PTS - PSC Thought Leadership Compendium Article

Connecting Talent to Missions That Matter

THE FEDERAL MARKET IS CHANGING FASTER THAN EVER. YOUR TALENT STRATEGY SHOULD TOO. JAKE FRAZER

ANDREW MACWILLIAMS

FOUNDER & CEO jake@pts.careers

CIO andy@pts.careers

ABOUT US

Precision Talent for Government Contractors WHAT WE DO

GovCon-focused recruitment and executive search

Executive Search for Government Contractors

Global talent reach with industry insight

We help Government Contractors hire executives, board members, and cleared and specialized professionals worldwide through expert recruiting, global networks, and a structured, mission-driven hiring process.

Clear, structured hiring and candidate support Veteran founded and trusted in defense and public sector hiring

www.pts.careers

The Train is Leaving the Station JAKE FRAZER

CO-FOUNDER & CEO, PRECISION TALENT SOLUTIONS

A consistent theme is emerging in the current market amongst industry and government leaders in defense, homeland security, intelligence and international affiars.

In May, Precision brought together a group of senior experts, all former government, for a trio of panels on the market. In front of a crowd of top executives from startups to traditional big businesses a throughline became clear: prepare for two years of spending.

Government leaders are under unprecedented pressure to deliver outcomes at a speed never seen before. That pressure has changed how requirements are developed and how acquisitions are structured. Those changes on the government side have had an impact on how industry engages with their customers. The old GovCon playbook built around long sales cycles and drawn-out procurement processes is giving way to mission urgency.

That urgency creates a tremendous opportunity for savvy industry executives. The next 24 months of government spending need to be met with agility and innovation. A new generation of business development has already been ushered in; focused on solutioning and delivering at the speed of the mission.

The data is clear; this isn't just another government spending cycle. A fundamental market shift is underway which will reshape how government and industry work together for years to come. The money train is leaving the station. The question companies in the market should themselves is whether they are prepared to keep up.

Defense

Homeland Security

The United States is entering a period of significant investment driven by great power competition, modernization requirements, and growing global instability. The traditional acquisition timelines that have defined our industry for decades are viewed as incompatible with the speed of the threat.

Government and military leaders are looking for new ways to field capabilities faster.

Funding bottlenecks are beginning to break loose.

While border security remains a priority, the opportunities extend far beyond the border. Agencies such as the Coast Guard and FEMA are preparing for increased operational demands and modernization efforts.

Internationally We are witnessing a historic shift in burden-sharing among allies while supply chain issues are blurring the lines between national and economic security. European and Gulf defense spending is on the rise, and industrial bases are reconfiguring for new technologies, partnerships, and threats

www.pts.careers

An Evolving Market Requires Evolving Business Developers ANDREW MACWILLIAMS

CIO, PRECISION TALENT SOLUTIONS

In the dawn of the military industrial complex (roughly the 1950’s), business development looked much different than it does today.

Big companies with pre-war heritage dominated the landscape and utilized relationship sellers. Successful sellers were retired military officers or government officials.

They often knew who they were selling to, because they went to Choate together or they were Chi Phi’s at Princeton. As the industry evolved into the 80’s and 90’s, deals were made on the golf course or tennis courts. Associations were generational. The winning formula was relationships, reputation, and technical superiority.

FedBizOpps was introduced to the public in 2002 (overtaken by Sam.gov in 2019), and connections were no longer a singular requirement. Savvy business developers could mine opportunities and review dense service requirements. Reliance on relationships declined. Technical expertise gained importance. Capture became a science. LPTA became the rule.

The relationship seller evolved into the opportunity hunter. Today, the opportunity hunter is evolving into the strategic designer. Each evolution reflected the realities of the market at the time.

We are living in a new age of business development. The market has changed.

Customers are changing faster than contractors can rely on institutional relationships alone. Market intelligence, once a specialized role, is now a skill sellers need to have.

Technology awareness is a must. It is not a matter of young vs old; this is agile over static.

Of course, many of the techniques of the 2000’s remain essential. Growth organizations still need capture managers, price-to-win specialists, and proposal teams to ensure compliant bids continue to get submitted. But to stay ahead of the market—and in front of the customer—another skill set is needed as well.

THE NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPER CARRIES A TABLET AND WORKS A WHITEBOARD THE WAY PICASSO WORKED A NAPKIN. THEY MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND ASK ABOUT CHALLENGES AND BOTTLENECKS. THEY EXPLORE. THEY ITERATE. THEY PROTOTYPE. AND AFTER A FEW DEVELOPMENT CYCLES, THEY WIN.

The next generation of growth leaders will not be defined by who they know. It will be defined by how quickly they learn, how effectively they connect technology to mission outcomes, and how well they help customers solve problems.

The market evolved. The customer evolved. The business developer evolved too. www.pts.careers