By Sam Williford, Associate Consultant Starting last week, and into the forseeable future, every level of government was called upon to work together to prepare for and clean up after Hurricane Sandy, which struck the area this past week. The recent disagreements between New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford highlightRead… Read more »
AFCEA Bethesda Smart Tech Symposium Interview Series: Alex Teran, PhD Candidate at UC Berkeley On October 23, AFCEA Bethesda hosted an innovative educational symposium for government and industry participants who are or want to be on the cutting edge of smart technology and sustainability. The goals of the event were to make the business caseRead… Read more »
Hey everyone, I’m currently conducting research at Bridgewater State University concerning how people might respond to the discreditation of their political perspective. For now I assume the position of a liberal blogger who mostly mocks and ridicules the Republican party, but come January I will have created a new identity who harshly critiques the DemocraticRead… Read more »
Fels Research & Consulting released Building Common Ground, a report which focuses on proven strategies that produce effective results and positive public engagement. This report is part of the Promising Practices series, a compilation of briefs that provide public sector leaders and managers with effective, practical, and innovative information on a broad range of publicRead… Read more »
By Sam Williford, Associate Consultant While last week’s drop in unemployment was the first substantial good news for the economy in months (if not years), it underscores the work still that needs to be done to help the 12 million Americans unemployed as of last month. I have had the opportunity at Fels Research andRead… Read more »
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant When I worked in Congress prior to coming to Fels, I quickly learned that debates over taxes dominate the House and Senate floor on a near weekly basis. As such, I came to graduate school with a desire to dig into the details of how different tax policies actually playRead… Read more »
By Eric Rabe, Fels Senior Advisor Recently, I wrote that bloggers who practice journalism cannot accept favors from those they cover. To do so destroys the writer’s credibility. When not disclosed is dishonest to readers. What about those who work in government? Of course, most towns, states and agencies draw clear ethics guidelines, and manyRead… Read more »
As the D.C. business community is dealing with many challenges these days, it is always good to keep all of your customer service capabilities as sharp as possible. With fewer dollars to chase, the competition is getting very stiff and contractors need to embrace new ideas for keeping government customers happy. I recently had theRead… Read more »
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 governmentRead… Read more »
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 »