Government contracting rewards firms that prepare thoroughly, comply precisely, and compete without hesitation. Margarita Howard, sole owner and CEO/president of HX5, has built her company around all three. Since founding HX5 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida in 2004, she has grown it into an organization with over 1,000 employees working across 34 states and 90 government locations in support of the Department of Defense and NASA.
Howard’s preparation for that work began before she started the company. Margarita Howard time implementing and managing the Tricare program, the Department of Defense’s health care initiative, gave her a practical understanding of federal operations that most contractors must develop from the outside. She advanced from area field manager to regional director, overseeing seven states across the Southeast, before making the transition to entrepreneurship.
Avoiding the Sole-Source Trap
Howard has been specific about a pattern she observed among other small businesses in her sector. Companies that secured contracts through sole-source awards under the 8 business development program often failed to build the capacity to compete independently. “Once the program was over after nine years, they were done,” she has noted. “They had never competed. They had never really done it on their own.”
HX5 used the 8 program differently. The company won four contracts in a single year after joining, then used that foundation to build competitive infrastructure capable of winning open solicitations. That transition positioned HX5 to attract work from larger contractors seeking capable small-business partners.
Compliance discipline has been equally central to HX5’s model. Howard emphasizes that firms working with the government must maintain flawless records given the audit and reporting requirements embedded in federal contracts. Margarita Howard views that discipline not as a burden but as a foundation for credibility, one that her company has built carefully over more than two decades of operation. Refer to this article for more information.
More about Howard on https://www.youngupstarts.com/2025/01/10/how-hx5-and-margarita-howard-stay-ahead-in-government-contracting-as-a-women-owned-firm/
