The likelihood that the Senate will remain in Republican hands increases
the chances that this year’s lame-duck Congressional session may result in an
omnibus FY’21 appropriations package, as well as a new round of COVID-19
related stimulus money.
Bloomberg Government reports that lawmakers may be in more of a “get it
done” mode since sweeping changes were not made to the Congressional landscape
during the election. The White House and
Congressional leaders have both publicly stated that they hope to forge a
consensus on a nearly $2 trillion stimulus measure. It is unclear how much of that money
would be available for increased government acquisitions, but it is
certainly possible that a portion would go toward logistics and healthcare
issues and possibly technology-related spending. On the appropriations side, a final
measure could be agreed upon prior to the Christmas recess. The House has already completed work on all
of its spending measures and, while little related legislation has passed the
Senate, most committees have more than general frameworks about the spending
they would like to see. This could
be good news for contractors and their federal customers. Individual agency spending accounts may be
set by the end of January should an appropriations measure pass by the end of
the calendar year. Nothing is certain,
so companies definitely want to watch further developments. Overall, though, chances for progress this
year appear better now than they did a few weeks ago.
Contractors are mainly reactive to government needs. This ultimately results in frustration not
only for government agencies, but for contractors, themselves, as well. The government
actually often wants input and acknowledges that they make better decisions
when industry participates. Yet, twice this week we’ve been in
discussions with government officials who practically had to beg for industry
input. Even when companies have
the ability to comment through associations, and thus retain some degree of
anonymity, meaningful input can be scarce.
This leaves government officials scratching their heads and wondering
why the same companies that are reluctant to provide insights before a program
starts are inevitably the same ones that ask for changes immediately after its
inception. What do your government
contacts want to know about?
It’s not just the latest technology solution. Those discussions have their place, but so,
too, do insights on best practices a contractor may have seen work well in one
area that can be adapted to another.
Similarly, recommendations to senior officials on identified best
management strategies, budget ideas and even suggestions, pre-contract, on how
to best move money around can be well-received.
Contractors can’t expect their government colleagues to be up to date on
all of the latest commercial industry changes or innovations that have worked well
in other government agencies – sometimes not even in their own agency. The best
time to shape a project, too, is before it starts. The bottom line is that contractors
should provide reasoned input and ideas, especially when their customers are
openly asking for it. Don’t sit
quietly and then wonder why the requirement, budget initiative, or management
practice isn’t as good as it could be.
Federal business is a much relationship-driven as process driven. With the holiday season coming up, companies
are looking for ways to say “thank you” to federal customers to keep those
relationships solid. Though
well-intentioned, the wrong gift at the wrong time could backfire on you and
your intended recipient. Allen Federal
can help. We’ve taught gift giving and
ethics classes to dozens of companies.
Are sessions aren’t only informative, they’re amusing, with a host of
“don’t let this happen to you” examples.
Your team will be educated and entertained. Find out what we can do for you at info@allenfederal.com.
President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) reclassifying certain federal
policy workers as “at will” employees could impact people at GSA, DOD, and elsewhere
that create and advise upon acquisition policy. The order, which created “Schedule F” for
federal workers, is highly controversial. Its implementation is being
threatened with both legal and legislative action. The confusion and concern could have a
definite impact on the pace of pending FAR cases and other acquisition policy
changes as agencies better define who will be covered by the new
classification. The timing of the EO may also compound delays that would
otherwise occur at the end of a four-year term as appointees change over and
priorities shift. Similarly, officials
may elect to take no action on any major policy move anticipating a change in
the White House or the ultimate cancellation or nullification of the EO. Delays can both benefit and harm
industry. There are multiple pending FAR
cases, for example, that have to do with secure supply chain issues, most of
which would add new burdens to contractors.
On the other hand, cases that seek to remove obsolete requirements or
clarify ambiguities will be as well.
Policy changes to GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule, such as the
implementation of a non-priced Schedule, may also be impacted. It is difficult to underestimate the impact
of the EO on policy workers of all types.
Career federal workers feel that their jobs are at risk if they
implement a change that harms a politically-connected constituency. Contractors that follow policy changes
and work with such officials should monitor this situation closely and take
potentially high-running emotions into account when discussing policy matters.
Federal contractors spend a lot of time on business development, one
part of which is developing the message they want to send to different federal
agencies. Sometimes, though, this process
becomes an end to itself, taking significantly longer to get out the door than
originally planned. Results we’ve seen
recently include a company that wanted to get out a message for fiscal
year-end, but is just rolling it out now, and a company that managed its
messaging so precisely that the terminology they’re using is now out of
date. The result in both cases is a
message that won’t get the pop the contractor had hoped for. The bottom line on your messaging is that
it only works well if it is timely and targeted with necessary specificity. This means that those directly involved with
federal business must work with their internal counterparts who may not be as
familiar with market timing as they are.
It also means understanding that some messaging can be broad and
multi-agency in nature, while others can only be properly used in specific
agencies. Telling the Commerce
Department that your product is Berry Amendment-compliant, for example, means
little as that standard is only applicable to DOD acquisitions. It can also make your company look
amateurish. Getting maximum bang
for your marketing buck requires both conducting research to ensure you’re in
sync with federal priorities, and an understanding of the time of year when
certain messages can have the most benefit. One more thing that may seem obvious, but is
not: Make sure your message is proofread
before it’s issued. You’d be surprised.