Government or industry customer contacts CPM to discuss the need for help; if necessary, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is signed.

After carefully assessing customer needs and determining with the customer that CPM can help, a general Statement of Work (SOW) and initial quote are provided for consideration. CPM can tailor and scale the support to the customer’s time and budget constraints.

CPM works with the customer to quickly get under contract. CPM has contract vehicles already in place with many of its industry and government customers that can accommodate new work. Business arrangements are typically on a Time and Material (T&M) basis (with an agreed upon NTE) or a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) basis when appropriate. Engagements can range from a one-day strategy session to a year-long study or support.

After a contract/purchase order is finalized (or immediately if the need is urgent), a CPM primary point of contact works with the customer's leadership to define and meet expectations -- monitoring the project budget,​​ adapting to changes in schedule, and if required, bringing in additional CPM experts to support. No work is billed or initiated without coordination and agreement with the customer. This allows the customer to match support levels with available funding.