Government contracting subcontracting rules can make or break your first federal deal, and this episode breaks down exactly what small business owners need to know before signing with a large prime.

Eric Coffie walks through real lessons learned from being subcontracted, being burned by big companies, and eventually building his own subcontracting strategy from the ground up. Whether you are new to govcon or already chasing your next teaming agreement, this conversation covers the details most contractors only learn the hard way.

Key discussion points:

Why working with oversized prime contractors can financially bury small businesses without proper safeguards
How building a real relationship inside a company gives you leverage most subcontractors never get
Why FAR clauses only bind the company that holds the prime contract, not automatically the subcontractor
How a small business can legally subcontract work down to a large business without violating a set aside
What it actually means to subcontract one hundred percent of a project and still stay compliant

Mindy gives you the federal opportunities, agency signals, recompete intel, and pursuit briefs that tell you not just what contracts exist, but which ones to chase and how to win them.

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EPISODE CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introduction and Mindy AI sponsor message 0:48 - Why avoiding oversized prime contractors matters 1:51 - Building an ally inside the company you sub for 2:26 - Real subcontract example with Tavin and a prime 4:18 - How working relationships become real business friendships 6:05 - FAR flow down rules explained for subcontractors 6:32 - Subcontracting to a large business under a set aside