Government contracting rewards firms that treat compliance as a core operating discipline, not an administrative afterthought. Margarita Howard built HX5 on exactly that premise, and the Fort Walton Beach company has grown into a 1,000-plus-employee firm supporting the Department of Defense and NASA at 90 locations across the country.
The Regulatory Reality of Federal Work
Howard is direct about what government contracts require. “Businesses must invest in educating themselves about these regulations and ensure strict adherence to them,” she said. “It’s important that a company’s records are impeccable when working with the government due to the compliance reporting and audits that companies have to agree to perform on government contracts.” That standard has only grown more demanding as federal spending has expanded, bringing with it greater oversight. The government contracting environment now includes heightened attention to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure projects, each carrying its own documentation requirements.
Why Infrastructure Investment Pays Off
Margarita Howard made the decision to build robust back-office infrastructure at HX5 early in the company’s history, before the scale of the business seemed to demand it. That turned out to be one of her most consequential choices. Federal agencies and large prime contractors working toward small-business contracting goals look for partners they can trust to operate independently. “So when they find a small company that they know understands the industry and they’re not going to have to hold their hand, I’m proud to say they were very impressed with us,” Howard said. The reputation for operational self-sufficiency that HX5 earned in its early years opened doors that might otherwise have remained closed, accelerating growth and establishing the company as a dependable presence in government contracting. Read this article for additional information.
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