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GTSC & NCOA partner to launch GovCon Academy for Transitioning Veterans
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GTSC & NCOA partner to launch GovCon Academy for Transitioning Veterans

NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION AND GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES COALITION
LAUNCH GOVCON ACADEMY
Organizations provide education and resources for Veterans interested in government contracting

Washington, D.C., July 25, 2017 — The Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA), the foremost organization for non-commissioned officers in all branches of the military, and the Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC), the premier non-profit organization for companies in homeland and national security have launched GovCon Academy, a series of online and in-person courses on government contracting for transitioning Veterans.

“NCOA has been hosting Career Expos for our military for over 44 years and we have recently added the GovCon Academy to provide even more resources and opportunities for transitioning military. We launched the Academy at our Job Fair at Nellis Airforce Base during NCOA’s Annual Conference and Business Meeting last week and we are extremely excited about the potential for our members to have such exceptional resources available to them,” said Jon Ostrowski, Executive Director, NCOA.  “I’m sure there are a lot of Vets who would like to help their Commands improve technologies for the field or innovate solutions to existing challenges.”

Courses range from “Is Government Contracting Right for You” to Ethics training, to Business Development, and Cyber Security.  CEO of GTSC Kristina Tanasichuk will Chair the Academy and a number of Strategic Advisors from GTSC have joined the faculty, including: Earl Holland, CEO, Growth Strategy Consultants; Amy McDougal, CEO, CleaResources; and Jackie Santisteban, President, JBS Consulting.  Devon Hewitt, CEO, Protorae Law will join as faculty for understanding the legal maze of contracting.  The courses will provide a combination of in-person training as well as webinars and other web-based resources.

“We believe that Veterans are some of the best candidates to create mission driven contracting firms that understand government requirements and needs, and are committed to solving problems with true innovation,” said Kristina Tanasichuk, CEO of GTSC at the announcement.  The Government Technology & Services Coalition represents nearly 140 companies that work in homeland and national security across the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, State, Treasury and the Intelligence Community.

The NCOA was established in 1960 to enhance and maintain the quality of life for noncommissioned and petty officers in all branches of the Armed Forces, Active Duty, National Guard, Reserves, Veterans (separated and retired), widows, and their families.  NCOA is currently a leader in Veterans and Spouse Employment, a strong voice on Capitol Hill and in the Veterans Administration.  The NCOA will be hosting 25 Career Expos across the continental U.S. and Europe in 2017. The goal of the Career Expo program is to connect America’s heroes and their dependents with profitable, meaningful employment.

For more information on NCOA’s GovCon Academy, go to http://ncoausa.org/career-center/ and for more information on GTSC, go to www.gtscoalition.com.

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ABOUT GTSC

The Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) is a nonprofit, non-partisan 501(c)(6) association of companies that work with government partners to achieve mission.  Our vision is to provide an ethical, effective platform to leverage the private sector to bring the best homeland and national security ideas, technologies and innovations to the mission of securing our nation.  GTSC’s mission is to provide exceptional advocacy, capacity building, partnership opportunities and marketing in the Federal security space for small and mid-sized companies and to support and assist our government partners achieve their critical missions with the highest integrity; best and most innovative technologies; and results-based, quality products and services to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from any terrorist attack or natural disaster. For more information on these mentors and the Government Technology & Services Coalition, please visit www.GTSCoalition.com or learn about our mid-tier initiative at www.GTSCMidTierSolution.com.

ABOUT NCOA

The Non Commissioned Officers Association is the premier organization representing the enlisted of our military since 1960, founded to enhance and maintain the quality of life for noncommissioned and petty officers. The voice of the Active Duty, National Guard, Reserves, Veterans (separated and retired), widows, and their families, NCOA leads efforts on Veterans and Spouse Employment, Capitol Hill, and at the Veterans Administration on behalf of our nearly 60,000 members.   Learn more at www.NCOAUSA.org or www.ncoacareerexpos.org.

The New Paradigm of the Government Market:  Plan, Prepare, Position, Partner
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The New Paradigm of the Government Market:  Plan, Prepare, Position, Partner

I recently attended a small business Match Making event sponsored by the Government Technology Services Coalition for small business and prime contractors to meet, greet and exchange information on each other in hopes of identifying potential government contracting opportunities. This event showcased a three person panel of small business program office directors from the Small Disadvantage Business Offices of three different agencies.

I have attended many of these match-making sessions and recently asked the question in one of my Linkedin discussion groups: is attending these events valuable time well spent or a waste of time? I received various comments both positive and negative. However, I must say that this particular event was one of the best that I have attended and my reason is based on the content that the government panelist shared with the small businesses.

There is no question about the changing state of the government contracting market. There is definitely a new paradigm. The landscape has and is continuing to change significantly.

What does this mean for small business? Well, it means that they are being presented with opportunities greater than they have ever been presented within the history of small business contracting in the federal market.

With the implementation of the President’s Job Act coupled with new legislation and regulation that are favoring increased small business participation for contracts and better oversight on Prime/sub-contracting relationships, larger and longer multiple year contracts are being offered to small businesses. To support these initiatives Agencies are increasing their market research activity by sending out more RFI’s and Sources Sought announcements with the intent of identifying more small business  to contract with.

Agency Collaboration and the need to reduce redundancy and budget cuts are responsible for this new trend. With that said, the small business community has to change its thinking and their desire to go it alone when pursuing contracts.

The main theme presented by the government panelist was the lack of preparation by the small business community in pursuing contract opportunities. Some specifics were:

  • Presenting too many capabilities “jack of all trade” scenarios
  • Limited knowledge of agency mission
  • Inability to clearly present their core skills and solutions relevant to the agency mission
  • Not responding or poorly responding to RFI’s and Sources Sought announcements
  • Failure to present their value proposition as it relates to the agency request for support

Considering these things, the take away from this event boils down to the following:

Plan

Plan by performing an internal assessment of your company, who are you, what business are you really in, what are you best qualified to do – not what you want to do. Do your market research to establish where your skills and solutions best fit the agency problems you have targeted and refine your pitch based on your research and knowledge of the agency’s mission.

Prepare

Prepare by creating a compelling story of who you are and why your company is best suited to solve the agency problems based on your research and understanding of the agency mission. Responses to the RFI’s and Sources Sought should be focused on how your skills or solutions support the agency mission. Follow the congressional legislative and regulatory initiatives, and agency news. This information will provide you with great insight into the agency mission and the problems they are encountering in carrying out their mission

Position

Use your research to position your company. The more information you know about the legislative, regulatory initiatives and agency news, the easier it will be for you to communicate with agency program managers and department heads. The more knowledge you can share with them will provide them with a level of comfort that you have a understanding of their issues. This will be the basis of establishing a rapport which will lead to trust.

Partner

Performing a formal assessment on potential partners you have identified to team with is essential. The dynamics of the market demand that you spend ample time to do this. There are more contract opportunities that are multiple 8-10 year contracts and this requires thorough knowledge of who you will be spending that time with.

Compatibility, integrity, culture, vision, goals and trust will be the key factors for you to assess and consider in your selection. These criteria should be used regardless of whether or are considering a Prime or subcontractor relationship. Casual teaming is not the best way to go in the new market.

Contributing Author

Earl HollandEarl S. Holland III is the President and CEO, Growth Strategy Consultants, Strategic Advisor with the Government Technology Services Coalition and former Vice President of the Washington Chapter of the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals.  You can reach him at: [email protected]www.growthstrategyconsultants.com

 

Happy Days Are Here Again, For a Few
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Happy Days Are Here Again, For a Few

The year 2013 presented its share of challenges to the federal government, IT federal contracting community as well as, Congress and its budget process. Going into 2014 the sequestration as we have come to know it has taken a back seat to more forward thinking leadership from our political leaders.

Even though the sequestration didn’t last for a long time, it lasted long enough to cause crippling damage to both small and large business alike. The New Year has arrived and with it comes an end to the Continuing Resolution (CR) and a new approved two year congressional budget has been passed. The New Year also brings with it a couple of pieces of new legislation that are designed to make the government more efficient in its ability to do IT acquisitions….. The legislation purposes to provide a single point of responsibility and maybe… budget authority at the CIO level of each agency with the possibilities of establishing an Acquisition Center of Excellence to assist agencies with complex acquisitions and keep them apprised of lessons learned in acquiring technology. There is also consideration being given to establishing a Federal Infrastructure and Common Application Collaboration Center. Both could have significant impact on the contracting community and the way they pursue business opportunities.

Pending Legislation:

The House Oversight and Government Reform committee: “The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act” which they tried to pass through the National Defense Authorization Act via an amendment but did not sneak through.

The Senate Appropriations Committee/Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013…”The Federal Information Technology Savings, Accountability, and Transparency Act” which is still pending

Boy, isn’t this music to the ear? Does this bring about a sigh of relief to the IT contracting community? Are happy days really here again? Well, as the title of this article says “but only for a few” and here is why.

The budget struggle that the federal government faces is not going to go away anytime soon. Consolidation of resources, technology and staff will continue to be its focus for years to come. The vendor community must recognize this and adjust accordingly. Shrinking budgets means project consolidations, contract consolidation, staff reduction and yes, long-term vendor collaboration.

The vendor community must become more serious and aggressive in its abilities to form long-term strategic alliances. Many are still operating in the “old school” mode of simple teaming arrangements for subcontracting opportunities. I refer to this as the “meal or deal of the day” model. The landscape has changed in two very dynamic ways. 1.) Budgets require users to do more with less and 2.) The idea of optimal efficiencies is at the top of the organizational pyramid due to budget cuts.

From a vendor perspective responding to these dynamics can only be realized through forming long-term strategic alliances. The traditional teaming/subbing does not fulfill long- term growth, especially if your team isn’t winning. And, if it is winning, your success is only good for a couple of years.

Collaborating with the competition and sometimes with your customer can position you to capitalize on steady long-term growth in the marketplace. In order to do this you we recommend that you;

  1. Change your focus from the short-term teaming/sub-contracting arrangements to mid-range and long-term opportunities. (30%, 25% 45%).
  2. Identify potential partners that you can grow together with for a minimum of 5-7 years of growth and market positioning.
  3. Make sure you perform comprehensive internal and external assessments on all potential partners and integrate as much as possible)
  4. Find and align yourself with 3 long-term strategic partners that match your growth strategy.
  5. Co-market, co-brand your business development and capture plan activities. When feasible you can co-develop technical solutions with your partners to pursue opportunities a minimum of 3 years out.

Doing these five things will definitely help you prepare and position your company for future trends in this changing landscape. You just might find yourself in the (few) category and end up having a prosperous New Year!

Contributing Author:  Earl S. Holland, III

Earl Holland

Earl is President /CEO of Growth Strategy Consultants, LLC and a Strategic Advisor to the Government Technology & Services Coalision (GTSC).  Earl specializes in strategic alliance development and training, business development and capture planning and has worked for large and small companies in government contracting for over 20 years.  Learn more about him here.