Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Introducing the Insider
The Industry Defined
HUBZones: Anyone Can Play
Beyond Reproach: The Incumbent's Bind
Breaking Wave: Human Resources BPO
Cooperative Personnel Services: Differentiating Not a Problem
Adventures in Marketing
Policy & Regs: Can We Satisfy the Appetite for Cleared Personnel?
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Posted on February 1
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We continue our profiles of the few real consulting operations that serve the very large government services industry. Both INPUT and IDC have been around a relatively long time, but only recently founded units with a menu of consulting services for the federal sector. They do it differently, but both seem off to a good start.
If you were underwhelmed as you heard about, skimmed, or even read the draft final report of the panel of experts looking at federal services acquisition you were not alone. Last month's Insider highlighted a few issue. In this issue, regulatory and policy expert Alan Chvotkin takes the gloves off and tells you what's missing, misguided, or muddled—and what to expect out of this report.
Highly regarded in its maritime safety, law enforcement and recent homeland security roles, the US Coast Guard has limited capability in vessel design and building. So four years ago it awarded a contract to a joint venture of Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to build the next-generation patrol boats and cutters. The quality of the first of two classes of vessels has been controversial, to say the least. Even if you're not in a hardware business, there's plenty to learn from this emerging fiasco about getting a long leash, or a lot of rope, from a federal client, all in the name of "partnership."
We've said before that oversight angst is overdone. Here are more reasons not to worry excessively about it.
We look at the paltry profits of KBR in Iraq; the flaming out of Lurita Doan at GSA; a False Claims Act settlement involving a surprisingly small company; and the return for a periodic beating of the Defense Travel Service system.