Defense & Federal Advisory · Southern Pines, NC

Defense contractors hire The SP Group when programs are at risk: unfunded requirements, misaligned POMs, and contract exposure that costs them their seat at the table. We fix that.

Non-representational strategic advisory built on direct experience inside the federal resource cycle, from Combatant Command program budgeting to engaging Congress on resource priorities. PPBE-fluent guidance that keeps your program funded, aligned, and defensible.

Book a consultation Download Capability Statement

Engagements

Fixed-fee, fixed-scope advisory

Every offering is priced as a defined package with clear deliverables. No open-ended retainers, no scope creep.

90-Day Federal Traction Engagement

$2,995 $1,995 founding

Founding rate. First 3 clients. Ends Sep 30.

Principal-led 90-day track that maps what your company can build against what the warfighter actually needs, then closes one federal instrument.

  • Reconnaissance: opportunity map and positioning artifacts (Day 30)
  • Engagement: warm intros converted, positioning package delivered (Day 60)
  • Execution: one federal instrument signed on DoW paper (Day 90)
  • Evidence-based milestones tied to deliverables, not promises
Learn more

30-Day POM Alignment Audit

$8,000 $4,995 founding

Founding rate. First 3 clients. Ends Sep 30.

Executive-level review of one contract or program against the federal resource cycle.

  • POM alignment matrix
  • Unfunded-priority exposure
  • Manpower alignment findings
  • 90-day action roadmap
Learn more

Monthly Advisory Subscription

$1,500 $995 / mo, founding

Founding rate. First 3 clients. Ends Sep 30.

Ongoing partnership following the audit. Monthly principal-led read on your position.

  • Ongoing POM signal monitoring
  • Monthly strategy call
  • Written follow-up analysis
  • 90-day initial term
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Targeted Document Review

$1,500 $995 founding

Founding rate. First 3 clients. Ends Sep 30.

Focused PPBE-fluent review of one capability statement, proposal, or operating area.

  • One artifact, one focused read
  • Prioritized action list
  • 30-minute debrief with founder
  • Delivered in 10 business days
Learn more

Digital Resources

$199 / $499

Buy once. Use every cycle.

Two digital resources for teams not yet ready for a full engagement. Reference material and templates.

  • PPBE Playbook - $199
  • Resource Library (7 resources) - $499
  • Single-user or single-org license
  • Immediate download
Browse resources

The Principal

Heather Brown

Founder & Principal Advisor

Certified Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)

The SP Group is built on a simple premise: the contractors who keep their seat at the table are the ones who understand how defense dollars actually move. Heather has spent her career inside that machinery.

U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command (USAWHC)

Army Force Structure Management. Shaping how manpower and capability requirements are documented and defended.

U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)

Program Budget Analysis. Evaluating and prioritizing programs across the Combatant Command resource portfolio.

PPBE-fluent, Congress-tested

Fluent in the Planning, Programming, Budgeting & Execution process from the Combatant Command level, with direct experience engaging Congress on resource priorities.

Why non-representational matters

The SP Group provides strategic advisory only, not lobbying and not representation. That distinction keeps the guidance clean, the incentives aligned with your program, and the relationship free of the conflicts that come with advocacy work. You get honest analysis of where your program stands and what to do about it.

Why The SP Group

A different kind of advisory

  • 01

    Principal-led delivery

    Every engagement is led by a single dedicated principal with direct federal-resourcing experience. No handoffs to junior staff.

  • 02

    Fixed-fee, fixed-scope

    All offerings are priced as defined packages with clear deliverables. You know the cost and the outcome before we start.

  • 03

    Non-representational

    Strategic advisory only, not lobbying. Clean incentives, honest analysis, no conflicts of interest.

  • 04

    PPBE-fluent from Combatant Command level

    Guidance grounded in how the resource cycle actually works, learned inside USSOCOM and Army force structure.

How we work

The 90-Day Engagement, step by step

A three-phase execution track that maps what your company can build today against what the warfighter actually needs, then closes one federal instrument inside 90 days. Every phase ends with named, evidence-based milestones tied to a defined deliverable, not a promise.

  1. Phase 1 | Days 1-30 1

    Reconnaissance

    Profile the opportunity space and build the artifacts before anyone hears from us.

    Day-30 milestone: DoW Opportunity Map delivered. Named intake contacts, target pathways, and positioning artifacts in your drive.

  2. Phase 2 | Days 31-60 2

    Engagement

    Convert warm intros into Tier 1 meetings. Reconcile what you can build against what the warfighter needs.

    Day-45 & Day-60 milestones: Documented meeting with a Tier 1 target; tailored positioning package delivered on the chosen vehicle.

  3. Phase 3 | Days 61-90 3

    Execution

    Negotiate and sign one federal instrument. Stage the follow-on before the ink dries.

    Day-90 milestone: One instrument executed on DoW paper. Past performance established. Follow-on pursuit staged.

Ready to map your 90 days? Book a call →

Common questions

Before you book.

The four questions defense contractors ask most often before signing.

  • How is this different from working with a lobbyist?

    The SP Group is not a registered lobbyist and does not perform representational work before the federal government. Lobbyists advocate for a client's position with Congress or the Executive Branch. We provide strategic advisory only: analysis of where your program sits inside the resource cycle and what to do about it. The distinction matters legally, ethically, and practically. It keeps our incentives clean, keeps the guidance honest, and keeps you free to hire representation separately if you determine you need it.

  • Does the founder hold a security clearance?

    Yes. Heather holds an active security clearance from her federal government service. That said, most engagements are structured around unclassified program information, publicly available budget documents, and materials the client provides. If your specific engagement requires classified discussion, we scope that separately.

  • Who owns the deliverables?

    You do. On engagement, work product is delivered to the client outright. You own the analysis, the roadmap, and the written materials produced under the engagement. The SP Group retains no residual rights beyond the ability to reference the engagement anonymously in aggregate, and only where the engagement letter grants that permission. Founding-client engagements include a specific anonymized case-study permission in exchange for the founding rate; that is disclosed and negotiated up front, not assumed.

  • How long does an engagement take to start?

    Fast. After the initial consultation, if there is a fit, we can typically execute an NDA and engagement letter inside a week and kick off the following week. The 30-Day Audit runs on a 30-day clock from kickoff. The Targeted Document Review is 10 business days from kickoff. The Monthly Subscription starts immediately after a completed audit. Digital resources are available for immediate download after purchase.

Get in touch

Is your program at risk?

Book a consultation to walk through where your program stands in the resource cycle, and what it will take to keep your seat at the table.

Book a consultation heatherbrown@thespgroupllc.com