Updated January 20, 2026. Originally published May 12, 2025.
While change is always a factor, rarely have government contractors needed to adapt to change as fast as beginning in 2025. The pace of change and adaptation has not slowed. Three significant drivers continuously need to be considered.
- Administration priorities
- Changing demographics of federal decision-makers
- The growing use of AI and its capabilities
In recent years, the federal acquisition landscape introduced GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Plus (OASIS+), a government-wide multi-award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle that federal agencies actively use to procure a broad range of services. OASIS+ replaces and expands upon legacy OASIS contracts, offering streamlined task-order awards, greater flexibility across domains, and expanded competition at the task-order level — making it a key opportunity for many government contractors.
Whether your organization already holds an OASIS+ contract or is considering pursuing one, we’ve compiled relevant resources to support your strategy and marketing alignment:
- Read The GovCon Decathlon: 10 Disciplines for OASIS+ Success
- Learn How to Optimize Your OASIS+ Marketing Strategy
Government Contractor Messaging: What’s the Big Deal?
Effective government contractor messaging is essential for success in today’s evolving federal marketplace. Ocean 5 Strategies attended GovExec’s government contracting marketing event, where industry leaders shared insights on adapting messaging strategies to maintain brand awareness and trust.
Why Government Contractors Must Adapt Their Messaging
Significant change occurred in the first three months of 2025, driven by changes in government priorities, DOGE’s effort to reduce budgets, and acquisition process reform.
This transition was particularly rapid, making it both challenging and full of opportunity.
Government contractors need to continually and proactively adjust their messaging to reflect emerging priorities and ensure alignment with evolving agency goals and objectives, and new contract opportunities.
Dr. Jerry McGinn, Executive Director at George Mason University, emphasized the importance of adaptability, stating: “You need to show that you are going where the puck is going.”
Times, they are continuously a-changin’, and the beginning of each calendar year is the time to refine and amplify your government contractor messaging. Getting it right can help you stand out. Failure to act could mean being sidelined.
Why Consistent Government Contractor Messaging Matters More Than Ever
Unified, consistent messaging across all channels is vital in building brand awareness and trust.
A unified, strategic message helps:
- Define your brand identity within the federal marketplace
- Differentiate your business from competitors
- Communicate your value proposition effectively to target audiences and Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs)
Consistent government contractor messaging across all touchpoints—including websites, social media, proposals, and emails—reinforces recognition, credibility, and trust.
Failure to adopt a unified, consistent messaging strategy creates confusion, which can cause decision-makers to question capabilities and services.
Do you know the six critical aspects of successful messaging?
How Federal Contracting Buyer Demographics Are Changing
Retirement rates are increasing, and younger professionals are entering public service. Millennials now form a significant portion of the federal workforce.
Federal acquisition is a collaborative process involving multiple influencers and decision-makers, typically including:
- Contracting officers, who must recognize your company’s ability to support agency missions
- Technical influencers, who require detailed specifications and solutions
Your government contractor messaging must be tailored to resonate with these personas at different stages of the procurement process.
Additionally, today’s government decision-makers prefer consortium-based decision-making. Messaging strategies should support consensus-building while educating new stakeholders on your company’s contributions to their agency’s mission.
Responding to Changing Demographics of Federal Decision-makers
As the federal workforce evolves with new generations of decision-makers, younger professionals are less familiar with existing government contractors, and even industry leaders face declining brand awareness.
Government contractors cannot rely on old habits and personal relationships alone. The new, younger generation grew up in a digital world and expects information to be readily available online.
And, as people leave the federal government workforce, established relationships are being disrupted, and the race to develop new ones is on.
To meet this reality, government contractors must consider all channels, leveraging digital and in-person communication opportunities.
Aaron Heffron, President of Research and Forecasting at GovExec, highlighted an often-overlooked resource: “There’s one channel of reaching that is woefully underleveraged—the individuals who sit on the ground for your company, already working at certain agencies or interacting with them daily.”
One of the biggest missteps government contractors make is neglecting brand messaging after securing a contract. Reinforcing your brand internally is essential, even years before a recompete.
To enhance government contractor messaging, ensure your employees:
- Have the tools and messaging to naturally reinforce your brand
- Understand your company’s value—even if they aren’t directly involved in marketing
- Maintain messaging consistency across all internal and external communications
To maximize impact, develop tools and messaging tailored to every stage of the sales process—from business development through post-award—and ensure they are accessible company-wide, including leadership, operations, and subject matter experts.
Why Government Contractors Must Defend Their Value with Strong Messaging
In response to administration reprioritizations, government contractors should consider reducing the emphasis on set-aside status and communicate their value effectively. Demonstrating how your services improve efficiency and mission outcomes is paramount—weak or overly technical messaging can dilute impact.
Craft a compelling government contractor messaging framework by focusing on:
- The problems your solutions solve
- What your company does
- Who you serve
- How you stand out from competitors
- What successes you’ve delivered for similar challenges
For B2G brands, messaging must clearly showcase reliability and impact. Well-written case studies serve as powerful tools to reinforce credibility.
Why OASIS+ Matters for Messaging
OASIS+ is not just a contract vehicle — it’s a market catalyst for professional services and related domains. Getting your messaging aligned to your OASIS+ positioning and value — for agencies, primes, and teaming partners — contributes to visibility, credibility, and long-term growth in a broader set of federal opportunities.
Explore our OASIS+ resources to connect your marketing strategy with business development success.
Final Thoughts on Government Contractor Messaging Strategy
The government contracting industry demands agility, and refined messaging is essential for sustained success. Contractors must continuously align their messaging with administration priorities while maintaining consistency to build trust and awareness.
As workforce demographics evolve, organizations must reintroduce themselves to government decision-makers. By optimizing government contractor messaging for multiple personas and reinforcing brand value internally and externally, contractors can remain competitive and effectively support agency missions.
GovCon companies need to rethink how they build and nurture relationships.
How Ocean 5 Strategies Can Help
Creating consistent and impactful messaging is a complex process that requires more than good copywriting. Ocean 5 Strategies utilizes Messaging Strategy Workshops to help companies develop messaging frameworks.
We help companies align their messaging with their growth objectives and the target audience’s needs, then ensure messaging consistency across all sales and marketing channels. The result: increased brand awareness and brand trust, ultimately leading to more contract wins and business growth.
When you work with Ocean 5, you build a strategic approach to communication. One that consistently reaches, resonates with, and retains your audience.
