Multi-month program
FMS, DCS, ITAR. The path from a US shop to a qualified DoD or foreign-military supplier.
An eight-to-twelve-week program engagement that stands up the regulatory, contracting, and distribution infrastructure a US manufacturer needs to sell to the Department of Defense, foreign militaries through Foreign Military Sales, or commercial international customers under ITAR.
- Investment
- $85,000–$165,000 all-inclusive
- Duration
- 8 to 12 weeks (mix of onsite, remote, and on-the-road)
Most US manufacturers sitting on a defense-grade product never sell to the federal government or to a foreign customer because the regulatory and contracting on-ramp is opaque, slow, and built for companies that already know the path. ITAR registration, AECA compliance, EAR classification, FMS case management, DCS contracting, end-user verification, foreign broker registration, the State Department DSP-5, and the Defense Trade Controls licensing flow. Each one is a barrier. None of them is impossible. All of them are learnable on the first time through. This engagement is the structured first time through. Lorrie has run international contracts in this category for twenty years. Mike has opened the doors at DoD program offices, foreign mil-attaché desks, and qualified prime contractors. Jason builds the compliance program software and the licensing workflow tools. By the end of the engagement, ownership has a working ITAR/EAR program, FMS and DCS contracting playbooks, a qualified foreign distribution map, and a first-customer pipeline already in motion.
Quick answer
Government & International Market Entry is an eight-to-twelve-week program engagement led by Lorrie Lynn (international contracts), Mike Fox (business development), and Jason Santiago (compliance program architecture). It stands up the ITAR/EAR compliance program, the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) contracting infrastructure, and the qualified foreign distribution map a US manufacturer needs to sell to the Department of Defense, foreign militaries, or commercial international customers in regulated categories. Pricing is $85,000 to $165,000 all-inclusive depending on category complexity and foreign-customer footprint targeted. Typical engagements close their first qualified DCS or FMS opportunity within nine months of program delivery.
By Lorrie Lynn · Founding Partner. Operations, Manufacturing & International Contracts · Updated May 14, 2026Deliverables
What ownership has in their hand at the end.
1. The Compliance Program Binder. The full ITAR and EAR program, documented, version-controlled, and audit-ready. Technology Control Plan, Visitor Control Plan, RPS procedures, recordkeeping workflow, licensing decision matrix, and every supporting template.
2. The Contracting Playbooks. FMS case-lifecycle playbook. DCS contracting playbook. End-User certification workflow. ATA Carnet and freight-forwarder relationship map. Federal contracting baseline (SAM.gov, CAGE, NAICS, GSA, GWAC eligibility).
3. The Foreign Distribution Map. Three to seven qualified foreign target customers, vetted through end-user pre-clearance. Where Mike's network can warm-introduce, the introductions are made during the engagement. Where it cannot, the engagement includes the qualified-introduction strategy for cold approach.
4. The Licensing Software. A working internal license-request and tracking tool. Built on your existing stack where possible. Owned by you, transferable, maintainable.
5. The Twelve-Month Watchpost. Quarterly check-ins, regulatory-update bulletins, and ad-hoc consultation on any new licensing scenario for the first twelve months after engagement close.
Ideal client
US manufacturers in defense-grade product categories (firearms, ammunition, optics, armor, communications, ground-vehicle components, aerospace components, USML or CCL-controlled items), typically $5M–$150M annual revenue, owner-operated or PE-backed. Strongest fit when ownership has an unrealized government or international demand signal: an inbound foreign distributor inquiry, a DoD program office contact, a prime-contractor opportunity, or a strategic exit case that requires a defense-channel revenue line. Willing to designate a permanent Empowered Official and a permanent in-house compliance owner.
The first call is a forty-five-minute conversation with Lorrie and Mike. The first ten minutes verify category eligibility. The remaining time walks the demand signal and the target foreign-customer footprint. The output of the call is either an engagement scope and price quote, or a clear explanation of why this is not the right engagement for the product in question.
Ready to put the team on your floor?
The first call is a thirty-minute conversation with Mike. No deck, no pitch. Just a clear understanding of whether the engagement is the right fit for what your business is trying to do.