8 Tips to Avoid Reckless Technical Debt
A little bit of technical debt can sometimes be strategic, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. And as always, plan ahead.
Posts Tagged: Contractors
Are Private Contractors the New Federal Workforce?
Last Sunday was graduation day at Duke. In our Master of Public Policy program, over half of the graduating students are employed, and over half of those employed are going to work for government consulting firms. Their salaries are about 20% higher than those who are working in government jobs, and they have been impressed… Read more »
Experts Highlight Uncertainty as Primary Shutdown Effect
Some analysts believe the federal shutdown’s effects on contractors will linger even after the government reopens and resolves the dispute over the debt ceiling, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Kathleen Miller and Danielle Ivory write several federal contractors have experienced late payments, stop-work orders and solicitation cancellations amid the shutdown. “Even if the government suddenly opens for… Read more »
Top Five Complaints about Federal Contractors and Consultants
There are a lot of federal government contractors/consultants in Washington, DC and throughout the country. And there are a lot of people who don’t like them. I’m one too, but don’t hold it against me. These are the top five complaints I hear a lot and a little background on each: 1. All they care… Read more »
White House Seeks to Cut Contractor Pay Reimbursement Cap
The White House is calling on Congress to eliminate the current formula used for reimbursing contractor salaries and tie the reimbursement cap to the president’s $400,000-per-year salary. All defense and civilian cost-reimbursement contracts would be covered under that cap but agencies could gain exemptions for specialized skilled positions such as scientists or engineers, Federal Procurement… Read more »
Federal Agencies Plan to Increase No-Bid Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses in 2013
In an effort to improve small business contracting opportunities the Office of Budget and Management has issued a recommendation to all federal agencies to analyze their no-bid contracting process. No-bid contracting opportunities dropped 4% this past year while large prime vendor profits continued to rise. U.S. Congressman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), the chairman of the House… Read more »
Federal IT Contracting: An Interesting Read
By Daniel Eisen In my last post I promised that I would highlight some articles I have collected on federal Information Technology (IT) contracting. The pile was taller than I thought. My process of culling through articles kept reminding me of my how dad always used to say “how’s that going for you?” and “lots… Read more »
Incumbent Contractors: Never Assume Success When Re-Competing
here was a time when incumbent contractors had the luxury of assuming they would win a re-compete. This mindset was often founded upon the organic, year-over-year growth that had become common over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, contractors no longer have the luxury of basing their business development strategies on assumptions. Just because a government… Read more »
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 on… 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 more »
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