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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The Navy and EDS have a lot at stake in this massive IT makeover, which suffered many problems in its formative years. Now on the up tick, but with unprecedented losses for EDS, customer and supplier are pulling out the stops to improve. They have invited industry to help out, both with suggestions on improvements, as well as a role in shaping the future Navy IT "marketplace." The Insider sets the scene with an interview with a senior Navy program official. Note also: the Insider will cover the symposium and report back in the July issue.
With indications that profit margins for IT outsourcing are sagging in the commercial arena, it's instructive to look at this service offering in the federal arena. The Insider talked with industry experts to determine what drives profitability, as well as the size of outsourcing deals.
Industry users of GSA's Federal Procurement Data System have been frustrated in recent years by the declining quality and timeliness and availability of output from this unique data source that enables market studies and competitive assessments. After more than a year, a contractor hired to build the next-generation FPDS has made some problem. However, there's been doubt recently about the cost involved. The Insider went to the GSA steward of the FPDS for some answers.
Several OMB-chartered task forces are thinking through functions and processes across the government, seeking to find opportunities to rationalize them and make them more efficient and responses. In the end, this will almost certainly result in consolidations, restructurings, and terminations and launches of contracts. If you think the federal officials might have hired some contractors to help with their analysis, you'd be right.
If you don't know what the letters CMC mean after a federal contractor's name, you're in good company. This certification by the Institute of Management Consultants requires some rigorous checking of competence, ethics, and track record. The Insider describes how the CMC is earned, as well as results from a recent Institute survey that raises issues concerning competence and management practices of consultants.
The Insider takes a snapshot of the most recently available rankings by revenue and provides additional analyses on the 20 largest firms in this category.
While there is no universally accepted distinction between marketing and sales, don't let that get in the way of strengthening how you sell to federal customers. The Insider sat down with an expert from Acquient to learn some refined approaches to selling to federal agencies.
Many otherwise talented managers and executives find it difficult to acquire and exploit feedback from customers. Some outsource the activity, gaining several advantages and ability to harness customer perceptions to improve performance and results. We talked with Market Connections, one of the very few specialists in customer satisfaction measurement to learn how it's done.
With a quarter of federal prime contract dollars going to small businesses of various types, it's critical to stay abreast of new categories of them that are eligible for procurement preference. Alan Chvotkin of the Professional Services Council describes the essentials of new interim regulations on firms owned by disabled veterans and suggests what you can do to address this opportunity.