Weekly News Kick Off: Obama’s Vision for National Security; China’s New Tech Edge; Federal Retirements to Increase; and More Contract Wins
February 3, 2014
Welcome to the Weekly News Kick Off from the FedPulse blog. Last week, President Obama laid out his vision for national security, which will rest upon using more diplomatic tactics, while China is challenging our nation’s technological edge. In addition, the federal government will be facing a wave of retirement in the next three years. Be sure to check out this and much more in the latest Weekly News Kick Off. Happy Monday. China Challenging U.S. Military Technological Edge: Pentagon Official The U.S. military’s technological superiority is increasingly challenged by China, and efforts to maintain an edge are complicated by shrinking defense ... Read moreWhat’s Worse than a Dissatisfied Customer? A Silent One.
January 31, 2014
Have you ever been so pleased with a particular experience in a store, restaurant or any other establishment you do business with, that you went out of your way to tell the management how delighted you were with the experience? No. Neither have I. I’m just too darn busy. Have you ever been so dissatisfied with a rude cashier or long lines at the bank that you asked to speak to a manager or took the time to write a letter to the corporate office? Studies show that typically only one in ten customers will proactively convey their dissatisfaction to a company, whereas ... Read moreMake Industry Awards a Vital Part of Your Thought Leadership Program
January 29, 2014
By Joyce Bosc Boscobel Marketing Communications Many companies would love to do more industry awards, but they don’t have the bandwidth to develop a master awards calendar. It’s time consuming and requires a lot of “heavy lifting.” We know that, so we are making our industry award calendars available for free. The new year is the perfect time to kick off an industry award program. According to research issued last year by Market Connections and Boscobel, industry awards can be a key part of a company’s thought leadership program, along with public relations, content marketing, social media and other activities. There are two award calendars: one for government contractors, ... Read moreVIDEO: Judy Quinlan, Manager of Advertising and Creative Services, Northrop Grumman, Discusses the Crucial Role of Research in Marketing
January 28, 2014
The changing government landscape is putting contractors to the test, with more pressure on marketing teams to be flexible with their resources. The effects of sequestration still linger and the large budget deficit also causes anxiety in the contractor community. As such, it is imperative for marketers to leverage research for better targeting of government decision makers. This will lead to a smarter use of resources during this uncertain climate. These are some of the key takeaways from Judy Quinlan, Northrop Grumman’s Manager of Advertising and Creative Services, who joined Market Connections’ annual Federal Media and Marketing event as a panelist last ... Read moreWeekly News Kick Off: Sequestration Recovery?; Advancing Cloud Computing; and Government; and New Contract Wins
January 27, 2014
Welcome to the Weekly News Kick Off post from the FedPulse blog. Both NIST and the Smithsonian have seen their budgets increase this year. General Dynamics reported flat sales in 2013 – despite sequestration and the government shutdown. Perhaps the darkest days are behind us? In addition, we have plenty of cloud computing stories and new contract wins to report. Be sure to check out this and much more in the latest Weekly News Kick Off. Happy Monday. Smithsonian Budget Restores Most of Sequester Cuts The Smithsonian Institution announced an $805 million federal appropriation for fiscal year 2014, a $30 million increase over ... Read moreThe Government Saved Money on Fewer Events, But At What Cost?
January 23, 2014
As a result of sequestration and the 2013 government shutdown, event cancellations and federal travel restrictions have contributed to more than $300 million in federal savings during this time of budget austerity. But reviews have been mixed on whether the savings have been worth it. After reports of lavish spending by agencies at conferences and events in 2012, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and General Services Administration (GSA) vowed to clamp down. The OMB and GSA told lawmakers on January 14 that progress has been made. Spending caps on events, video conferencing and event cancellations have lead to savings at multiple ... Read moreWinning Contractor: QinetiQ North America Enhances Management Team; Wins Contracts and Achieves FedRAMP Accreditation
January 22, 2014
QinetiQ North America is a leading government contractor with more than 5,300 employees who are helping advance the government’s mission. The term QinetiQ actually comes from a Chinese concept that symbolizes inner strength and energy that ties in the idea of networking and intelligence. The company originally started in 2001 when the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, Defense Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) privatized its laboratories and test ranges. In 2004, it acquired both Westar and Foster-Miller in the U.S., which ultimately created QinetiQ North America. Over the past 10 years, the company has established a significant presence in the U.S., and ... Read moreWeekly News Kick Off: House Passes 2014 Fiscal Spending Package; Cyber War Priority in Defense Budget; and New Contract Wins
January 21, 2014
Welcome to the Weekly News Kick Off post from the FedPulse blog, on Tuesday this week due to the Martin Luther King holiday. The House approved a $1.012 trillion fiscal 2014 appropriations package, which would avert another government shutdown for nine months. In addition, cybersecurity is a key priority in the defense budget and many new contract wins were announced. Be sure to check out this and much more in the latest Weekly News Kick Off. House Passes Fiscal 2014 Spending Package Last week, the House approved a $1.012 trillion fiscal 2014 appropriations package providing spending stability for agencies and removing the ... Read moreThe Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
January 20, 2014
While many people are enjoying a three-day weekend, we would like to remind our readers that today is also the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, which is is a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community service that helps empower and strengthen local communities. Be sure to check out Serve.gov, which provide tools and resources for organizations and individuals to become engaged in service activities to honor Martin Luther King Jr. on the federal holiday. In addition, be sure to check out this inspiring video about this special day. Read moreWhat Should I Do With My Contract Evaluation Research Results?
January 17, 2014
By Laurie Morrow, Director of Research Services In today’s austere budget climate, we are seeing more government contractors implementing contract evaluation and customer satisfaction research to help win recompetes, as well as increase overall competitiveness. Simply put, this type of research works. According to our Government Contractor Study in 2012, contractors with higher win rates are more likely to use outsourced customer satisfaction surveys (83%). In addition, the study found that the vast majority (96%) of contractors use some sort of research to better understand the federal marketplace. So, while we are seeing more contractors using this type of research, the big question ... Read more