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Teaming with small businesses in today's contracting environment is critical for most services, including NEPA. Many NEPA contracts have small business subcontracting goals; have project type, client experience, or location requirements that even large businesses have difficulty meeting; or are simply small business set-asides. In addition to contract requirements, strategic teaming is important for growing new client relationships, gaining geographic experience, enhancing existing capabilities, and staying competitive with other project teams. Therefore, large businesses teaming with small businesses or several small businesses teaming together has become more commonplace. Just like any relationship, teaming with the right partner matters. The right teaming partner has complementing capabilities, at least some NEPA or relevant resource area experience, appropriate geographic positioning, and a similar concept on the value of the teaming relationship. After finding the right teaming partner, it is important to properly set the ground rules and expectations for the relationship, identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies, locate and implement efficiencies to account for the unpreventable costs of teaming (e.g., subcontract, an accountant, and project manager for each company, duplicate quality control processes), invest in the team for the current and future projects, and building a mutually beneficial relationship that fosters with each project. This presentation provides a summary of small and large business perspectives on NEPA project teaming, issues to consider when developing a multi-company NEPA project team, typical NEPA project assignments for small and large business, and tips for successfully managing a teamed NEPA project. It provides teaming concepts on all aspects of NEPA projects including marketing, proposal development, project management, client management, communication processes, team member selection, document development, quality control, work division strategies, and risk mitigation approaches. As time allows, we will request audience input to share their experiences.
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 Chris Holdridge
Sr. Project Manager
HDR
Mr. Holdridge has over 25 years of experience in NEPA and related planning studies. His experience is primarily on military projects but also includes other government and commercial projects. Mr. Holdridge has managed, reviewed, and authored more than 100 NEPA documents and 300 environmental due diligence documents. Mr. Holdridge is HDR’s Impact Assessment Practice co-lead and as such is responsible for company-wide development, coordination, monitoring, and improvement of the technical competencies of over 150 impact assessment professionals. He also serves as the Quality Control Lead for HDR’s military NEPA group.
 Nic Frederick
Director of Conservation and Planning
DAWSON
Mr. Frederick has over 12 years of experience managing environmental projects, including NEPA, natural and cultural resources, and public involvement. He is a NAEP at-large board member, heads the communications committee, and is cohost of the NAEP podcast, Environmental Professionals Radio. At DAWSON, he is responsible for the development of core competencies related to NEPA, environmental policy, natural resources, and environmental justice. He has provided Conservation and Planning services to a variety of federal and state clients and has been integral to the development of these services for DAWSON.
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