What is the government already paying for?

by Dale Davidson

I have a friend who is living in Romania and is interested in going 1099.

Obviously, Romania is not a center of a US government contracting and he doesn't plan to move to DC soon, so I was not optimistic he'd be able to pull it off.

But, he did mention he did have a few friends who work at the US embassy there, so here's what I advised him to do:

  • Ask his friends if they know of any contractors working either at the embassy or on behalf of the embassy
  • If they do, ask for an introduction to someone from the company (whether a regular employee or PM if they happen to know them)
  • Set up a meeting or call with the PM and ask them what type of work they're doing on the contract
  • Mention that he is interested in doing some sub-contracting work in Romania for the embassy
  • See what happens

I still think the probability is low, but by following the steps above, he'll at least know if the embassy hires contractors at all, allowing him to use his time and energy efficiently.

It's easy to be overly optimistic and think "oh the embassy totally needs X," X being whatever you have to offer.

It may be true, but the path to getting a 1099 sub-contracting gig lies in finding a position that the government is already paying for and that lines up with your skillset, not trying to convince them that they need what you have to offer.

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.

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