Keep track of and in contact with colleagues, former colleagues, industry contacts, old friends in similar or related industries, clients, former clients, uni friends, etc.
This can help getting introductions, building trust for new projects, and save you time getting information.
When you have a good relationship with these people, you can comfortably call them for specialized information (availability of resources, upcoming projects, advice etc).
You are not aiming for inside or illegal information, just smooth and easy discussion of things that would take you a lot more work to find out otherwise.
