How to Scale Government Contracting with a Team of Employees

Growing from a one person operation into a team of five to ten employees changes everything. 

At this stage, government contracting is no longer about whether you can write a proposal. It's about whether your business has the people, systems, and leadership to consistently win work without everything depending on the owner.

The biggest challenge usually isn't finding opportunities. It's building an organization that can pursue them efficiently.

Here are some of the most common questions I get from established businesses that are beginning to scale.

How do you hold your team accountable when multiple people are working on government contracts?

One of the best things we've implemented is a daily morning meeting.

It doesn't need to be long.

The purpose is simply to understand what everyone is working on, identify roadblocks, and make sure priorities are aligned.

Government contracting moves quickly. Proposal deadlines change. Amendments are released. Teaming partners miss deadlines. Waiting until the end of the week to communicate usually creates unnecessary problems.

A short daily meeting keeps everyone moving in the same direction and prevents small issues from becoming big ones.

How do you manage your team without consuming all of your own time?

Eventually, you have to stop managing everyone yourself.

One of the best investments you can make is appointing a manager.

Notice I didn't say your best salesperson.

Your salespeople should be selling.

Instead, find someone who enjoys managing people, organizing work, and keeping projects moving.

A good manager creates leverage for the owner.

Instead of answering ten different questions every day, your team has someone they can go to first. That allows you to spend more time building relationships, developing strategy, and growing the business.

How much should an established business invest if government contracting isn't proven yet?

One mistake I see established businesses make is hiring one person to "figure out government contracting" and then expecting results without giving them the support they need.

That almost never works.

If you're going to commit to government contracting, commit to it.

Give your key hire the training, resources, and systems they need to succeed. Don't expect someone to build an entirely new revenue stream without investing in their success.

I also recommend giving the effort at least a year.

Government contracting isn't usually something that produces overnight results. It takes time to build relationships, improve proposals, and develop a pipeline.

The businesses that succeed are usually the ones that stay committed long enough for the process to start working.

Our existing contracts are ending soon. Where should we focus?

Start with your relationships.

The agencies you've already worked with know your company, your performance, and your capabilities.

Those relationships are often your fastest path to replacing expiring work.

Next, leverage your past performance.

Look for opportunities that closely resemble contracts you've already completed successfully. That's where your experience gives you the biggest competitive advantage.

Finally, begin expanding into closely related service lines.

Don't completely reinvent your business.

Use the credibility you've already built to grow into opportunities that naturally fit what your company already does well.

How do you train employees without taking time away from running the business?

Start by conducting two audits.

The first is a time audit.

Look at everything you're doing throughout the week and identify which tasks someone else could eventually take over.

The second is a systems audit.

Document how those tasks are completed.

Once you have both, begin assigning small responsibilities to your team.

Don't hand someone an entire proposal on day one.

Let them own one section.

Then another.

Then pricing.

Then compliance.

Over time they'll build confidence, your systems will become stronger, and you'll gradually remove yourself from the day to day work without sacrificing quality.

Should you outsource proposal writing or build it internally?

If nobody on your team knows how to write government proposals, outsourcing can help you get started.

But I wouldn't make it your long term strategy.

You need to learn by doing.

Pay attention to the proposals being written.

Study how they're organized.

Examine the structure.

Identify what works.

Then begin building your own templates, outlines, and proposal process.

Over time, transition that knowledge to your internal team.

The goal isn't to depend on an outside proposal company forever.

The goal is to build an internal capability that becomes one of your company's greatest competitive advantages.

Final Thoughts

Growing a government contracting business isn't just about hiring more people.

It's about building leaders, documenting systems, creating accountability, and giving your team the tools they need to succeed.

As the owner, your job gradually shifts from doing the work to building the organization that wins the work.

That's how businesses continue growing long after they've outgrown a one person operation.

About Derek James

Derek James is the founder of GovKidMethod. By age 30, he had won 32 federal contracts worth more than $15 million. Since then, he's helped small businesses win more than $75 million in government contracts by teaching practical proposal writing, positioning, and bidding strategies that contractors can actually apply.

Ready to Go Further?

Reading about government contracting is one thing. Knowing exactly how to write winning proposals is another.

That's why I've made the first modules of my GovRFP Proposal Writing System available for free. They'll walk you through the foundation every contractor should understand before submitting bids.

Access the free GovRFP Proposal Writing System here:
www.govkidmethod.com/govrfp