Case study · Pest control · One base year plus four option years
Dozens of buildings, and a separate strategy for each.
The opportunity
A public agency issued an RFP for pest control across dozens of structures spread over multiple sites. Most bidders price a contract like this one way: the same service, at the same frequency, for every building.
What we proposed
We treated each building as its own assignment. A kitchen with a dumpster outside, emptied three times a week, draws rodents and pests in a way an office building never will. Those high-risk buildings got service twice a month, the full range of treatment methods, and exclusion work: finding and sealing the openings, managing moisture, and dealing with the conditions that attract pests in the first place.
Buildings where the occasional spider was the biggest concern got routine monitoring, without the time, labor and materials they didn't need. Every building was still inspected on schedule for rodents, termites and other pests. The difference was that resources went where the risk actually was.
The first-year report
Pest pressure changes with the seasons, so we committed to documenting every building through the full first year and delivering a report on what we found: which structures needed more attention, which needed less, and how conditions changed month to month.
The result
Our client won the contract. The contracting officer and evaluation team specifically cited the building-by-building approach and the monitoring and reporting plan as what set the proposal apart. The year-one report was delivered as promised, giving the agency a clear picture of its facilities heading into the option years.
Why it matters
There is no one-size-fits-all contract. A single large building and dozens of structures spread across many sites call for completely different strategies. A proposal that shows the agency how its money will be spent where it matters, and not wasted where it doesn't, is the kind of proposal evaluators remember.
Case study · Roofing · Public-sector RFP, base bid plus alternates
A roofing bid that became two roofs, a coating system and a maintenance plan.
The opportunity
A public agency issued an RFP to re-roof two buildings. The base bid was a tile-to-metal roof replacement. The second building, a TPO roof, was listed as an optional alternate: the agency wanted pricing but hadn't committed to doing it.
What we recommended
Our client could have priced exactly what was asked and stopped there. Instead, we looked at where the buildings sit and what they face year after year, and added a recommendation of our own: a coating system over the new metal roof, paired with a five-year maintenance plan.
Ten or twelve years ago, few government buyers would have considered coating a brand-new roof. Today they understand the technology. Depending on the manufacturer and system, a coating can extend the warranty to as much as 30 to 35 years, and the annual maintenance plan means someone is checking the structure every year.
The result
The agency awarded the base bid, exercised the TPO alternate, and added the coating system and maintenance plan through a contract modification. What began as a single roof became two roofs, a coating system and a five-year maintenance relationship, adding nearly $200,000 to our client's contract value.
Why it matters
Winning isn't only about the lowest number. It's about showing the agency the best long-term value for taxpayers. When a recommendation protects a public building for decades, a contracting officer can defend it to the board, and the contractor becomes the one they call next time.
Case study · Grounds maintenance · One base year plus four option years
One contract, a dozen services, every season.
The opportunity
This was far more than mowing. The solicitation covered mowing, edging and trimming, mulching two to three times a year, spring plantings and annual flowers, fertilization, pest and rodent control, irrigation, debris and trash can service, pressure cleaning of sidewalks and patios, and tree trimming above 10 feet. It also covered winter work: plowing and salting the parking lots, sidewalks and building stairs, with crews on site on short notice when snow hit.
On top of the scheduled work, the agency needed an on-call team to prepare event areas with fresh flowers, new mulch, clean edging and pressure-washed patios whenever a function came up.
Closing the gaps
- Tree work above 10 feet. We worked with our client to upgrade his insurance coverage so his crews could trim the mature trees the contract required.
- Wildlife removal. Our client handled pest, rodent and fertilization work himself but didn't hold the specific license to remove wildlife such as raccoons and snakes. We brought in a licensed specialist as a subcontractor, and the agency approved the arrangement.
- Snow response. We priced storms by scenario, from 3 to 4 inches up to a foot, and planned the crews and equipment each would require. Because the year-round grounds work provided steady revenue, we could price the snow component lean and stay competitive.
What we noticed on the site visit
During the walk-through, we saw water pooling where the sprinklers ran off into the parking lot, leaving spaces where no one could park or even step out of a car. No one had addressed it. We recommended French drains to carry the runoff away and included that recommendation in the proposal.
The result
Our client won the contract. Since then, enhancements the agency has requested, including the drainage work, irrigation changes and additional event preparation, have been added through modifications and change orders, making it far more valuable than the original base price.
Why it matters
Complex, multi-service contracts scare off a lot of bidders. With the right preparation (coverage, licensing partners, and a realistic plan for every season), they become some of the most rewarding contracts a company can win. And noticing a problem nobody else addressed is often what makes the agency remember you.
White paper · Facilities management
One building, one point of contact.
The shift
A large government building needs dozens of trades to keep it running: roofing and gutters, HVAC, electrical and plumbing, multi-story window cleaning, pressure washing, grounds and snow removal, waterproofing, flooring, room build-outs, and air quality systems down to the filters and lighting that keep clean rooms sanitary. It also needs fire systems, lightning protection, internal and external cameras, alarms and high-security locks.
Traditionally, that meant a contracting officer managing a dozen or more separate contractors, each with its own contract, schedule, insurance and paperwork. More and more agencies are moving the other way: one facilities management company, one point of contact, responsible for the whole building.
Why agencies prefer it
- One call instead of twelve. The facilities manager coordinates every trade, schedules the work and answers for the results.
- Vetting done up front. Every subcontractor on the team is fully compliant, with OSHA, hazmat, fall protection, first aid and drug-free workplace programs in place.
- Insurance and bonding handled. Each trade carries the right coverage, and bonding (bid, performance and payment bonds, among others) is managed by the prime instead of tracked trade by trade by the contracting officer.
- Proven past performance in every field. Agencies are more comfortable when the team can show a track record in each trade and a history of working together.
Defining "emergency" before it happens
"Emergency response time" means little unless the contract says what an emergency actually is. We write that definition into the plan:
- Emergency, with crews on site within two hours: a flooding building where the water has to be shut off now, or a wild animal such as a raccoon inside an occupied space.
- Routine, handled at the next scheduled service: a single spider or an occasional insect sighting. It may feel urgent to the person who sees it, but it isn't an emergency.
Agencies welcome this clarity. It sets expectations, protects the budget, and makes sure real emergencies get an immediate response.
What it means for contractors
Trade contractors who want larger, longer-term government work should look at how they fit into a facilities team, either as the prime coordinating the building or as a vetted, compliant specialist on someone else's team. Either way, compliance, insurance, bonding and documented past performance are the price of admission.
White paper · Bonding
Bonding, explained, and how the SBA opens the door.
What a surety bond is
A surety bond is a promise, backed by a surety company, that the contractor will do what it committed to. On public work, agencies use bonds to protect taxpayers. Most small businesses run into three kinds:
- Bid bond. Guarantees that if you win, you will sign the contract and provide the required performance and payment bonds. It is set at a percentage of your bid, and it means you don't tie up cash, such as a certified check for 5% of your bid price, every time you bid.
- Performance bond. Guarantees the work will be completed according to the contract.
- Payment bond. Guarantees your subcontractors and suppliers will be paid.
On federal construction, alteration or repair contracts over $150,000, performance and payment bonds are required. Many state and local agencies have similar rules, and some add maintenance bonds that cover the work for a period after completion.
Why small businesses get stuck
A surety evaluates a contractor on three things: capacity (the experience and management to complete the work), capital (cash flow, profitability and the quality of the financial statements) and character (the owner's credit history and business reputation). A capable young company can come up short on track record or balance sheet, and without bonding it can't bid the work that would build that record.
How the SBA changes that
The SBA's Surety Bond Guarantee Program works directly with participating surety companies and their agents. The SBA guarantees bid, performance, payment and maintenance bonds on contracts up to $9 million, and up to $14 million on federal contracts when a contracting officer certifies the guarantee is necessary. If a bonded contractor defaults, the SBA covers 80% to 90% of the surety's loss.
That backing is what makes a surety comfortable bonding a qualified small business it might have turned down on its own. The contractor still has to qualify, but the bar is within reach for a well-run, compliant company. For smaller jobs, the SBA's QuickApp handles contracts up to $500,000 with minimal paperwork, and approvals often come in about a day.
How we put it to work
We line up bonding before our clients need it. We work with surety agents who participate in the SBA program, and the compliance work we do up front (registrations, employee handbook, safety program, clean documentation) is the same record a surety wants to see. When a bid calls for a bond, our client calls the agent, and the capacity is already in place.
Planned properly, bonding capacity also lets a company carry several bonded jobs at the same time, instead of finishing one before it can bid the next.
Sources: U.S. Small Business Administration; Congressional Research Service, SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program.
White paper · Contract financing
Funding the work after the award.
The problem nobody mentions
Winning a government contract is the start of the spending, not the end of it. Before the first payment arrives, a contractor may need to buy materials, make strategic hires, upgrade computer systems or open a satellite office near where the work will be performed. Government agencies pay reliably, but on their schedule, and that gap can stall a growing company.
How contract financing works
With an award notice in hand, a contractor can access phase-in and working capital secured by the contract itself. We work with several financiers who specialize in government contracts. Depending on the lender and the contract, advances can reach up to 40% of the contract value.
- Normal lending terms. These are conventional loans, typically at single-digit interest rates depending on the contractor's credit. They are not merchant cash advances or high-cost short-term lending.
- Flexible length. We have seen terms as short as six months and as long as three years, depending on what the funds are for.
- Secured by the contract. On federal contracts, financing is commonly secured by assigning the contract's payments to the lender, which is why an award from a reliable government payer carries so much weight.
What the lender needs to see
A financier is lending against the contractor's ability to perform. That is where our work pays off a second time. We present the company the way a lender wants to see it: a legacy of completed work, a new government award, and a business that is clearly well run. That means a signed-off employee handbook for every new hire, a written safety program, ongoing training and clean records. When a lender can see a company that takes its obligations seriously, the conversation moves quickly.
Why it matters
The right financing turns one award into the capacity to take on more. It lets a contractor hire the people, buy the materials and set up the operation the contract requires without draining the cash the rest of the business depends on. We have been arranging this for clients for years, and it is part of how we help a small business grow into a government contractor.
Financing is provided by independent lenders and is subject to their approval. Rates and terms depend on the contract and the borrower's credit.
