Coastal Electric Construction Corp. JANUARY 10 www. bus- ex. com 69 that makes many contracting firms favor private work over government projects, he thinks. But for management that is familiar with these procedures and comfortable with the official mindset, its track record is its greatest asset, he continues. " Your reputation for being able to deliver this type of complex project precedes you. Once people get to know about you, they hunt you down. From the beginning we have always understood that our long- term reputation depends on the quality of services and workmanship we provide. It's our reputation that has given us the edge to be able to take more and more public- sector work as it becomes available." a massive government department that manages federal spending on projects of all kinds. Finding one's way around government departments like this demands special networking skills, a great deal of experience, and an unrivaled knowledge of how the system works. " I think this is another thing that makes us a bit different," says McKosky, who has over 20 years' experience in the electrical construction and telecommunications industry. " A lot of contractors are intimidated by the professional stance that you have to present at meetings and by the paperwork that is involved when dealing with government departments. There is a lot of heavy lifting involved." This is a factor