downtime" for. If you use your time wisely, you can set up next year to be your best year....

In this episode, we talked with Carroll Bernard about Government Contracting Construction Opportunities. We all know the government is spending billions on construction projects. The challenge is identifying where these opportunities are. Carroll explains how the government construction market works and how you can locate these opportunities. ----- Federal Access is helping Government Contractors...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about the SBA OIG Challenges Report for FY2022. This report highlights eight specific challenges that the SBA has identified and is working on. In this podcast, I talk about three of those challenges. Challenge 1: Fraud with Economic Relief Programs, Challenge 2: Inaccurate Procurement Data and Eligibility Concern...

In this episode, we talked with Steven Koprince about Demystifying the FAR. The Federal Acquisition Regulation or FAR is intimidating on the surface. It's over 2,000 pages of legalese. The FAR gets less intimidating with time and once you understand how it's organized. This podcast helps break down what you need to know about the FAR and provides general guidance for government contractors. -----...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about Business Realignment. Most business owners wake up one day and realize that their business is driving them 24/7. What you don't realize is that at some point the business made you align your personal life with the needs of the business. What we need to do today is realign the business so that it is there to...

In this episode, we talked with Judy Bradt about the Players and Layers Method for prospecting in government contracting. The average contractor just focuses on one player, the contracting officer. When you take a step back, you realize that there are several influencers and decision-makers that educate you on an organization. Some of these players are also your best advocates. Learning the player...

In this episode, we talked with Mark Amtower about Building Your GovCon SME Platform. One of the easiest ways to differentiate yourself and your company from the competition is to be recognized as a subject matter expert or SME in your field. This doesn't happen overnight and it doesn't happen by accident. You have to take a series of deliberate steps to build credibility in your field and to buil...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about Maximizing Your Signature Block. How many emails do you send in a day, week, month, or year? I bet it's a lot more than you think. How many of those emails are to prospects or current clients? That number for me is roughly 80%. Most people never think about how many eyeballs see their signature block. If I d...

In this episode, we talked with Barbara Stankowski about Selling Your Government Contracting Business. Barbara built her last company to $30 million in revenue with just over 300 employees and then successfully sold the company. This episode walks through her journey of deciding to sell, the process she went through to hire and work with a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) firm, as well as several le...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about How to Pick a Niche. The government buys everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. On one hand, that's awesome! That means the government buys what you sell. On the other hand, it can be overwhelming. Especially if you sell multiple products and services. How do you know which ones to focus o...

In this episode, we talked with Jennifer Vollbrecht from J. Vollbrecht Consulting (JVC) about her journey in government contracting. In less than three years, the JVC project management team has successfully delivered over $100M in project management services to DOE's National labs. We discuss how Jennifer got into government contracting, her niche product and client focus, and lessons learned alo...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about How to Get Focused in Chaotic Times. It's no secret that the world is tugging on us from dozens of directions at any given time. How do some people manage to stay focused and keep moving forward in spite of the chaos of COVID, politics, Afghanistan, flooding, hurricanes, or any other challenge that they are...

In this episode, we talked with Stephanie Marquardt about building a GovCon Strategic Plan. Most companies have a business plan. It's a 40 plus page document that they created when they started their company. It's often created and then shoved in a drawer unless you need it for a loan. Business plans are a must, but they rarely help you implement your day-to-day activities. That's where a strategi...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about How to Work Yourself Out of the Business. Many business owners start their company with the dream of one day being able to sell, make a small fortune, and retire to their dream destination. For some, the daily grind of being a business can push them over the edge and speed up the desire to sell. Today, we ta...

In this episode, we talked with Travis Griffin from Optimized Technical Solutions (OTS) about his journey in government contracting. Granita and Travis Griffin started OTS in 2016. OTS is an 8(a) certified WOSB that delivers technical solutions for mission-critical programs across the government space. We discuss how they got into government contracting, some of the ups and downs of their journey,...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about How to Write More RFPs. If you don't bid, you don't win. We all know this. Yet, many companies fail to bid enough. You can probably think of a dozen reasons why your company isn't getting enough RFPs out the door. Today we are going to discuss some strategies to help you streamline your proposal and quote pr...

In this episode, we talked with David Neal from David Neal Consulting about How to Maximize Your Status. If you are a small business (yes small business is a status), Woman-Owned (WOSB), 8(a), Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVOSB), VOSB, Native American, or HUBZone, you were probably told to get your status and then money would rain down from the heavens. Then you got your status and realized th...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about Strategic Pipeline Building. New companies tend to focus mostly on tactical pipeline building. This means that most of the opportunities in their pipeline add short-term revenue, but don't necessarily achieve strategic objectives for their company. Today, I want to help you shift your thinking a bit to focus...

In this episode, we talked with Melissa Peterson from Blue Sky Innovative Solutions about the DoD Mentor-Protege Program. Most of our listeners are familiar with the SBA's Mentor-Protege Program. The DoD version of this program has some key differences in how the Mentor is compensated and the overall relationship that is formed between the mentor and the mentee. In this episode, Melissa explains t...

In this special episode of Game Changers, you go 1-on-1 with Michael LeJeune to talk about The GovCon Plateau. Is your company stuck in a rut? Has your revenue leveled off and you aren't growing at the pace you want to? This happens to companies of every size. At some point, you exhaust the knowledge you have and you wind up on a hamster wheel running as fast as you can to chase enough work to mai...