Most companies, despite their best intentions (and even understanding of what a win theme is supposed to look like), fail to sell in their proposals. Win theme is one of the top five elements of proposal persuasion – and if they don’t work, it will be much harder to stand out. Time pressures force theRead… Read more »
Several weeks ago, as part of an ACT-IAC Acquisition Management Shared Interest Group (SIG) meeting, I volunteered to help figure out how our SIG could address a suggestion that was made by one of our government advisory team. The suggestion was to take a look at what value a procurement organization brings to their enterpriseRead… Read more »
Sprint has a reputation for being a leader in the industry when it comes to location-based services. For over a decade we have been helping innovative companies vastly improve the way they manage assets, track people, improve service levels and act as positive agents for societal change. The proof is in the expansive range ofRead… Read more »
According to the January 16th article in FedSmith titled Debating the Cost of Federal Employees, “Recent reports in the media … have sparked a debate about whether or not federal employees are overpaid at a time when the federal deficit is soaring. Federal employee unions contend that federal employees are substantially underpaid, whereas others argueRead… Read more »
Controlling an organization is difficult. The larger the organization, the more complex is the process of control. We don’t think about it too much, but what we are trying to control are changes that naturally occur. The drivers of changes are many and can be hidden in the layers of the organization. The internal driversRead… Read more »
As I was teaching our IDIQs and Task Orders course on Monday, we were reviewing the best practices for a quick and efficient proposal development process. One practice was conducting a proper kickoff meeting. After attending many proposal kickoffs (some of which included a proper breakfast and a long PowerPoint), and then watching a proposalRead… Read more »
In our current business environment should we train, not train, or delay training? That is the question. All one has to do is listen to the news, look at a magazine or newspaper, or attend a meeting with management to confirm that the government is in a period of significant budgetary challenges. Although we mayRead… Read more »
A recent Defense Department inspector general report found that contracting officers and their representatives (COR) at the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity need to step up their game when it comes to improving contract performance and acquisition outcomes. The report shins a light on a reality hitting many procurement offices, where the intense workload,Read… Read more »
In my career I have known some amazing public sector CIOs. As I return to a leadership position in global public sector at Salesforce, I want to pay things forward and embrace the new set of public sector technology leaders. If we were to embrace a few state and local governments to work with deeply,Read… Read more »
It seems that the tides have turned in the Government contracting world firmly in the direction of IDIQs and GSA/VA schedules. If you are the Government, it is hard to imagine why it would not be the case. Instead of a lengthy 12-18 months procurement process, the Government can award a contract in two toRead… Read more »