Blood, Paper, & Bed: How to Mitigate Risk Doing Business with the U.S. Federal, State, and Local Governments

Abstract

Building a corporate brand and promoting corporate interests involves more than just producing and selling the best products and services—it also requires a company’s active involvement in a nation’s democracy. Active involvement includes executing a layered strategy that advances communication with and educates the government—U.S. federal, state or local—about the company, its products, its industry, and how government actions or regulations may affect it. In turn, the government devises its policies and laws, balancing public interests with the need to nurture innovation. In addition to its twin roles as author and enforcer of laws and public policies, the government is also a major consumer of goods and services. For example, in fiscal year 2019, the federal government spent $597 billion on government contracts for goods and services. Meanwhile, the state, local, and education government contracts market is valued at approximately $1.5 trillion annually. Given the financial opportunities that these government markets present, companies competing for these contracts will seek every legal advantage—including starting, solidifying, sustaining, and leveraging relationships with government officials and employees.

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