Federal Staffing

Federal contractors face a recurring challenge that traditional hiring cannot solve: rapid mobilization of specialized, cleared talent for contract starts and Key Personnel requirements. Consider a hypothetical but common scenario: A mid-sized defense contractor wins a competitive cybersecurity contract. The proposal committed to five Key Personnel with specialized AI security…

Federal IT and infrastructure spending has reached unprecedented levels. Civilian agency IT budgets are projected to reach $76.8 billion in FY2025, representing an 8.1% increase over two years. The Department of Defense is dedicating an estimated $14.5 billion to cybersecurity activities in a single fiscal year. Infrastructure legislation has committed over $550 billion in new spending for transportation, broadband, and public works.  This spending acceleration creates substantial opportunity for federal contractors. But opportunity alone doesn’t translate to contract awards. Agencies increasingly scrutinize contractor workforce capability during source selection, recognizing that technical success depends entirely on personnel quality.  Contractors who can demonstrate validated workforce capabilities through…

The call came at 4:30 PM on a Friday.  A federal agency director had just lost her entire contract management team, three retirements in six weeks. With a critical project launching in 90 days, she asked a different question than we usually hear: “Can you help us build something that…

A third-year law student woke up January 22, 2025, ready to start his dream job.  He’d earned a spot in a prestigious federal honors program- one of the most competitive paths for young attorneys in America. Years of late nights, interviews, and hard work had paid off.  That morning, he…

Last week, we watched a hiring manager reject a Navy cryptographer for a cybersecurity role because “military experience doesn’t translate to enterprise security.”  Three days later, that same veteran accepted an offer with their competitor, for $40,000 more than the original position paid.  Six months from now, that hiring manager…