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    Archives for February 12

    Feb 21, 2012

    The Small Business Administration's recent increase in size limits for small business opens the door to more firms but has evoked mixed reviews from lawmakers and small business organizations, reports Govexec.com.

    The National Federation of Independent Business said in a statement that it is not clear why the definition was changed and National Small Business Association spokeswoman Molly Brogan told Govexec that she is concerned "with it lumping together businesses that have different interests and concerns."

    But Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), co-author of the Small Business Protection Act with Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), wants the government not to worry about redefining small business but instead add "complementary incentives for advanced [and] growing small businesses."

    The new size increase is scheduled to take effect on March 12. Reference Article

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    Feb 22, 2012
    GovPartners, LLC
    Government Services Simplified
     
    44927 George Washington Blvd. Suite 230
    Ashburn, VA 20147
    (571) 252-3868
    www.govpartners.com
     
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     
    U.S. Sedan Awarded GSA Schedule
     
    Ashburn, VA (February 22, 2012) – GovPartners, LLC (GovPartners), a leading provider of government business development and management services, is pleased to announced that U.S. Sedan Services, Inc. (U.S. Sedan)  has been awarded a General Services Administration (GSA) contract # GS-33F-0007Y and are now approved to offer transportation services to the government.  US Sedan has placed their expansive fleet and transportation services on the government's electronic ordering system, GSA Advantage!®.
     
    “Our GSA Schedule Award will enable U.S. Sedan to offer reliable and safe transportation to the government market worldwide,” stated Michael Pagano, Senior Vice President.  Mr. Pagano further stated “Being on the GSA schedule expands our reach to government contractors with complementary services looking to team and offer a complete turnkey transportation and services solution to the government sector. Our convenient location in the Washington DC metro area has enabled us to indirectly provide services to the government for many years, and with our recently awarded GSA Schedule; we look forward to working directly with numerous government agencies and their customers.”
     
    U.S. Sedan has continually demarked itself by the quality of its vehicles.  Quality transportation has significantly contributed to improving the way our clients do business by increased productivity thanks to advanced interior features catered to the "VIP on the go".  Time is valuable and U.S. Sedan saves clients valuable time.
     
    U.S. Sedan now plans to expand its market reach by offering services to GSA and its' buyers. 
     
    About US Sedan
    Founded in 1992, U.S. Sedan Service, Inc. is the preferred luxury transportation company with affiliates and locations servicing the greater DC metropolitan area and 550 cities worldwide. With its flawless details and impressive ability to cater to the client's individual needs, U.S. Sedan found its niche by providing superior class transportation services.  For more information about U.S. Sedan, visit its website at www.ussedan.com.
     
    GovPartners managed the schedule submission process on behalf of US Sedan facilitating the application preparation, submission and negotiations with government buyers at the GSA.  
     
    GovPartners, provides support services such as proposal writing, GSA supply schedule contracts, formulating contractor teaming agreements with approved government contractors, program management/deployment services, and contract administration support.
     
    For more information please contact:
     
    GovPartners, LLC
    571-252-3868
    info@govpartners.com
     
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    Feb 23, 2012

    Forecasting the Future

    An Article on the Dulles Chamber of Commerce’s “What to Expect in 2012” Discussion Panel

     

    Late in January, the Dulles Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion on “What to Expect in 2012”.  Members of the panel included executives from Professional Services Council, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin.

    The panelists discussed the expectations that 2012 has compared to 2012.  The main themes covered were the defense budget cuts, continuing resolutions, the current budget cloud of uncertainty, as well as the external events that may play a role in shaping the defense contracting environment.

    The Dilemma:

    Mr. Chris Bowie, Corporate Director of the Northrop Grumman Analysis Center said that 2012 will exceed the lows of 2011.  He also mentioned that the defense budget for 2013 will be 3% lower than 2012.  A contraction in investment accounts should also be expected. 

    Mr. Stan Soloway, the President of the Professional Services Council mentioned Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s resolution to reduce America’s defense budget by up to $490 billion over the coming decade.  He briefed the panel that last year was the first time in ten years where the industry did not match the federal budget. 

    The points mentioned above also means that the federal “funding stream remains under a cloud of uncertainty”, said Mr. Larry Duncan, Vice President for Federal and State Government Relations and PAC Affairs.  Yet, in spite of this cloud of uncertain, there will not only be challenges, but opportunities that contractors could benefit from.  Panetta’s resolution emphasizes a shift into reconnaissance, cyberspace warfare, special operations, and missile defense systems. 

    Mr. Mark Esper, the Vice President of Government Relations for Raytheon, brought up the fact that external events will also play a big part in into feeding into that cloud of uncertainty that hovers around the federal budget for 2012 and beyond.  2012 is an election  year, and the Obama administration had to make a move to show that they are coming up with solutions to address the country’s deficit problem.  Of course, the winner of the elections in November will also dictate how the budgeting will be addressed in the years to come.  Although he still sees a “strong middle ground” out there, Mr. Esper noted that the parties themselves are moving further apart from each other.  He referenced 2010 when the Democrats were decimated.  In Congress, the deficit hawks now outnumber the defense hawks.

    How to Thrive During Challenging Times:

    In short, defense spending in general will face a difficult time within the coming years.  To meet the coming challenges, Mr. Bowie said that Northrop Grumman is reorganizing its structure so that it can better meet the new needs of the government. 

    Mr. Duncan added that the reduction of the pie means that the bar has also been set much higher.  There needs to be a “resetting of expectations in terms of margins”.  Mr. Duncan suggested to the members of the audience that much more effective teaming arrangements be taken into consideration when it comes to resetting these expectations, as “the tightening of the belt flows down to the subcontractors”.

    The representatives of the large prime contractors on the panel spoke of expanding their company’s horizons to look more aggressively at international opportunities.  They brought up USA’s NATO allies as potential sources of opportunities, namely: Australia, Japan, and Israel.  Potential external threats like Iran and China should also be taken into consideration when reviewing the international climate.  Mr. Esper added that in these challenging times, it is wise to “follow security threats are” and identify “where our partners and allies are”. 

    Conclusion:

    The climate for government contractors may be cloudy, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any room for sunshine.  The days of outrageous government defense spending may be behind us, but if a company does its homework and is able to leverage itself to respond to the changing environment, and if it is able to increase its efficiency and reevaluate its expected margins, then it should be able to thrive. 

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    Feb 27, 2012

    During the past year, revenue from government contracts has grown for 50% of survey participants, while 21% experienced no significant change and 29% experienced reductions in revenue. The fact that the highest percentage of companies experienced revenue growth continues a long-term trend reported in previous surveys, indicating that government contractors are far less vulnerable than commercial companies to recessions or slow growth in the overall economy. However, the 29% of companies experiencing revenue reductions is the highest percentage reported in several surveys, indicating that government efforts to reduce deficits are adversely impacting government contractor revenue. Read Full Report.

     

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