When Red Team’s GM of Capture, Jennifer Kirkhoff, was invited to speak at the APMP NCA Mid-Atlantic Conference, she chose a topic that hit home: resilience.

Before writing a single slide for her presentation, she went straight to the source. Jennifer conducted dozens of hours of interviews, including in-depth one-on-one interviews with growth leaders from 12 companies, ranging from $7M to over $1B in revenue. She spoke with C-suite officers, Business Unit Leaders, VPs of Growth, BD, and Capture Executives.

Their stories revealed both disruption and determination. What began as preparation for a conference presentation evolved into something larger: a community-wide effort to understand how GovCon companies can rebuild smarter, together.

The following sections outline what Jennifer’s interviews revealed and how companies responded to the shifts in the GovCon landscape.

The Shock: When the Ground Shifted

2025 has been marked by abrupt, destabilizing changes. Some organizations weathered the storm ok, while others faced direct and painful impacts.

Portfolios once considered stable became precarious overnight, particularly in public health, international development, grants, and management consulting. Solicitations slowed, informal client connections disappeared, and uncertainty replaced predictability.

The financial strain was real, but the greater loss was certainty of the market. Leaders were forced to rethink the foundations of their growth strategies. Many went months without payment, divided work to stay afloat, or let go of long-time staff. Morale suffered, and trust wavered.

Traditional growth playbooks broke down. Events, travel, and conferences lost traction. Client communication became fragmented, and leaner teams strained to maintain momentum. Familiar methods no longer worked. Rebuilding required a new operating system for growth, one that is faster, more adaptable, and more human-centered.

Gaining Traction: Recalibrating for Survival

When usual growth levers stalled, leaders adapted in real time. It wasn’t graceful, but it was bold. Here’s what started to change:

• Collaboration Redefined. Leaders protected people first, not profits. Executives billed hours, delivery teams supported BD, and junior employees stepped up. Whole organizations became accountable for growth.
• Process Overhaul. Companies streamlined reviews, focused only on the right pursuits, and mapped adjacencies where existing capabilities could extend to new work. Technology helped eliminate bottlenecks, creating leaner, more responsive operations.
• The Rise of Generative AI. Generative AI became a critical enabler. Leaders experimented with it for idea generation, recruiting, proposal writing, and solution design, always keeping human judgment at the core. The winners integrated AI as augmentation, not automation.

From Survival to Sustained Growth

The companies thriving now aren’t waiting for stability, they’re building it. Jennifer’s research surfaced three necessities for sustained growth:

1. Defend Your Base: Demonstrate measurable outcomes in current projects: cost savings, efficiencies, and mission impact. These proof points transform incumbents from just another bidder to indispensable partners.
2. Double Down on Your Niche: Avoid trying to be everything to everyone. Focus on what sets your company apart and build your brand around those strengths.
3. Collaborate Strategically: Form partnerships that add credibility and depth, especially with adjacent niche solution providers. These collaborations can elevate your status from replaceable to indispensable.

Acting with Speed, Intention, and Humanity

To move beyond survival, companies must act deliberately and decisively:

• Empower the Core. Invest in and upskill your MVPs, the people who know your clients, culture, and growth engine. Give them stretch assignments and authority to lead change.
• Stay Agile. Replace static annual plans with real-time strategies that evolve with the market. Move quickly, test ideas, and adjust fast.
• Find the White Space. Identify emerging opportunities early through active market intelligence and bold, informed risk-taking.
• Deepen Relationships. Build trust with clients and partners beyond the transactional.
• Productize Innovation. Agencies seek innovation, but they also value continuity. Standardize solutions so agencies get reliability and innovation in one package.

Sustained growth belongs to companies that invest in people, act quickly, and balance innovation with trust.

Final Thoughts

Jennifer’s research makes one thing clear: the future will reward those who collaborate, innovate, and take bold, informed risks. Isolation and inertia are the real threats. The leaders who thrive will be those who empower their teams and transform adversity into advantage.

The journey from shock to traction is about shaping the future collectively, with intention and courage.

Learn More About the Research

This article provides a small summary of Red Team’s ongoing GovCon Resilience Study, led by Jennifer Kirkhoff. The full findings include detailed data, metrics, and insights from dozens of hours of executive interviews across the GovCon community.

To learn more, or to have Jennifer present these findings to your leadership team, reach out to her at jennifer.kirkhoff@redteamconsulting.com

Join the GovCon Resilience Study

Red Team is expanding this research with an anonymous community-wide survey on how GovCon companies adapted in 2025 and what lies ahead for 2026.

Share your perspective and help shape the collective playbook for GovCon resilience. Participants will receive access to our findings and practical insights for executive planning.

Together, we can move from shock to traction and define what resilience in GovCon truly looks like.