Second Commandment Of Government Contractors: Thou Shalt Study Thy Adversary

(This article is part of a 10-part series for the blog of Public Contracting Institute called, "A Government Contractor's Ten Commandments.")

The movie "Patton" contains many memorable scenes, but one that will always stay etched in my memory is where the great German field marshal Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, begins his retreat after being beaten by Patton at El Alamein. As the German tanks turn and flee, Patton, played by the inimitable actor George C. Scott, screams, "Rommel, you magnificent ba$#ard, I read your book!" Very few of the things we do in the Government contracting world will involve the kinds of stakes that were associated with this famous World War II battle, but Patton's rant is evidence that knowledge of your adversary is a very valuable weapon.