Out of curiosity what are some of the go to sources for doing the extra steps here: 1. Study the agency (where and how) 2. Purchasing History (how do you find this information) 3. Actual spending patterns (Same as above) Is there a handful of go to sources and/or a process that you follow, that feels gets you a complete picture?

Probably not the answer you were thinking about - but the work I have been doing that no one sees has all been on myself. So many of my challenges in life have come from self-limiting beliefs, and these are unspoken, unseen internal struggles that are hard to even articulate sometimes. (It can literally feel like fighting ghosts). Its a slow process and I have re-invented myself many times of the last 10 years, I am learning there is no end goal, its a continuous journey of trying something, seeing what comes of it, taking a step back and then very importantly, trying again. So the thing I have been working on in general, is trying not to take things so seriously all the time (so much harder than you it seems at first glance). The stakes are rarely life and death. :)

Worth saying that I know based on the "Getting started" post that this will be very United States specific. I have found in my working with the Canadian and US Coast guard that there are a lot of organizational similarities. Different names but ultimately the same structure.

@Tara Slaughter CFS Community Team Hey Tara, I am so sorry for not responding sooner, I wasnt notified on the response and I never opened this thread again to check. Thank you for such an in-depth response. Its very surprising to hear your perspective on the fact that I might not be too far out of the ballpark here. I am happy to hear that! I was not aware that Canadian businesses could participate. I am not registered in Sam.gov I will have a look at that right now. I am definitely interested in exploring more. I fully support your communities initiative for making that "black box" just a little less opaque! I will definitely be sharing my learning journey as I go to help support this direction as well. Some times fresh perspectives and silly questions can be the most valuable. Canada is indeed beautiful, if you ever visit again, the west coast of British Columbia is also spectacular (Maybe a bit biased because its my home but I think a little bit of home bias is allowed haha) Thanks again for holding this space Tara. Much appreciated.