October 22, 2024
The federal government is the largest employer in the United States, employing approximately three million people. It buys everything from rubber bands to rockets. In the area of technology, it buys everything from toner for a copier to communications to a satellite.
How can a small company sell to this monolith? Some will argue that the best approach is to develop a relationship with a successful company to understand the dynamics of federal technology acquisition.
Today, we sit down with Jim Igoe, Slalom’s Director of Public Sector Partnerships. He describes why Slalom has successfully partnered with over seven hundred companies.
"One of the reasons that we've set up our partnerships office here at Slalom was to bring a lot of intention to our desire to form partnerships with small and mid-sized businesses specifically."
He mentions several concepts.
>>>> focus on change that matters. In other words, federal employees can notice a discernable change when an engagement is complete.
>>> Develop a thorough and complete understanding of the project before commencing.
Listen to the interview to better understand how to enter a complicated market and identify, foster, and build relationships with strategic partners.
If you enjoyed this episode, then you may want to listen to Episode 133 Champions of Innovation or Captives of Compliance ?
If you liked this interview, you may want to listen to
EP-193: Evolution of DevOps to AIOps
Relevance: A good link if you’re exploring how modern IT frameworks affect partnership roles in system delivery.
EP-189: Unlocking the $178 Billion Small Business Market
Relevance: Discusses opportunities in federal contracting for small businesses—important partners in many public sector ecosystems
