How Government Contractors Can Master Working From Home

With millions of Americans attempting to work from home, having a cloud-based application in your business means that your business still runs, even if you can’t get into your office. But for government contractors who are planning for opportunities which may not be finalized for 9, 12, even 18 months (hopefully long after the COVID-19 pandemic has concluded), a remote solution is more of a permanent change.

Many businesses are scrambling to find ways to weather the current storm, but why not take this opportunity to find a solution which can not only help you through this challenging time in the world, but allow you to work better as a team—with collaboration across organizations and locations—while saving your company resources and expenses. The cherry on the top would be having a platform that pulls together several of the most frustrating aspects of qualifying and bidding government opportunities into a single solution which all your organization can access and utilize.

Government Contracting is a Different Breed of Cat

For government contracting, this is a busy time, with many opportunities ripe for the picking. As we have mentioned, the long lifecycle of government jobs means that you need to get proposals done now for projects which may not even begin until this fall or even next year. To top it off, government agencies are not backing down in increasing regulations for maintaining and protecting data. Therefore, the sooner you find a solution to working remotely, the better off your organization will be.

Government opportunities are complex and may require not only a multitude of capabilities, but the collaboration of specialized teams must work together to get the contract completed. Finding the right partners, ensuring all the necessary qualifications are met, and preparing the detailed proposals is a huge job, one that many contractors will repeat on a regular basis. Therefore, contractors are looking for ways to continue working efficiently in the long-term, as today’s solutions will continue to affect the way you do business for the next few years. Consider finding online tools like a project and bid management system a way to “disaster-proof” your business.

Look on the Bright Side – Broad Benefits to Telecommuting

You are likely to find articles everywhere now, touting the benefits of telecommuting, aimed at setting your mind at ease that you CAN survive these challenging times while continuing to run “business as usual.” These are a few statistics that do make a difference, no matter what industry you are in:

• Productivity increases - Telecommuters are 35-40% more productive
• Performance improves - Fewer distractions
• Common throughout the world - 16% of global companies are fully remote, and 52% of employees worldwide work at least one day each week at home
• Healthier - Significantly less stress due to workplace and commute

Looking at it from a human resource point of view, it appears that there are some measurable benefits to working remotely. But let’s look a little deeper to benefits to the government contracting industry.

Benefits of Cloud Computing for Government Contractors

With so much of modern work performed on computers and online and the need to store increasing amounts of data, cloud computing truly is the answer. This tool reduces the stressful, time-consuming (and costly) search process traditionally used in government opportunity bidding. There are many options for cloud computing, and it's likely more enter the market every week. For industries like government contracting, where teams are working together, and projects may be undertaken in a vast geographical range, the ability to work from any location with equal access to data is profoundly helpful.

Some of the most notable benefits include:

• Cloud - Its own server, reducing technical/operational issues—no need to have technical support onsite
• Scalability - If you get busy, your is platform ready to grow with you. Perfectly sized for any company size.
• Less capital - No need for hardware upgrades, additional computer and component investment
• Collaboration improvement - Freedom for collaborators to work on their own time and improves teamwork across distance

What Makes OneTeam Special

There are several bid and pipeline management platforms available today, and each has something to offer contractors. However, what OneTeam can provide is a complete package, from teaming searches to writing proposals, all in one system. OneTeam offers the most comprehensive system, combining the initial qualification of opportunities, a thorough matrix for compliance and capabilities, and a user-friendly communication system to prevent gaps in both interactions and proposal completion.

The OneTeam system also stands out among bid and pipeline management platforms with additional features, like:

• Customization of opportunities - Find the perfect opportunities for your organization with an extensive list of qualifications, both standard and custom. Narrow down your needs to find opportunities that match your organization’s capabilities and project specialties.
• Search for teaming partners - Extensive filters, and built-in communication tools allow you to reach out to potential partners, with the right capabilities and award history, for your opportunity, from the OneTeam platform.
• Optimized document sharing - Your compliance matrix can be used to generate writer packages, with customization to allow all writers to collaborate, merging all parts together to see a complete document. For revisions, the document can be separated back out for all necessary changes and comments. This streamlines the proposal process, saving you precious time for submitting your bid. The extensive document/proposal/contract modifications can be tracked using a common word processing application.
• Activity feed – This feature offers near real-time comments and communication, displays activity history, assignments, and other interactions with collaborators.

A System for Current Remote Working Conditions, Built to Improve Efficiency for the Long Haul

While all teams are working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may find that the improvements you have made during this challenging time are perfect for long-term efficiency. By utilizing a platform that allows integrated (and consolidated) data, your team can collaborate from anywhere in the world. The OneTeam system provides the tools you need to improve productivity and performance by making collaboration, opportunity searching, and communication easier. To learn more about how the OneTeam platform can make your organization work smarter and more effectively, visit the OneTeam website.