Here are ten guidelines to successful teaming on competitive procurements.

1. Your company’s technical role and work percentage should be clearly defined in a written teaming agreement. Avoid terms like “best efforts” or “goals.” These rarely pan out.
2. While established relationships often influence teaming decisions, business associates can be re-assigned or leave their company. Having a definitive teaming agreement is one of the few ways you can mitigate this risk.
3. It is a good practice to request a Dun & Bradstreet credit report on a potential small business prime contractor to assess whether they will be deemed financially credible in the eyes of the client and have the ability to pay their bills after contract award.
4. Ask the client what they think of potential teammates – the worst that can happen is they’ll decline to comment.
5. Most acquisitions require either the prime contractor or the entire team to provide a certain number of project citations. Confirm that the prime has the necessary past performance and relevant projects to cite in the proposal.
6. Look for companies that have subject matter experts who can be key personnel in the proposal.
7. Many government acquisitions assume the winning team will hire some or all of the incumbent contractor’s staff. This will need to be taken into account as part of your teaming and win strategy.
8. Make sure a potential prime contractor can develop a professional winning proposal.
9. Discuss pricing strategy up front so you know whether the prices you will have to bid will fit within your company’s pricing model.
10. Avoid companies that have a reputation for treating their subcontractors unfairly.