Heidt Strategic Advisors — Advisory Service
Alex Heidt has directed defense and government contracting operations across six continents — including engagements with foreign governments, foreign militaries, and the United Nations. When Heidt Strategic Advisors supports a client entering an international market, the work is grounded in direct operational experience in the environments where international defense and government business is conducted.
Major Australian government IT contract pursuit and market entry strategy at Lockheed Martin
Direct defense and government operating experience across Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas
Direct negotiation experience with the United Nations on major international contracts
Negotiated with foreign governments and ministries across multiple regions
International Market Strategy services are provided by Heidt Strategic Advisors and are distinct from and do not constitute legal representation by The Heidt Law Firm, PLLC. Engagement does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Entering an international defense or government market requires more than a growth plan. It requires understanding how procurement decisions are made in the target country, who the decision-makers are, which value propositions translate across borders and which do not, and how a U.S. company should position itself as a credible long-term partner. These insights come from operating inside the market, negotiating with the government, and conducting business under that government’s conditions.
That is the basis for Heidt Strategic Advisors’ international advisory. Alex Heidt has built and operated defense and government business in international markets, with foreign governments, in operational environments. The work applies direct government, defense, and international operating experience to the specific market the client is targeting.
International expansion shortfalls in the defense and government market are rarely strategy issues. They are relationship and credibility issues — companies arriving in market without the trust foreign procurement decisions require, without understanding how decisions are made, and without the network to bridge the gap between initial outreach and a realistic path to a first win. Direct operational experience in these markets allows Heidt Strategic Advisors to identify and address those gaps early.
When Lockheed Martin had no presence in Australia — no relationships, no past performance, and no in-country foothold — Alex assembled a team of skilled engineers, traveled to Australia as lead executive, and built the case for Lockheed’s IT capability and program experience.
Through demonstrations, oral presentations, and a carefully constructed market entry strategy, the team won a major IT services and infrastructure contract for an Australian government client — Lockheed Martin’s market entry into Australian government contracting from a starting position with no prior in-country presence.
The result reflected an understanding of how to enter a foreign government market, build credibility, position against incumbents with relationship advantages, and pursue the largest available opportunity despite starting from no in-country presence. That experience informs the international market engagements Heidt Strategic Advisors supports.
Heidt Strategic Advisors provides international market advisory grounded in direct operational experience across the regions where defense and government contracting opportunities are most significant for U.S. companies seeking international expansion.
Direct operational experience in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan — including defense contracting, foreign military structures, government-to-government procurement, and the relationship dynamics that shape how business is conducted in the region.
Direct experience with Lockheed Martin’s Australian government contract market entry, and direct understanding of how APAC government procurement, relationship-building, and competitive positioning function in practice.
Operational work in Liberia and South America, covering the market, government, and infrastructure realities that shape international execution in these regions.
An international market strategy consultant helps a company evaluate target markets, develop an entry plan, build the right government and partner relationships, and position itself to compete in foreign defense or government procurement markets. At Heidt Strategic Advisors, that work is grounded in direct operational experience across the specific markets being targeted.
The gap between how government procurement is officially described and how decisions are made in defense and government markets is significant — and navigating that gap is supported by direct in-region experience. Procurement culture, decision-making authority, trust dynamics, relationship requirements, and competitive positioning vary by region and are not captured in standard market reports. Direct negotiation experience with the specific governments and military structures being targeted provides a materially different basis for guidance.
Yes. The Australian government contract engagement at Lockheed Martin began with no prior Australian market presence, no past performance with Australian government clients, and no established in-country relationships. Starting from no in-country footprint, the engagement produced a major Australian government contract win. The approach — rapid credibility-building, competitive positioning, and disciplined pursuit of the targeted opportunity — is applicable to other market entry situations.
Heidt Strategic Advisors has direct operational experience in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan), Asia-Pacific (Australia), Africa (Liberia), and South America, as well as international government contracting experience through direct engagements with the United Nations, foreign militaries, and foreign ministries across six continents. The advisory is most directly applicable to defense and government contracting markets where Alex Heidt has direct operational experience, though the strategic principles of market entry, credibility-building, and competitive positioning translate across regions.
No. International Market Strategy is a business consulting service provided by Heidt Strategic Advisors — not legal representation by The Heidt Law Firm, PLLC. Clients who need legal representation for international contract matters — including Foreign Military Sales counsel, international contract disputes, or pro hac vice representation — are served by The Heidt Law Firm separately. Many clients engage both practices for related but distinct needs.
Schedule a strategic consultation with Heidt Strategic Advisors to assess international market strategy and identify the approach best suited to the target market and competitive position.
