Successful government contracting demands more than technical capability — it requires strong relationships built on trust, performance, and understanding of agency needs. Companies must demonstrate consistent excellence while navigating complex regulatory requirements and changing mission priorities.
Building effective partnerships has driven growth from a startup to an organization with over 1,000 employees for HX5, a small business operating across 34 states and 90 government locations. Margarita Howard, the sole owner and CEO/president, brings insights from military service and commercial experience to guide these relationships.
“To excel in government contracting, it is imperative to understand the unique characteristics and intricacies of this marketplace. Government agencies at federal, state, and local levels have diverse needs and requirements, which can vary significantly across industries and regions,” Margarita Howard explains.
This understanding shapes HX5’s approach to opportunity identification. “In order to be a successful government contractor, you have to invest time in researching and understanding your target market. You need to analyze government procurement trends, identify key decision-makers within agencies, and track upcoming opportunities through government procurement websites,” Howard says.
This disciplined market analysis lays the groundwork for meaningful agency relationships. Rather than pursuing every opportunity, HX5 strategically targets partnerships that demonstrate substantial value.
Margarita Howard Talks Building Trust Through Performance
HX5 focuses on establishing credibility through consistent delivery. “Large businesses and the government have to meet small-business goals,” Howard notes. “So when they find a small company that they know understands the industry, that performs well, takes care of its employees, and know they’re not going to have to hold their hand, so to speak, that makes for a very positive long-term relationship between the two companies and oftentimes leads to new contracts and the expansion of existing work.”
These relationships yield tangible benefits. Howard says, “Building strong relationships with government agencies is an invaluable asset for successful government contractors as it can serve to provide the contractor with positive performance appraisals and sometimes even lead to new or additional business.”
Sustaining these valuable partnerships requires meticulous attention to operational fundamentals. Howard’s leadership emphasizes systematic documentation and financial discipline as cornerstones of agency trust.
“From working in the industry, we knew the importance of impeccable recordkeeping,” she says. “Therefore, we’ve always ensured our finances, and all our records of everything we say we do must always be supported with the appropriate documentation and recorded accurately because, as a government contractor, all of our records are open to the government’s inspection and audits at any time.”
Howard continues, “Additionally, our security department goes through an annual security audit as well, making sure that we’re doing the proper security training and providing everything needed for the people that are cleared.”
The company maintains specialized expertise to deal with complex requirements. “We have built and keep a team of advisers who specialize in the government industry, in the government field. These external experts help us with the more challenging and complex regulatory matters, for example, whether it’s a legal issue, an accounting issue, or an audit issue. Those are types of external situations where we may need to consult with these experts.”
HX5 and Adapting to Change
This specialized knowledge framework enables HX5 to respond decisively to shifting mission landscapes. The advisory team’s regulatory expertise and industry acumen create a foundation for dynamic program support. And flexibility proves crucial in maintaining strong partnerships. “We always have to be ready for changing mission priorities based on real-time world events,” Howard says.
HX5 expertly balances prime contracts and subcontracting relationships. “It’s a mix. We have won some, for our size company, very large prime contracts. And we have large businesses as our subcontractors. And then we’re a very good subcontractor as well,” Margarita Howard says. “We have also been awarded a Prime-Subcontractor of the Year award in recognition of our outstanding performance as a subcontractor.”
Howard attributes the dedication of its team members to much of HX5’s success. She notes, “Working side-by-side with civil servants and the military, supporting their respective missions, is a privilege. I love this business and the work that we do. I’m extremely proud of it.”
Howard describes the dynamic nature of the work: “When we talk to business entrepreneurs or new staff, we remind them: We know that what we do is not easy to do, and it’s very expensive to ensure it’s done right. A phrase we use often is, ‘If it were easy, everyone would do it.'”
Margarita Howard adds, “Our guiding principle is to lead by example. We hold ourselves to the same high standards of performance, and integrity, and honesty that we would expect of our employees. We try to remind them always that our customers have important missions, and we are trusting in them to help us support our customers. We always want to provide the best possible services at the highest levels.”
Through careful attention to agency needs, consistent performance, and adaptability to change, HX5 continues to strengthen its government partnerships. The company’s growth demonstrates how understanding and meeting the unique requirements of government contracting can support sustainable success in this demanding sector.
“For any company to be successful, they must be able to clearly articulate their unique value proposition and differentiate their services from their competitors. We try to always highlight our expertise, past performance, certifications, and other specialized capabilities that we feel align with the government’s opportunity-specific requirements and objectives,” explains Howard.
Government contractors’ roles continue to expand as agencies tackle increasingly sophisticated technological and operational challenges. The integration of artificial intelligence heightened cybersecurity requirements and intensified global competition, creating new dimensions of partnership complexity. Organizations positioned to accommodate these emerging demands while maintaining foundational excellence will shape the next phase of government mission support.
Margarita Howard says, “We do what we do and put up with all the regulations and bureaucracy because, at the end of the day, the work we do is very, very exciting, for the most part [and] cutting-edge.”
The intersection of technological advancement and mission criticality creates unprecedented opportunities for contractors who combine deep domain expertise with strategic agility. As government needs grow more complex, the partnerships forged today will influence how agencies approach their most challenging missions tomorrow.