Getting Past the Economic Ice Age

By Aaron Taylor

The air outside was noticeably colder this week, but each day brings new signs that the worst of the economic winter may be behind us. That’s good news, but nobody is pouring champaign just yet. Many professional services firms are still struggling with the same issues that dogged them a year ago — sluggish demand, competitive price cutting and reduced budgets. You can catch whiffs of caution almost anywhere you go.

One notable exception — the federal government contracting marketplace — has remained relatively hot throughout the recession. But even that industry hasn’t put away it’s winter coat just yet. A recent pair of articles on the WashingtonTechnology website discuss strategies government contractors can use to make it through these difficult times. Whether or not your business prospects are warming up as the economy thaws, the articles offer solid advice for marketing any professional services firm in good times and bad. The four tips below, taken from “Marketing Tips for Today’s Business Climate,” are supported by independent research Hinge has conducted into professional services firms:

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Archiving Social Media? The White House Says YES!

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

The White House is hiring a Social Media Archivist. Not because they want to keep all of your Twitter conversations or save incriminating Facebook photos. The 1978 Presidential Records Act (PRA) changed the legal ownership of official records generated from the Executive Office of the President from private to public and mandated that these records be filed with the National Archives and Records Administration. The act came about as a result of Watergate and has been a huge yet manageable regulation to uphold…until now. Enter social media.

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Five Reasons Why Accessibility Matters to Government Contractors

By Aaron Taylor

On June 25, 2001, legislation went into effect mandating broad compliance with new federal accessibility standards. These standards, laid out in the Section 508 amendment to the 1973 Workforce Rehabilitation Act, had a huge impact on the way government contractors deliver IT services to federal agencies. Most state governments quickly followed suit with similar requirements.

While there is no law that requires a government contractor — or any business, for that matter — to apply accessibility standards to their own website, there are a lot of good reasons for doing so. Here are my top five:

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The Three Things Every Client Wants

By Lee. W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

Some clients can be impossible to please. When you do exactly what they ask, they aren’t happy. When you offer your expert advice them, they ignore it. When you provide top quality work, they don’t appreciate it. What do clients really want?

That’s a question we’ve been pondering for some time. Now we have a clear answer.

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Winning Government Contracts: The Five People You Need to Know (Part 4)

[This is the fourth and final in a series of articles by guest author Judy Bradt. If you are considering making a commitment to government contracting, or even if you are already involved, I think you will find a lot of value in Judy’s insights. Enjoy! — LWF]

Guest Author: Judy Bradt, Principal and CEO of Summit Insight LLC

The Program Manager

The Program Manager (PM) has a lot of power, and can be hard to reach. That’s why strong meetings with the Small Business Specialist and the Contracting Officer can pay off. The PM defines and controls spending priorities among activities. PM’s care about how best to deliver the Agency mission, including how to define requirements to select the best vendors.

If you’ve established your credibility as a reputable problem-solver with the Small Business Specialist and the Contracting Officer, the Program Manager is far more likely to agree to hear the technical details of your solution and your approach.

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Winning Government Contracts: The Five People You Need to Know (Part 3)

[This is the third in a series of articles by guest author Judy Bradt. If you are considering making a commitment to government contracting, or even if you are already involved, I think you will find a lot of value in Judy’s insights. Enjoy! — LWF]

Guest Author: Judy Bradt, Principal and CEO of Summit Insight LLC

The Contracting Officer (CO)

The Contracting Officer (CO) manages the competitive contracting process, including publication of the solicitation. These officers have the legal authority to sign your contract with the federal government. The CO’s job is to ensure the right vendor is chosen through a legal, fair and proper process.  They want to know how well your firm will perform the work and manage the contract.

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