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The People Who Actually Matter

In government contracting, success isn’t about what you know - it’s about who you know and who knows you. The right government relationships can open doors, provide early intelligence, and advocate for your solutions. The wrong approach to government relationships can get you blacklisted. The reality: Government people are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and bombarded by contractors. The ones who succeed are those who add genuine value to the government’s mission, not just pitch their products.

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The Government Players You Need to Know

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The Money People (They Control Your Fate)

Contracting Officer (KO)

What they do: Make the final decision on who gets the contract Why they matter: They can literally choose you or your competitor How to work with them:
  • Be professional and compliant
  • Never ask them to break procurement rules
  • Provide clear, complete information when requested

Contracting Officer Rep (COR)

What they do: Monitor contractor performance and approve deliverables Why they matter: They decide if you’re doing good work and paying your invoices How to work with them:
  • Be responsive and deliver quality work
  • Keep them informed about issues before they become problems
  • Make their job easier by being reliable

Contracting Specialist (CS)

What they do: Handle paperwork and administrative tasks for the KO Why they matter: They can speed up or slow down your paperwork How to work with them:
  • Submit clean, complete documentation
  • Be patient and respectful
  • Help them help you by following their processes

Technical Point of Contact

What they do: Evaluate technical approaches and requirements Why they matter: They influence whether your solution looks technically sound How to work with them:
  • Speak their technical language
  • Show you understand their technical challenges
  • Provide practical, implementable solutions

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The Program People (They Set Direction)

  • Program Manager: Runs the overall program and sets strategic direction (court them heavily)
  • Technical Director: Makes technology and architecture decisions (critical for IT contracts)
  • Requirements Owner: Defines what the government actually needs (understand their pain points)
  • Budget Manager: Controls the money and timeline (know their budget constraints)

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The Users (They Have to Live with Your Work)

  • Mission Owner: Represents the operational users who will use your solution (if they don’t want it, it won’t work)
  • Field Representative: Hands-on operational perspective from the field (practical insights)
  • Subject Matter Expert: Deep technical expertise in specific areas (can validate your approach)
  • End User Champion: Advocates for the user community (can be your biggest supporter)

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How to Track Your Government Contacts

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Add People You Already Know

1

Go to Government POCs

In your opportunity, click on the “Government POCs” tab
2

Add Your Contact

Click “Add Government POC” to assign someone to this opportunity
3

Choose How to Add Them

From Your Contacts: Pick someone already in your system Create New: Add someone you just met or discovered
4

Capture What Matters

  • What’s their role? (KO, COR, Program Manager, etc.)
  • How well do you know them? (1-10 scale - be honest)
  • How much influence do they have? (Decision maker, influencer, etc.)
  • What do they care about? (Budget cuts, innovation, risk reduction)

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Add New People You Meet

Essential Information (Get This First):
  • Full name and correct title
  • Which agency and office they work for
  • How to reach them (phone and email)
  • What they actually do in the procurement process
Intelligence Gold (Get This When You Can):
  • What security clearance they have
  • How long they’ve been in their current job
  • Where they worked before and what they did
  • What they studied and what certifications they have
  • What they’re interested in outside of work
  • How they like to communicate (formal emails vs. casual calls)
Pro tip: The system suggests government contacts based on the agency and office for your opportunity. If you’re pursuing a DHS opportunity, you’ll see DHS contacts you can add.

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Rate Your Relationships Honestly

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How Well Do They Really Know You?

Be brutally honest about your relationship strength (1-10 scale):

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How Much Power Do They Really Have?

Figure out who can actually affect whether you win: Decision Maker: They literally decide who gets the contract
  • The Contracting Officer who signs the award
  • The Program Manager who sets the direction
  • The Budget authority who controls the money
Influencer: They don’t decide, but the decision maker listens to them
  • Technical evaluators who score your proposal
  • Senior advisors who the decision maker trusts
  • The person who wrote the requirements
Champion: They want you to win and will advocate for you
  • Government contacts who promote your company
  • Users who prefer your solution over alternatives
  • Technical experts who think your approach is best
User: They have to live with whatever gets chosen, but limited decision power
  • End users who will actually use your solution
  • Operational staff who will implement it
  • Field people who understand the practical reality
Gatekeeper: They control access to the people who matter
  • Executive assistants who schedule meetings with decision makers
  • Security people who control who gets into facilities
  • Procurement staff who manage the process
Threat: They prefer your competitor or oppose your approach
  • People inside government who are pushing for your competitor
  • Stakeholders who want a completely different approach
  • Budget people who think your solution costs too much

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What Actually Matters About Your Contacts

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Figure Out What They Care About

Professional Priorities (What keeps them up at night):
  • Staying under budget and avoiding cost overruns
  • Modernizing outdated systems and processes
  • Reducing security risks and compliance issues
  • Meeting deadlines and avoiding schedule slips
  • Improving performance and mission effectiveness
Personal Motivations (What they want for their career):
  • Looking good to their boss and getting promoted
  • Learning new skills and staying current with technology
  • Building their professional reputation in the industry
  • Avoiding career-damaging mistakes and failures
  • Working on interesting, high-visibility projects

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Track Your Interactions

Document every meaningful contact:
  • Meeting notes: What you discussed and what you learned
  • Email exchanges: Key information they shared or requested
  • Conference encounters: Casual conversations that revealed insights
  • Phone calls: Follow-ups and outcomes from conversations
  • Information shared: Documents, briefings, or data you provided

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Know How They Like to Work

Figure out their communication style:
  • Formal vs. casual: Do they prefer official meetings or coffee chats?
  • Email vs. phone: How do they like to be contacted?
  • Detail level: Do they want high-level summaries or technical deep-dives?
  • Response time: How quickly do they typically get back to you?
  • Meeting preferences: One-on-one, group settings, or conference calls?

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Build Relationships That Win Contracts

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Add Value Before You Ask for Anything

Share Intelligence They Can Use:
  • Market trends that affect their mission
  • Best practices from other agencies facing similar challenges
  • Technology updates that could help their programs
  • Industry insights that make them look smart to their colleagues
Help Them Succeed:
  • Volunteer your expertise for their planning activities
  • Offer to speak at their conferences or training events
  • Share lessons learned from similar projects
  • Connect them with other experts who can help

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Stay Ethical and Professional

Never cross the line: Don’t ask government contacts to share non-public information, favor your company unfairly, or violate procurement regulations. Build relationships based on mutual professional respect and mission support.
What you CAN do:
  • Share public information that helps their mission
  • Provide educational content and industry insights
  • Offer expertise and technical knowledge
  • Build genuine professional relationships
What you CAN’T do:
  • Ask for inside information about competitions
  • Request special treatment in procurement processes
  • Offer anything of personal value (gifts, favors, etc.)
  • Pressure them to make decisions that favor you

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Keep Building for the Long Term

Relationships take time: Start building relationships 12-18 months before you need them. The best government relationships are built over years, not months. Be consistent: Regular, valuable contact is better than sporadic outreach when you need something. Plan for changes: Government people change jobs frequently. Build relationships with multiple people and stay connected even when they move to new roles. Ready to learn about identifying target personnel for strategic engagement?