Is Your Business Positioned for Where the Puck Is Going? Strategic Moves for Successful Federal Contractors

At a Glance:

• Main Takeaway: The Trump administration’s FY 2025 agenda is reshaping federal contracting with a sharp focus on defense, infrastructure, and domestic production, creating high-stakes opportunities for agile, audit-ready contractors.
• Business Impact: Contractors with compliant systems, AI-enabled solutions, and strategic positioning on GSA Schedules and GWACs will be best equipped to win in a more competitive, compliance-driven federal marketplace.
• Next Steps: Aprio’s Government Contracting team can help you anticipate funding shifts, interpret regulatory directions, and build the internal infrastructure necessary to compete and win. Schedule a consultation today.

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The Full Story:

One thing is clear as we move into FY 2025 under the Trump administration: The government contracting landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. The administration’s proposed budget, reflected in House Concurrent Resolution 14 and the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act, outlines an ambitious reallocation of federal resources. It prioritizes defense modernization, infrastructure renewal, border security, energy independence, and reshoring of critical supply chains. This unified legislative and budgetary agenda signals an aggressive push toward strengthening national defense capabilities and revitalizing domestic production, and only the most strategically positioned federal contractors will be ready to capitalize on it.

Whether you are already among the top-performing government contractors or aspiring to join that elite group, now is the moment to, as Wayne Gretzky famously said, “skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

Under the Trump administration’s vision, federal spending is targeting key areas such as major defense programs, innovation across the defense industrial base, integrative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, cyber defense, tactical drones, and autonomous systems. Additional emphasis is being placed on upgraded military vehicles, robotics, missile systems, electronic warfare, C5ISR (Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), and enterprise-wide systems integration. These focus areas are not only central to national security but are also expected to fuel a surge in competitive, compliance-driven federal contract opportunities for contractors who are agile, audit-ready, and technologically advanced.

Winning in Today’s Federal Marketplace: What Does It Take?

• “Build Before You Bid”: Elite contractors are investing in FAR-compliant business systems now to help ensure they are eligible and competitive when Requests for Proposals (RFPs) drop.
• AI, GSA Schedules & Digital Modernization: Staying ahead means havingOperational AI solutions that are listed on the GSA Schedule and aligned with next-gen contract vehicles (e.g., OASIS +, Seaport-NxG, Alliant 3) ready to integrate and deploy.
• Smart Cost Proposal Strategies: Successful contractors are developing forward pricing rate proposals (FPRPs) and DCAA defensible indirect rate structures that support competitive pricing and maximize cost recovery.

The Smart Contractor’s Playbook: Core Systems Must Be in Place

Before a proposal is submitted, successful contractors have already invested in their infrastructure. At a minimum, you must have:

• A DCAA Compliant Accounting System that is SF 1408 ready, DCAA equipped, project-based, compliant with FAR 16.301-3, and built for scalability.
• A Formal Estimating System that is transparent, supportable, and aligned with DFARS 252.215-7002 requirements.
• A Compliant Purchasing System that ensures flow-downs, price reasonableness, supplier vetting, and compliance with DFARS 252.244-7001.

Even under FAR 2.0, business systems are non-negotiable. Without these systems in place, contractors risk early disqualification from competitive procurements, or may struggle to manage awarded contracts effectively and profitably.

Going the Extra Mile: What Top Contractors Are Doing

Here is how the forward-thinking contractors are preparing for the future of GovCon in 2025:

1. GSA Schedule Readiness: With federal procurement consolidating under GSA Schedules, contractors must either secure a new GSA Schedule or modernize and optimize existing ones to remain competitive.
2. GWAC Strategy: To stay in the game, contractors need to be where the government is spending on Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs). Vehicles like OASIS+, SeaPort-NxG, and Alliant 3 are driving billions in federal awards. While prime contractor positions offer the most control, contractors can also increase pipeline opportunities by participating as a Joint Venture (JV) partner or subcontractor.
3. FAR 2.0 and AI & Digital Transformation Readiness: With FAR 2.0 and tech-forward RFPs taking center stage, contractors need to demonstrate readiness to integrate AI and automation capabilities, cybersecurity maturity (i.e., CMMC), and cloud-based digital transformation systems into their service delivery.
4. Forward Pricing Rates & Cost Proposal Support: A compliant and competitive cost proposal can be the difference between a win and a loss.
5. Contract Termination & REAs Support: In a time of unpredictable budget swings, contractors need to prepare for the unexpected.

The Bottom Line

Too many contractors rush to respond to an RFP, only to realize they lack the infrastructure to support the work, which is a recipe for costly delays or missed opportunities. Successful contractors understand the importance of building capabilities before you bid.

If you are looking to rise to the top or stay there, this is the season to invest. Aprio’s GovCon team is here to help you:

• Implement compliant business systems
• Prepare for DCAA/DCMA audits
• Navigate the GSA and GWAC submission process
• Align your cost strategy with actuals and projections
• Capitalize on strategic partnerships and mentor-protégé opportunities

Our advisors at Aprio work together with your team to develop a competitive indirect rate structure, forward-pricing rates, and cost justifications that pass audit and pricing reviews. We support our clients with termination settlement strategies and REA submissions to maximize recovery costs and more.

Visit our Government Contracting page or reach out to Donna Dominguez to learn more about how Aprio is helping government contractors across the country prepare for the next wave of opportunity.

Related Resources:

• Navigating the SF 1408 Pre-Award Survey: Key Steps to Achieve Compliance
• Breaking Down the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS)
• When to Outsource Your Contract Management
• The One Big Beautiful Bill: An Overview
• Market Uncertainty: Considerations for Small Businesses