Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to interview a number of MWBE firms discussing issues and concerns. One of the most common challenges MWBE firms are facing is sending information to prime contractors and then never hearing from them again.
Prime Contractors doing business with the government are generally obligated to demonstrate a good faith effort in identifying small, minority and women owned firms to meet subcontracting goals on government bids. So to that end, a prime contractor may collect your data and get quotes from you but the opportunity is uncertain because they have not actually won the bid. In fact the person collecting the data is typically an estimator, they need a quote and they want to verify your certification status. It’s literally a shot in the dark.
At JKA, we have implemented a strategic approach to the prime/subcontractor connection that involves actively marketing to prime contractors and developing relationships with them over time. We use a combination of procurement forecasts, technology and innovative strategies to attract prime contractors demonstrating a strong value proposition. When seeking out prime contractors we look for primes that have a strong record of performance with the government and a solid track record of working well with MWBE firms, and resources that could help us expand into a new market.
In developing relationships with prime contractors, it’s important to be part of the business development process from beginning to end. I often assist primes with creating content for RFP responses and I insist on creating my own costing estimates. I also make it a requirement that my firm is part of kick off and start-up meetings for any contracts won, and part of the debrief for contracts lost. Bottom line is a successful prime/subcontractor relationship is about building a relationship that will benefit both companies over time.
