3 Trends in Federal Contracting You Should Know About

The world of government marketing is constantly shifting, and one thing we emphasize in our business development classes is the need to always keep up with trends.  Knowing which way, the winds are blowing will often make the difference, when you’re trying to make the right contract bid at the right time.

As a starter, here are some of the trends we’ve been recently noticing from our recent training at  ASHER Government Training, which will likely continue to affect Federal contracting for the rest of 2018.

Three Vital Trends In 2018 Government Marketing and Contracting

1 – The Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 

Due to laws passed in 2017, going forward, the way the government buys IT products and services will be drastically different.  It provided a big influx of funding for updating software systems, with an emphasis on using software to cut costs as well as beefing up cyber-security.  This is an absolute goldmine for contractors in technology fields, and they should be looking to pitch their products in terms of ROI.  Cloud-based services will also likely see a lot of new contracts.

2 – Increased use of the DOD’s “Other Transaction Authority” (OTA)

In essence, OTA rules give the Department of Defense wide latitude in awarding contracts for innovative or non-traditional defense contracts that would be difficult or impossible to specify in funding bills ahead of time.  Use of OTA-based contracts have been steadily on the rise for several years, and there’s absolutely no reason to think that trend will change – particularly when the recent budget bill for 2018 actively boosted funding for OTA projects.

If you think your product/service would have a unique use within the DOD, now is the time to pitch it.

3 – More opportunities for mid-tier companies.

In recent years, there has been something of a “donut hole” for contractors.  The biggest players get plenty of prime contracts due to their size and scope, while funding rules encourage use of small businesses.  This has left mid-level companies lagging.   However, midsized companies have been increasingly able to make decision-makers aware of this issue.  More contracts have been awarded to midsized operations in recent years, a trend that’s likely to continue.

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Large, midsize, or small – we can teach your company everything you need to know about government marketing!  Contact us to learn more.