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 odds on merger and acquisition success are not usually good. Two deals struck in April illustrate one that seems like a slam dunk and one that raises more questions than it answers. The good-looking one is SRA's acquisition of Touchstone Consulting. The doubtful deal is Nortel's planned buy of PEC Solutions. Our point-by-point evaluation tells you why.
After more than three years, the parties settled. SAIC performed a masterful act of damage control, and the Justice Department made its point on disclosure of pricing assumptions. The money involved in the settlement is a pittance. The Insider explains how this lawsuit may well have enduring effects on government and industry.
This is time-critical information. Due to some GSA policy changes and performance issues rooted in government business processes, the pendulum is swinging away from the much used Schedules. Some orders may be terminated, and the ability to park otherwise expiring funds in a safe place is beginning to disappear. This results from GSA's discomfort with the scope and funding of some deals made, it seems, erroneously. Our monthly column on policy and regulations tells you what you need to do to try to avoid terminations for convenience and unanticipated funding limits as funds can't be "parked" with ease at GSA anymore.
Nearly every firm has to engage in teaming, yet many approach this necessity with anxiety. It's possible that some fresh thinking about how to collaborate can help companies get beyond the common sources of dysfunction and develop more substantive, rewarding relationships. Read our interview with John Hegel, III, co-author of The Only Sustainable Edge, just published by Harvard Business School Press, to learn about this new approach.
The storm over SAIC's workmanship on vital FBI software seems to have lifted as the contract ended. There's only a lull in the scrutiny of the much larger and long-term contract that Boeing holds to lead the design and integration of the Army's Future Combat System.
The Insider obtained as yet unpublished (at press time) OMB data that indicate where savings have been mined most effectively through the competitions. We present some highlights.