The Key to Success for a Federal Contractor is Building on a Foundation of Stone

Federal contracting is not for everyone and while success can be lucrative, there's plenty of entities that shouldn't bother. Assuming you're a competent and above-board contractor...here are some ways to make sure you're building on a foundation of stone and not simply building a house of cards.

This is a common and somewhat lazy fallacy. 'As long as I can win the contracts, I can always just get someone else to do them'. While this sentiment isn't based on absolutely zero truth, it is flawed on a holistic-basis.

Some types of contract work have to be done the winner of the contract. The procurement officer didn't vet your subcontractor, they vetted the winner of the contract. There's other reasons why this cavalier attitude towards subcontracting is illogical. There's not always enough margin to go through the hassle of bringing in a subcontractor. Some contracts only really make sense to win is if the winner is in a comparative advantage to complete it, such as location or access to the resources involved. There's isn't always an equivalent but cheaper subcontractor that is ready, willing, and able.

There is a ceiling, and you have to know your own ceiling
This is almost self-explanatory, but it's still worth noting.