by Kris Brinker (Ocean 5 Strategies, government contractor marketing experts) and Katie Helwig (Mild Red LLC), OASIS+ Strategist, with SME input from Conor Nicholson (NSS)
Introduction: The People Imperative in OASIS+
This article builds on the foundation established in The GovCon Decathlon: 10 Disciplines for OASIS+ Success (co-authored by Kris Brinker, Ocean 5 Strategies, and Katie Helwig, Mild Red LLC). That piece introduced the core disciplines of sustainable growth.
Here, we move to one of the most critical—and often underestimated—drivers of success: your people. Attracting and retaining quality employees is more than an HR function; it is the fuel that powers every win in the OASIS+ ecosystem.
But there’s a critical point that can’t be overlooked: recruiting and retention are not just operational necessities; they are government contractor marketing assets. The ability to showcase a cleared, ready, and reliable workforce is part of your brand promise to federal buyers.
Every proposal, teaming discussion, and careers page is a stage where your company demonstrates credibility through talent.
Without strong recruiting and retention—and the ability to market that strength—even the most disciplined capture and BD efforts can falter. With it, OASIS+ becomes not just a contract vehicle, but a platform for long-term growth.
The Strategic Imperative of Talent in Government Contracting
In government contracting, success extends far beyond winning contracts—it demands having the right people in the right positions to deliver mission-critical solutions. This principle becomes even more critical under OASIS+, a Professional Services Multiple Award Contract (MAC) where task orders require at least 51% of work to fall under the Professional Services umbrella. Here, contractors must not only demonstrate technical capability but also prove their ability to consistently recruit, retain, and deploy top-tier talent.
Talent acquisition is not merely an HR function—it’s your most visible market differentiator and the engine of sustainable growth in GovCon. Your people are your most important asset, forming the foundation upon which every other business function depends. Business Development, Capture Management, Delivery Operations, and Financial Performance all hinge on having qualified professionals “in the right seats on the bus.” Without this foundation, every aspect of your business suffers.
Under OASIS+ and other Best-in-Class vehicles, agencies evaluate far more than your technical approach. They assess whether you can field a qualified, reliable, and cleared team from Day 1 of contract performance. In government contracting, recruiting carries greater strategic weight than in commercial markets because Key Personnel directly influence proposal scores and win probability.
Simply put, the teams that demonstrate superior hiring and retention capabilities are often the teams that win.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
The ability to show you can field a cleared, qualified team is itself a brand statement. Every RFP becomes a marketing stage where your recruiting capability proves credibility. Position “talent readiness” as part of your corporate messaging so buyers, teaming partners, and candidates see you as reliable before you ever submit a bid.
When you communicate your ability to deploy qualified teams, you’re not only building delivery capacity—you’re reinforcing your employer brand and your reputation with evaluators.
Why Attracting and Retaining Quality Employees Matters
The marketplace reality is clear—many OASIS+ RFPs explicitly request detailed information on:
- Retention rates and historical performance metrics.
- Recruiting and retention methodologies and proven approaches.
- Success in filling high-demand, low-density (HD/LD) positions that are critical to mission success.
Even when RFPs don’t explicitly request workforce management details, sophisticated contractors maintain templated responses for their Management Volumes. Highlighting comprehensive recruitment and retention strategies and percentages demonstrates your capability to deliver consistently while differentiating your team in competitive Best Value evaluation environments.
Government buyers increasingly focus on differentiators beyond price alone. A robust, documented approach to workforce management—particularly for niche or hard-to-fill roles—serves as a powerful competitive advantage that can tip the scales in your favor.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
Workforce metrics double as differentiators. Share retention rates, speed-to-fill, or niche talent wins in your marketing content, on your optimized government contractor website careers page, and in thought leadership posts. Doing so elevates internal HR data into outward-facing brand proof.
How to Make Your Recruitment Story Authentic and Compelling
Your recruitment narrative must be genuine, consistent, and readily visible across all touchpoints:
- Ensure brand alignment between your proposal content, Careers page, and overall company branding.
- Demonstrate deep understanding of the target agency’s mission, culture, and local talent market dynamics.
- Consider strategic partnerships with established recruiting firms or companies with strong agency relationships, especially if your brand recognition is still developing.
At its essence, OASIS+ success requires demonstrating proven ability to attract and retain specialized talent in the right location at the right time—consistently and reliably.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
Consistency is key. Disconnected messaging between proposals, websites, and candidate experiences erodes trust. If your careers page tells one story and your proposal another, evaluators notice. Aligning your careers page with proposal narratives builds credibility both for candidates and evaluators—because buyers notice if your brand “walks the talk.”
Do you have what it takes to beat the OASIS+ competition?
Download our free guide: Government Contractor OASIS+ Marketing Best Practices Checklist
Is Recruiting and Retention a Best-in-Class Strategic Advantage?
The FAR Part 8 overhaul makes the strategic landscape crystal clear: under 8.104 – Use of Existing Contracts, agencies are requested to prioritize government-wide contracts or blanket purchase agreements designated as Best-in-Class (BIC) whenever they satisfy mission requirements.
This regulatory shift means vehicles like OASIS+ aren’t simply alternative competitive channels—they are strategic platforms that smart contractors must master. This reality demands that recruiting and retention strategies be tightly integrated with capture planning, marketing initiatives, and delivery excellence. Winning vehicle placement is merely the entry point; building and maintaining the right teams to execute across multiple domains is what drives sustained growth and market position.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
Treat recruiting as part of your go-to-market strategy, not just delivery. Messaging around your ability to scale and staff quickly is both a capture differentiator and a marketing asset—positioning your firm as a trusted, Best-in-Class partner.
Understanding Professional Services in the GovCon Context
Professional Services encompass a comprehensive spectrum of capabilities, including:
- Mission support services that directly enable government operations and strategic objectives.
- Specialized expertise in management consulting, information technology, and engineering disciplines.
- Strategic consulting services providing high-level advisory and solution development.
- Technical services requiring deep specialized knowledge, advanced skills, or security clearances.
- Training and development programs for government personnel and mission readiness.
- Research and development initiatives to drive innovation and process improvement.
The fundamental equation is simple: Professional Services = People. Under OASIS+, your demonstrated ability to staff effectively with qualified professionals can make or break your proposal competitiveness.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
Make “Professional Services = People” a marketing slogan. It’s simple, repeatable, and emphasizes your value proposition: you succeed because your people deliver.
Use Case: NSS (Nicholson Strategic Solutions LLC)
Background
NSS (SAM UEI: Z7NNMWMKLAK5), a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) headquartered in Virginia, delivers automation and AI technology solutions to federal agencies. Their core capabilities span Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Intelligent Document Understanding, AI Technology Assessments, and Technical Staff Augmentation. Listed on the GSA eLibrary under both OASIS+ WOSB and Small Business contracts, NSS is strategically positioned to compete for task orders under this MAC.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
NSS demonstrates how to turn recruiting into a market differentiator. By emphasizing their roots as a recruiting firm, they’ve created a story that resonates with evaluators and partners: “Staffing is in our DNA.” Companies can replicate this by weaving their talent strategies into their corporate identity.
Competitive Advantage Through Recruiting Excellence
NSS launched its GovCon journey as a premier recruiting firm, specializing in staffing complex, high-clearance positions for major government contractors. NSS’s foundational expertise in attracting and retaining specialized talent offers a distinct competitive advantage in workforce management. This core competency is now strategically emphasized in proposal Management Volumes, effectively leveraging operational strengths to achieve competitive differentiation.
The Strategic Challenge
To consistently win OASIS+ task orders, NSS must demonstrate proven capability to attract and retain top-tier professionals, particularly for high-demand, low-density (HD/LD) positions that are mission-critical but difficult to fill. With the requirement that at least 51% of OASIS+ work falls under professional services, effective staffing becomes a fundamental strategic differentiator rather than merely an operational requirement.
Comprehensive Solution Framework
NSS implements a multi-faceted approach to workforce management excellence:
Strategic Recruitment Operations – Leveraging AI-driven sourcing technologies, cultivating partnerships with universities and professional associations, and applying decades of specialized recruiting expertise
Competitive Compensation Frameworks – Maintaining industry-leading salary structures, comprehensive benefits packages, and robust professional development opportunities
Continuous Employee Development – Providing ongoing training, relevant technology certifications, and career advancement pathways
Proven Retention Strategies – Fostering collaborative culture, implementing recognition and rewards programs, and offering performance-based incentives
Measurable Results and Market Position
Through disciplined execution of these integrated strategies, NSS continues building a highly capable, mission-ready workforce. Their specialized recruiting expertise positions them as a reliable, trusted partner for federal agencies seeking professional services solutions under OASIS+ and other Best-in-Class vehicles.
NSS’s Chief Growth Officer, Conor Nicholson shares his insight on Talent Acquisition in a white paper: Making Recruiting One of Your Superpowers.
📚 Cliffs Notes:
Making Recruiting One of Your Superpowers
- Talent Is the Engine: Success in government contracting rests overwhelmingly on having the right people in the right seats, with recruiting and retention as top strategic priorities—not secondary HR functions. Every employee is a brand ambassador, impacting both client results and market reputation.
- Strategic Ownership: Leadership must make recruiting a visible strategic priority, with clear, collaborative ownership and ongoing investment in both people and tools. Companies with strong collaboration between Growth, Capture, and Recruiting functions see better proposal outcomes and win rates.
- Process & Tools: Investing in applicant tracking systems and recruiting technology is essential. Modern tools such as ATS, AI-powered sourcing platforms, and cost-effective solutions like LinkedIn Recruiter Lite and ClearanceJobs enable targeted searches and efficient screening.
- Network Leverage & Referrals: The best hires often come through personal referrals. Organizations should systematically ask current and former employees for recommendations and recognize referrals as a powerful recruiting channel.
- Measurement & Metrics: Like proposals, every aspect of recruiting should be measured (e.g., source of hire, time-to-fill, interviews-to-offers, retention rates). Analytics drive informed decision-making and continuous improvements.
- Speed Is a Differentiator: Small businesses should leverage their agility—moving quickly on candidate outreach, engagement, and offers. Fast responses win top talent over slower, process-heavy competitors.
- Culture & Retention: Treat new employees as invaluable assets, with structured onboarding, regular check-ins, and a culture of recognition. Employee satisfaction and low attrition rates fuel long-term growth and customer trust.
- Competitive Compensation: Use lower overhead to offer above-market salaries when needed for key personnel, making it easier to attract and retain high-value candidates in competitive bids.
- Smart Partnerships: Build carefully vetted relationships with specialized recruiting firms for hard-to-fill or niche roles. These partnerships supplement internal capabilities and expand talent pipelines while maintaining direct quality control.
Each step in Conor Nicholson’s framework transforms recruiting from a back-office function to a mission-critical “superpower,” directly supporting contract growth, operational excellence, and marketplace reputation.
Areas to Address and Excel
Even organizations with strong recruiting and retention programs must continually refine their approach to stay competitive. The following areas, if overlooked, can become risks—but when tackled strategically, they can also become differentiators in the market.
Competitive Compensation
Risk: Compensation may be seen as fair but not always competitive in specialized or cleared roles.
How to Excel: Proactively benchmark salaries, introduce flexible rewards, and create thoughtful bonus programs. This signals long-term investment in employees and strengthens proposal competitiveness.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
- Employer brand message: “We invest in our people so they can invest in the mission.”
- On proposal side: Highlight above-market pay as a risk reducer for agencies worried about turnover.
- Marketing channels: Share employee testimonials about pay transparency and recognition on Careers pages, LinkedIn, and recruiting collateral.
Work-Life Balance Under Pressure
Risk: Heavy workloads can strain morale and increase attrition.
How to Excel: Monitor workload distribution, build buffer capacity, and promote sustainable pace of delivery. Position balance as part of your core culture and leadership responsibility.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
- Employer brand: “We take care of our people, so they can take care of your mission.”
- Recruiting hook: Flexible work, wellness programs, and support for career growth become attraction tools.
- Proposal advantage: Show how retention and morale programs reduce risk of staffing disruptions for clients.
Transparent Metrics and Reporting
Risk: Many firms say they have strong retention but fail to publish data that proves it.
How to Excel: Collect, track, and showcase retention rates, time-to-fill, and staffing success metrics. Backing up claims with data demonstrates accountability.
💪 The Marketing Connection:
- Employer brand: “We don’t just claim strong retention—we prove it.”
- Capture/proposals: Embed workforce stats in Capabilities Statements and Past Performance write-ups.
- Market trust: Sharing metrics on social and web creates confidence for both candidates and evaluators.
Scalability for Best-in-Class Vehicles
Risk: Without visible infrastructure or surge staffing models, companies may be outshone by competitors.
How to Excel: Invest in recruiting infrastructure, cleared talent pipelines, and teaming partnerships. Develop and communicate surge staffing playbooks to show “Day One readiness.”
💪 The Marketing Connection:
- Employer brand: “From Day 1, we bring the right team, at the right time, with the right skills.”
- Capture strategy: Showcase staffing models visually with graphics in proposals and capabilities briefings.
- Differentiation: Publish case studies of successful rapid scale-ups to position as a reliable OASIS+ partner.
💡 OASIS+ Pro Tip: for Attracting & Retaining Talent
1. Map Recruiting Success to Evaluation Criteria
OASIS+ evaluators want evidence of past performance in staffing and retention. Treat recruiting metrics like proposal artifacts: track and publish time-to-fill, retention rates, and surge staffing examples. These become hard proof points in Past Performance Volumes.
Pro-Tip: Build a “Recruiting Wins Portfolio” you can reuse in proposals.
2. Showcase Your Bench Strength
- Agencies want to know you won’t scramble post-award. Maintain a warm bench of pre-vetted, interested candidates for recurring roles (e.g., program managers, cleared IT staff).
- Pro-Tip: Highlight your bench in Management Approach narratives as evidence of rapid start-up capability.
3. Turn Retention Into a Risk Reduction Story
- Every agency worries about mid-contract turnover. Use your retention strategy as a risk mitigation section in proposals—showing how it reduces staffing disruptions and knowledge loss.
- Pro-Tip: Phrase retention as client protection: “Our employees stay, so your mission isn’t interrupted.”
4. Leverage Recruiting Partnerships for Niche Roles
- OASIS+ spans complex domains (cyber, logistics, intel). Show evaluators you can source niche, cleared, or high-demand talent by describing your recruiting partner network.
- Pro-Tip: In proposals, frame recruiting partners as “pre-approved surge capacity” rather than generic subcontractors.
5. Document Scalability With Case Studies
- OASIS+ contracts often imply rapid expansion. Create case studies where you scaled staffing fast—backed by numbers (e.g., “Filled 40 cleared roles in 60 days”).
- Pro-Tip: Use graphics/timelines to make surge staffing stories pop in proposals.
6. Integrate Recruiting With Capture & Proposal Teams
- Winning OASIS+ task orders means proving you can staff from Day One. Have recruiters contribute to pipeline planning so resumes, LOIs, and labor category mapping are real—not theoretical.
- Pro-Tip: Make recruiting a visible part of your capture strategy deck for executives.
7. Market Retention as a Culture Advantage
- Agencies increasingly evaluate culture as part of CPARs and overall delivery. Position your retention efforts (mentorship, career ladders, recognition programs) as proof you’ll keep high performers engaged across the contract lifecycle.
- Pro-Tip: Include employee testimonials in recruiting materials and in proposal annexes—culture is marketing collateral for evaluators too.
Final Takeaway: Talent as a Government Contractor Marketing Engine
Talent is the engine of sustainable OASIS+ success—but only if it’s marketed effectively. Agencies want to see that your workforce is stable, scalable, and ready from Day One. Candidates want to know they are joining an organization that values them and their mission.
By weaving your recruiting and retention strategies into your brand message, you position yourself as the contractor who doesn’t just win contracts—you deliver outcomes.
Read All GovCon Decathlon Series Articles:
OVERVIEW: The GovCon Decathlon: 10 Disciplines for OASIS+ Success
1. Stand Out from the Crowd – Find Your Niche
2. Go-to-Market Strategy for Government Contractors: How to Define, Connect, and Win
4. Operational Excellence Meets Marketing: The Hidden OASIS+ Differentiator
5. OASIS+ Growth Engine: Recruiting, Retention, and the Government Contractor Marketing Connection
Ready to stand out in the OASIS+ ecosystem? Clarity isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Make it easy for your customers to find you, understand you, and choose you.
Ocean 5 Strategies helps government contractors refine their niche, craft powerful messaging, and implement brand strategies that win contracts and attract top talent. If you’re ready to move from “good” to “great” in the federal market, Reach Out to Ocean 5.
Mild Red LLC helps government contractors turn complex federal procurement opportunities into competitive advantage. We combine data-driven market intelligence with strategic communications to position clients for growth in programs like OASIS+, Zero Trust, and AI initiatives. Our expertise translates policy and market shifts into actionable strategies that win. Reach out to Mild Red.
