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Good Partners Win Deals, Bad Partners Sink Them

Teaming is a fact of life in government contracting - you can’t do everything yourself, and the customer often demands capabilities you don’t have. The difference between winning and losing often comes down to whether your partners make you stronger or become your biggest weakness. The brutal reality: Most teaming relationships fail not because of capability gaps, but because nobody managed the partnership properly. You end up fighting your partner instead of the competition.

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Know What You’re Getting Into

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When You’re in Charge (Prime Contractor)

  • You own everything - success, failure, customer relationship, profit/loss
  • Major subs - the partners doing big chunks of work that could make or break you
  • Niche specialists - experts in specific areas you can’t do yourself
  • Basic vendors - suppliers of standard stuff (equipment, materials, basic services)

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When You’re the Partner (Subcontractor)

  • Formal joint ventures - you form a new company together (lots of paperwork, shared control)
  • Teaming agreements - you work together but stay separate companies (faster, simpler)
  • Long-term alliances - ongoing partnership across multiple opportunities
  • Mentor-protégé - big company helps small company learn the business

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How to Pick Partners Who Don’t Screw You

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They Have to Be Good at the Work

Can they actually do what they claim?
  • Check their past performance on similar work (not just any work)
  • Talk to their previous customers (not just the references they give you)
  • Make sure they have the people and resources available when you need them
  • Verify they have the right certifications, clearances, and quality systems

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They Have to Fit Your Deal

Will this partnership actually help you win?
  • Do they bring something you genuinely can’t do yourself?
  • Do they have relationships with this customer that help you?
  • Are they located where the work needs to be done?
  • Will the customer see them as adding value or just adding cost?

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You Have to Be Able to Work Together

Can you manage this relationship without losing your mind?
  • Do they communicate clearly and respond promptly?
  • Do they keep commitments and meet deadlines?
  • When problems come up (and they will), do they help solve them or just complain?
  • Are they trying to win the deal or just make money off your effort?
Red flags that kill partnerships:
  • They want to negotiate every detail instead of focusing on winning
  • They bad-mouth other partners or past primes
  • They promise things that sound too good to be true
  • They won’t commit resources until you win (but expect big workshare)
Ready to learn about workshare tracking?