Incumbent Contractors: Never Assume Success When Re-Competing

August 28, 2012

There was a time when incumbent contractors had the luxury of assuming they would win a re-compete.  This mindset was often founded upon the organic, year-over-year growth that had become common over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, contractors no longer have the luxury of basing their business development strategies on assumptions.  Just because a government contractor is an incumbent during the re-compete process, doesn’t guarantee the bid will be won. When it comes to contractors winning during the rebidding process, the margin for error is fairly thin these days.  As Dennis Lucey, Vice president at TKC Global, and retired Army officer Gary ... Read more

Monday Morning News Kick Off: ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Could Lead to Recession; Virginia Contractors to Get Hit Hardest; GSA Wants to Be More Efficient; and New Contract Wins from SAIC, Lockheed and Booz Allen

August 27, 2012

Welcome to the Monday morning news kick off post from the FedPulse blog.  Although the dog days of summer are winding down, things are heating up with regards to sequestration and other budget challenges that face the federal community.  In addition, several top contractors just announced some big contract wins, so it’s not all dire.  Happy Monday! Defense Cut’s Full Effect Years Away, Analyst Finds Defense contractors wouldn’t feel the full effect of automatic budget cuts for three or four years, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. CBO ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Forecast Warns of Recession Massive spending cuts and tax hikes due ... Read more

PODCAST: Lisa Dezzutti, President and CEO of Market Connections, Discusses How to be a Winning Contractor in Face of Sequestration

August 23, 2012

Lisa Dezzutti, CEO and President of Market Connections, was recently interviewed by our friends at Blue Coat Systems on the Federal Blue Print blog.  Based on the findings of the recent 2012 Government Contractor Study, Ms. Dezzutti provides key insights into what government contractors need to do to survive today’s tough budget climate. You can listen to the podcast below. Listen to internet radio with Federal Blue Print on Blog Talk Radio Be sure to check out the Federal Blue Print post here. Read more

How Contractors Can Secure Opportunities in Near Adjacent Markets

August 22, 2012

When dramatic shifts occur in any industry, the most nimble of players are able stay ahead of the curve, make the right adjustments and maintain their leadership position.  With uncertain times ahead, many government contractors are looking for opportunities in near adjacent commercial markets. Though for many organizations that have seen exponential growth over the past decade in the government sector, this may be a tough change. Whereas growth in the government sector happened organically due to increased need for defense and IT systems, now contractors are fighting for fewer government dollars and searching for expansion opportunities into commercial markets. Some industry members ... Read more

Social Media Backbone for State and Local Effectiveness

August 21, 2012

Deltek and Market Connections, Inc. recently collaborated on data sharing and analysis for the recent GovWin social media in state and local government report. As such, Cynthia Poole, Director of Research Services, and Melissa Burgess, Research Analyst at Market Connections, recently contributed a series of blog posts for GovWin on the topic of social media and government. The most recent post highlighted how state and local governments are using social media to enhance program effectiveness and outcomes. Be sure to check out the full GovWin post here. Read more

Monday Morning News Kick Off: Performance Management and the Fiscal Environment; Sequestration Could Claim 155K Jobs; M&A Slows; and Lockheed Celebrates 100th Anniversary

August 20, 2012

Welcome to the Monday morning news kick off post from the FedPulse blog.  The federal news cycle is once again buzzing with news surrounding the budget climate.  But it’s not all negative.  SAIC won a big Navy contract and there are 15 agencies presenting new mobile opportunities for contractors.  Happy Monday! Report: GMU Professor Claims Sequestration Equals 155K Lost Jobs According to an economist from George Mason University, sequestration could result in massive job cuts in Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland. Performance Management Challenge: It’s the (Fiscal) Environment, Stupid As the Obama administration continues its push for better achievement of performance goals, federal ... Read more

Q&A: Marv Gordner, Senior Program Manager, Mission Support Solutions, MorganFranklin, Discusses Burgeoning Growth in Vendor Vetting

August 16, 2012

One of the biggest challenges of providing reconstruction dollars to war-torn areas and government contracts across the globe is the risk of hostile organizations gaining access to and using this funding in nefarious ways. MorganFranklin Corporation, a provider of national security program and mission support services and C4ISR solutions, has emerged as the leading expert in a growing field known as Vendor Vetting, which entails identifying threats and preventing hostile organizations from using reconstruction contracting dollars to fund operations. The FedPulse blog recently spoke with Marv Gordner, Senior Program Manager in MorganFranklin’s Mission Support Solutions practice, about the topic of vendor vetting ... Read more

Opportunities in Cybersecurity and Health IT Lay Ahead, Despite Government IT Budget Cuts

August 15, 2012

In today’s government budget climate, contractors are continually looking for that silver lining.  With sequestration looming and government IT spending to decrease from $121 billion in 2012 to $113 billion by 2017, contractors need to find a ray of light that will guide them through this turbulence. Our friends at Deltek recently issued a GovWin IQ study that highlights where contractors can achieve positive business growth.  As expected, and as showcased in the Market Connections’ 2012 Government Contractor Study, contractors can see growth opportunities in the areas of cybersecurity, cloud computing and health IT. The GovWin IQ study also points out how ... Read more

GAO Report Signals Opportunity for Contractors in Agile Software Development

August 14, 2012

Applying agile software development methods to IT projects has been a hot topic as of late at the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  The agency recently unveiled a report highlighting its 32 tips for applying agile development to help improve how the federal government will develop and implement IT infrastructure projects. Specifically, these tips focus on key areas that will help long-term software development projects from becoming obsolete and/or going over budget, which includes addressing impediments, gaining continuous stakeholder feedback, empowering cross-functional teams and tracking progress daily. As we recently highlighted, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DoD/VA ... Read more

Monday Morning News Kick Off: Republicans Urge Obama to Avoid Sequestration; Paul Ryan Originally Voted for Defense Cuts; and OMB Performance Management

August 13, 2012

Welcome to the Monday morning news kick off post from the FedPulse blog.  The Presidential election heated up this weekend with Mitt Romney choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate, and the overall government budget issue has become top-of-mind.  So, once again, sequestration is dominating the news cycle, along with plenty of other agency and contractor news.  Happy Monday. Republicans Call on White House to Avoid Sequestration Republicans are calling on President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate to act before sequestration takes place. Paul Ryan: Budget Hawk, But Not on Defense Both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan oppose sequestration, though Ryan backed the sequester ... Read more