How healthy is the prime-sub relationship?

The relationship between prime contractors and subcontractors has long been a critical component of the federal market.

I wish I had a dollar for every executive who talked about “coopetition,” and how, in the government market, companies compete one day and then team the next.

We took a deep dive into this relationship two years ago when we first launched the Washington Technology Insider program. The results were well received, and we uncovered where the relationship is thriving, and where it is in the most need of repair.

Overall, primes are generally happy with subs and vice versa, but we identified several key areas where companies should focus if they want to be the prime or sub of choice.

We’re revisiting these reports this year and a survey is currently being fielded asking subcontractors to evaluate their relationships with the primes. Once that closes, we’ll launch a second survey asking the primes about subs.

Whether you’ve received an email invitation or not, here is a link to participate.

Obviously, if you’ve already taken it, don’t take it a second time, but thank you for participating.

I’m excited about these surveys because they’ll give us great insights into the market and these critical relationships. We’ll also be able to compare changes from the 2013 surveys and see what the trends are.

I’m sure there will be some "aha" moments, maybe even an “I told you so” finding or two. I feel confident that the results will be valuable.

The results will be available to Washington Technology Insider members [click here to join] and to non-members who participate in the survey.

As always, reach out to me if you have any questions: Nwakeman@washingtontechnology.com.