Part-time reader G. Watanabe writes, “I recently called on a new federal prospect, let’s call her Marlene, whose mission is a good match for my solutions. Unfortunately, Marlene had recently had a bad accident with weights and couldn’t wait for the meeting to end. What do I do next?” It’s a big federal market, G., and maybe you and Marlene weren’t meant to be. Different personalities and people with different ideas of what their mission is are facts of federal business life. Don’t take it personally. If you just plain cannot get along with someone, or Read more
Contractors can be forgiven if they’re on “information overload” right now. Let’s cut through the murk to three things that will actually impact your federal business now:
1. Money is coming: OMB is working with individual agencies to get them their final appropriations numbers for the rest of FY’17. Look for your customers to have their numbers around Memorial Day or shortly after.
2. All of this Washington chatter IS a distraction: The President’s troubles with the FBI, Russia, and a seemingly constant stream of “issues du jour” are distracting from important budget and policy work getting done according to executive and legislative branch officials. This is all extremely frustrating for contractors who prefer consistent strategic plans and discussions with people who can say “yes”.
3. Things are likely to stay this was for a while: This is your new normal. The Administration has made it clear that they won’t make appointments for many positions. We’ll be right back to government via CR in October. There may also be a showdown on spending priorities between Congress and the Administration that could include a shutdown. Believe it or not, the situation right now is as good as it gets. Plan accordingly.
The Interim Report of the Section 809 DOD Acquisition Reform Panel was released last week and contained such nuggets as the one in the headline. When there are potentially as many as 431 contract clauses that must be reviewed for possible inclusion in a simplified acquisition RFP, is it any wonder DOD acquisition needs to be streamlined? Among the interim reports other findings are that DOD is no longer the market driver for many of the things or services it buys. Read more
The Trump Administration named five appointees to the General Services Administration last week, but all five will work on the agency’s legislative and government affairs portfolio. The impact on acquisition policy or innovative acquisition will likely be minimal. The agency’s additional appointees, however, include Chief Staff Jack St. John. He and his team are certainly reviewing recommendations for action. Without a permanent Administrator or Deputy Administrator, however, the agency will continue to have an uphill climb to implement new Read more
June is nearly upon us and so, too, are a slew of June brides. If your company is going to the merger or acquisition altar, make sure you’ve looked at your “something old” to ensure that your suiter won’t leave you at the altar, thus making you “something blue”. Allen Federal can help ensure that your business nuptials go off without a hitch. Look at our knowledge and insight as “something borrowed” that can clean up any dark pasts and put you on the course for “something new” and a happily ever after. Contact Allen Federal today at info@allenfederal.com to see what we can do for you.