I should clarify my point. FBO and publicly searchable bids are the best way to mitigate the effects of the good old boy network. I’ve certainly lost projects to hard-wired solicitations, but more often than not I’ve encountered ethical, conscientious contract officers who strive for a level playing field.
In my experience, pass-through companies are not an obstacle on a bid. Everyone has a set of SDVOSB or HUBZONE (or what have you) contractors that they can work with when a bid is a set-aside. It’s an extra hassle and and a little less profit, but it need not be an obstacle to winning a bid.
All that said, my experience is entirely in the furniture world, and I can’t speak knowledgeably about what goes on beyond that world (or beyond projects with a dollar value in the six figures). The playing field is probably very different at the Haliburton or Lockheed level.
