One popular OT structure centers around establishing a consortium of companies interested in working on projects related to a specific subject area where the department of agency anticipates there will be ongoing needs. Each consortium is structured to allow new participants to enter the group routinely. Typically, the government contracts with a consortium management firm (CMF) who receives government calls for whitepapers from the department or agency. The CMF distributes the whitepapers to their members. Individual members then submit their best solution which the CMF in turn forwards to the government. The government reviews each submission based on its individual merits and selects companies for further discussions about their individual submissions. New alternatives may be created without re-solicitation as the process is designed to provide for maximum flexibility and collaboration between industry and government. On average two months elapses from the time the call for white papers is issued and award of one or more OTs is made.