Earn a track record

Established in the metro Atlantaarea in 1990 by four graduates ofIndia's Indian Institute ofTechnology, Vector Consulting Inc. providesinformation technology workforcesolutions and services. The company ranksNo. 20 on the 2008 Fast 50 list, with afive-year compound annual growth rate of102.72 percent.Vector initially sought commercial customersfor its project management,human resources recruitment, processimprovement and outsourcing services."While we were extremely successful withcommercial clients, the longevity of contractswith commercial clientssometimes was fairly short,"said Sanjay Agrawala,Vector's co-founder and chiefexecutive officer.Following the advice ofother entrepreneurs, Vectorwon 8(a) status as a small,disadvantaged business in1996. "That's what exposed us to the governmentside of contracting," Agrawalasaid.Still, it took several years for Vector tobegin to make its mark in the federal government."8(a) [status] is an enabler, nota charity, if you will," he added. The companygraduated out of the program in2005.Teaming with large contractors gavethe company a cost-efficient entrée intothe market. Initially, Vector acted as asubcontractor to larger companies thatwere looking for 8(a) partners.As the work increased, Vector began toapproach government agencies directly.Its government contracting today is nearlyevenly split between state andfederal contracts, he said. Thecompany's clients include theGeneral ServicesAdministration, the Fish andWildlife Service, and theCenters for Disease Controland Prevention."Now that we have some kindof a track record and people know us, it'seasier for us to get [government] business,"he said, adding that if the companycontinues to thrive in the federal marketit will expand its presence in northernVirginia into a fully staffed office. "If weare going to take our success and build onit, we would need a local presence."Agrawala's advice to new companiestrying to make inroads in the federalmarketplace is to have patience and perseverance."I've learned the hard way," hesaid. "You get 8(a) status, and you thinkall of a sudden the floodgates will open. Itdoesn't happen that way. Make sureyou're there for the long haul."