Client Objective:

A small business that had been working successfully with a large federal agency for five years was in jeopardy of losing its contract due to miscommunication over its performance. The firm sought JCG's help in trying to resolve the issue and retain this significant government contract.

JCG Role:

JCG discussed the problem with the client and with senior members of the agency. Our client provides a virtual call center staffed by disabled individuals who respond to requests by the public for agency documents. Although very highly rated in every aspect in performing this work, it was experiencing a major challenge in filling out security documents. JCG learned the problems encountered by our client's staff mirrored those of the staff of the Federal agency itself. In fact, we found that our client was performing better than the agency in this regard. We also validated that given the prevalence of the problem and its impact, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had developed an automated tool that could potentially address this issue for both agency staff and contractors, including our client.

Result:

JCG facilitated discussions with our client's leadership and senior agency officals to enable full understanding and constructive dialogue about both the problem and potential solutions. Our client determined the OPM tool could be used and would be effective in meeting the agency's need and our client's challenges, and the agency acknowledged our client's overall excellent performance. Our client's contract was renewed, enabling it to retain this significant government business, while the agency was able to continue obtaining the support of a large community of individuals with disabilities who had provided outstanding service to the agency.