A bad contractor (or subcontractor) can cost your agency time, money and (worst of all) your reputation. Beyond the budget numbers are indicators. One sign I suspect is excessive suing competitors instead of inventing new products and services. Take for example Apple suing HTC over patent infringement. It is my belief that this shows aRead… Read more »
Well, speaking at the American Bankers Association may fall down the list of good ideas for opponents of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection – I know you must remember your audience, but when it’s picked up by others, the arguments can fall flat. See a rebuttal at Credit Slips to Sen. Shelby’s argument thatRead… Read more »
This is a repost from by blog recoveringfed.com. I was in Manhattan this weekend doing the Broadway show thing, staying at a hotel in the 50’s on Lexington Avenue. Great location but the street noise makes it tough to sleep. No matter how high up you are, you can hear what’s going on in theRead… Read more »
Work for fee – not free. by Donna L. Quesinberry Government Business Examiners 2009 had to be the worst year ever for economic woes in federal contracts. The Government Business Examiner in talking with numerous industry experts has learned that many consultants and businesses experienced a tough market climate during the past year, but everyoneRead… Read more »
by Donna L. Quesinberry National Writing Examiner Writing is an art that takes on many forms. Success-driven grant writing is an art that uses a logical structure and clear arguments to secure needed funding for a potential awardee. The grant proposal is like a sales proposal (most recognized are federal acquisition proposals) in as farRead… Read more »
A wonderful LA Times story today related to the financial crisis. During the boom years, some lenders looked for ways to reduce costs, etc. etc. One way was to forgo the usual title insurance policy, which protects lenders from title issues such as judgments, unknown heirs, and other defects in the title to the propertyRead… Read more »
Calls for more government efficiency come not just from the public, but also from the public servants who make government’s day-to-day operations possible. Some of the best ideas come from the people who intimately know the processes that could be improved. However, implementing those ideas often requires jumping several, tall hurdles. In an unfortunate caseRead… Read more »
On the first weekend in March – mostly sunny weather, briskly seasonal temperatures without the customary roaring and “marching in” mountain winds – we had our first Busy Women’s Retreat at the serene, scenic Blue Mountain Retreat Center, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western Maryland (near Harpers Ferry, WV). The Blue Mountain RetreatRead… Read more »
Most discussions I’ve been part of about measurements usually involve identifying a desired outcome and looking for a numeric representation of that outcome. This makes perfect sense and there’s loads of research and supporting evidence that having metrics and measurements are an important part of most outcome-based projects. Over the years, however, I’ve come toRead… Read more »
Happy Wednesday and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Have you wondered how so many people safely escaped last month’s plane crash at Internal Revenue Service offices in Texas? The plane’s pilot and only one IRS worker were killed in the crash — thanks to quick-thinking employees who had regularly rehearsed fire and evacuation drills. National TreasuryRead… Read more »