Top 10 GovCon Stories – #5 – Two-Year Federal Pay Freeze
Though a recent development in 2010, the decision to freeze pay to all civilian federal employees, including those working at the Department of Defense (excluding military personnel), was an important and newsworthy development. Political leaders felt pressure from voters, many of whom are concerned about high unemployment and the growing budget deficit. Analysts predict that the freeze will save more than $5 billion over two years, $28 billion over five years and over $60 billion in the next 10 years.
Why it matters to the GovCon space?
- Published in GovCon
Top 10 GovCon Stories – #6 – Industry Mergers and Acquisitions
As with any industry, the economy and changing forces in the government change the way companies do business and whether or not they stay in business. Mergers and acquisitions continued throughout 2010. The question is, what do these deals mean to the industry as a whole?
Why it matters to the GovCon space?
- Published in GovCon
Top 10 GovCon Stories – #7 – Changes to the Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) program
The Alaska Native Corporation program was created in 1971 to settle land claims and help improve life for native Alaskans. Spending on ANC contracts has gone from $506 million in 2000 to $5 billion in 2009. However, the ANC program has come under greater scrutiny in 2010. This year legislation has been proposed that would require competition for contracts and that corporations be managed by native executives. Opponents say the program can be reformed, but removing preferences for ANCs is not the answer.
Why it matters to the GovCon space?
- Published in GovCon
Top 10 GovCon Stories – #8 – HUBZone Preference
On September 27th, President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act. This new legislation means that businesses in Historically Underutilizied Business Zones (known as HUBZones) are on equal footing with all other small, disadvantaged business programs, including, but not limited to, those relating to Service-Disabled, Veteran Owned Small Businesses and 8(a) companies.
Why it matters to the GovCon space?
- Published in GovCon
Top 10 GovCon Stories – #9 – GWACs – Bigger Budgets and Small Acquisition Workforce
Government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) consolidate purchasing across a number of federal government agencies and encourage long-term vendor agreements with fewer vendors. GWACs have become commonplace vehicles for federal clients purchasing a vast array of products and services. GWACs sell information technology products and services to agencies. The issue surrounding GWACs hit the burner over the summer, when several agencies met to form a joint force to manage GWACs going forward. While the concept was embraced by some in government who feared losing control of their GWACs, contractors feel that there are too many hoops to jump through and that opportunities for small business are limited.
Why it matters to the GovCon space?
- Published in GovCon
Top 10 GovCon Stories – #10 – Logjam at the Defense Contract Audit Agency
DCAA came into the spotlight in 2008 when the GAO revealed there were inappropriate relationships between DCAA employees and government contractors. According to the GAO, contractors had influenced reports and DCAA supervisors pressured subordinates. To help address the challenges at DCAA, Patrick Fitzgerald took charge eight months ago and has begun to reshape the DCAA. However, Patrick’s agenda has created a logjam to the point where a contractor pricing review now takes 72 days to complete (up from 28 in 2008). Auditors are now required to receive a sign-off from a field office manager, which is adding to delays and causing challenges with contractor price negotiations.
Why it matters to the GovCon space?
- Published in GovCon
How can we make GovWin better?
Many people in the government contracting industry have been reacting positively to govWin recent winning the Technology Product of the Year Award at the Mid-Atlantic CIO & CTO Live! Awards, presented by the Tech Council of Maryland.
And while this is a great achievement for the entire govWin team, it is a win for all of you in our community.
Changes to the site do not occur in a vacuum. Internally, we all see things we want to make better, but the best ideas come from our community members who take time to submit suggestions, complaints, thoughts and ideas to us.
So, if you have a moment – post a comment on things you would like to see us add, change or remove from the site. This will help us to do what successful online communities do best: meet the needs of their members.
- Published in GovCon
Starting the GovCon Business Development Discussion
On Thursday, September 16 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm, a group of leading business development professionals in the government space is gathering at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner, VA to discuss best practices, strategies and changes in the federal procurement marketplace.
The event will help facilitate a discussion among the leaders in federal contracting and sales in the GovCon space at a time when the dynamics of doing business with the federal government is changing faster than ever.
To get the conversation started before the event, I had a chance to ask one question of each of the panelists. Take a look at their responses below, and submit your comments.
And don’t forget to register for the GovCon Business Development Panel, this Thursday from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to network with top GovCon experts over complimentary cocktails and appetizers. Click to register(registration is free).
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Question: What piece of advice would you offer business development professionals in the government space on either what they are doing or not doing that they need to change to improve their success?
Jim McCarthy, CEO, AOC Key Solutions
Here is my advice: We need to reinvent the way we conduct business development, execute capture, and manage proposals. We need a new process, a new paradigm. We need to change our thinking from a slavish compliance to RFP requirements (“beyond mere compliance”) that elevate form and process over substance and content.
We need to shift to thinking about how we can serve our government customers and add value to them. Not how we can guile them into awarding us the contract.
Stop focusing on what we want to “tell them and sell them.” Focus instead on what they want to hear and what they want to buy. Telling and selling is often different than hearing and buying. To know the difference takes leadership and courage. It is time to reinvent ourselves as BD professionals.
Dan Shyti, Vice President, GWAC Management Center, L-3 STRATIS
The Federal BD process is a unique animal. If one were to explain it to a commercial salesperson, they would think you were from another planet. Because of the uniqueness, it’s easy for a Federal BD person to focus on reading portals like Input, tracking RFPs, and following the government compliance process. It’s easy to forget that basic sales skills still apply. My advice is to keep your basic sales skills sharp. Be personable. Know how to make customers feel comfortable around you. Build strong relationships across the marketplace – both inside government and with industry counterparts.
Mary Gostel, Senior Vice President, Market Intelligence, FedSources
BD professionals in government contracting need to find ways to “do more with less”. Increased competition, IDIQ sales cycles and fewer large program opportunities translates to more proposal activity without additional resources. Choose bids wisely, based on solid market intelligence not industry buzz, for greater win probability.
Al Mink, National Security Strategy Director, SRA, Inc
Much of the answer depends on the context. But in general I’d say, “Strive for agility and mass.”
Maneuver/Agility to move quickly in terms of closing on teaming, strategic hires, customer meetings (before doors close), writing task orders in 10 days, etc
Mass: to have the brainpower and heavy lifting to for a successful capture and proposal. If the resources for capture are spread too thin, then you risk competition outperforming you. For example, many firms either gloss over or decide a Black Hat is unnecessary, only to learn later that they would have improved their proposed solution had they thought about how their competition would approach the opportunity. Another example of thinness is making “availability” the primary criteria for the technical team. This leads to constant turnover during capture and the B team during proposal.
Maneuver/Agility and Mass – two military terms that definitely relate to successful business development activities
Hillary Fordwich, President, Strelmark, Business
Development Consultants
Business development professionals to improve their success need to keep their focus on just one issue. How are they creating a WANT for their products and services? Not selling, not pushing something that is not wanted.
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If you are outside of the DC area, but still want to participate in Thursday’s GovCon Business Development Panel, click here to watch the live-streamed panel discussion from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
- Published in Conferences, Events And Contests, GovCon