Posts Tagged: budget

GAO Report Signals Opportunity for Contractors in Agile Software Development

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 onRead… Read more »

Agencies Under Scrutiny to Provide Better Customer Service

Providing the highest level of customer service is paramount for any industry. For the federal government – whether it’s the I.R.S or the Department of Veterans Affairs – a diverse audience of citizens, military personnel and other government employees make the requirements of good customer service more complex than in other businesses. A new bipartisanRead… Read more »

The GovLoop Leadership Guide Companion (3 of 3): Beyond Doing More With Less: Doing Different

The Series Welcome to the final of three posts intended to help you get the most out of GovLoop’s new leadership guide: 10 Traits of a Great Government Leader. Each of these posts covers a different theme and, taken together, cover all ten traits in the leadership guide. Our intent is to provide you withRead… Read more »

Contractors Hold Onto Their Desks as Sequestration Looms

Monica Mayk Parham, Marketing Director, Market Connections, Inc. The Professional Services Council (PSC) recently hosted an event on the topic of sequestration and, for many, it was a sobering reminder that challenging times lay ahead – even if sequestration never comes to light. So what are contractors doing to prepare for these new budget realities?Read… Read more »

NextGen Attendees Learn Tips for Interacting With Congress

This breakout session was led by Kenneth Gold, Director of the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University. Dr, Gold shares has first-hand knowledge of how federal programs can more effectively plan, manage, and budget for those programs, and better represent those programs before Congress. Agencies Work With Congress For their Budgeting Every agency puts togetherRead… Read more »

The Digital Advantage with Natural Disasters

Natural disasters, such as the recent forest fire outbreaks in Colorado, are often thought as “Acts of God” that cannot be tamed, or avoided. The best you can do when you know a natural disaster is headed your way, like a tornado or forest fire, is stock up on supplies, prepare your home as bestRead… Read more »

Political Leaders (Sort of) Address Changing Face of Government Business

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a Tech Town Hall hosted by the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) and Microsoft. The event brought together Virginia U.S. Senate candidates George Allen and Tim Kaine, along with a number of business leaders like Jim Sheaffer, President, North American Sector, CSC; Dendy Young, Managing Partner, McLeanRead… Read more »

Is the Sky Falling on Government Contractors?

In many ways, the government contractor community is in a state of uncertainly with pending budget cuts in this austere environment. When reading the news, it often feels like Henny Penny is doing all of the reporting and the outlook is very dire. But is the sky actually falling? Market Connections will be releasing thisRead… Read more »

The Federal Pay Debate

There has been a lot of chatter around the salaries and benefits of public servants. Like every debate, there are two sides. We recently attended a panel discussion, organized by the Coalition for Effective Change (CEC), which brought this issue to the forefront by bringing together three of the biggest players in the debate: CongressionalRead… Read more »

How To Manage Proposal Consultant Costs

Consultants often get the blame for high proposal costs because their fees are an obvious big-ticket item. Many business developers tell me, however, that when they tally up the proposal costs at the end of the proposal effort, it is not the consultants that blow the budget. Surprisingly, it’s the in-house employee costs that takeRead… Read more »