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WELCOME TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING WEEKLY,
SPONSORED BY AOC KEY SOLUTIONS, INC.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING WEEKLY IS THE ONLY TELEVISION PROGRAM
DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE COMPETITIVE AND DYNAMIC WORLD
OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING,
A WORLD WHERE COMING IN SECOND PLACE
IS NOT AN OPTION,
BUT WHERE PRINCIPLE-CENTERED WINNING IS THE ONLY APPROACH.
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING WEEKLY.
I'M JIM McCARTHY,
THE OWNER AND TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OF KEY SOLUTIONS
AND THE HOST OF THIS SHOW.
GIVEN THE CONTINUED EXPLOSIVE GROWTH
OF EVERYTHING RELATED TO I.T.,
YOU HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY HEARD OF FEDSIM
AND THE ASSISTANCE THEY PROVIDE TO ALL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
TODAY WE HAVE AS OUR FIRST GUEST, TIM McCURDY,
WHO'S A FORMER DIRECTOR AT FEDSIM
AND IS NOW THE OWNER OF ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE.
TODAY TIM WILL HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND FEDSIM'S ROLE
AND HOW YOU CAN BEST WORK WITH THEM.
AND AFTER TIM, I WILL BE JOINED BY JOHN ETHERTON,
THE PRESIDENT OF ETHERTON AND ASSOCIATES,
WHO IS WITH US TODAY IN HIS CAPACITY
AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS OF NCMA.
JON HAS A WEALTH OF INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH US
ABOUT THE POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
IN CONTRACTING FOR 2014,
SO LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT.
GOOD MORNING. I'M WITH TIM McCURDY,
WHO IS THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL SYSTEMS
INTEGRATION AND MANAGEMENT CENTER,
OR FEDSIM.
TIM IS ALSO THE OWNER OF ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE,
AND, TIM, IT IS A REAL PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW.
I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO IT FOR A LONG TIME.
SO THANKS FOR COMING. I APPRECIATE IT.
SO LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT A LITTLE BIT.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BACKGROUND
AND YOUR CREDENTIALS.
JUST GIVE A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE, OK?
Tim McCurdy: WELL, THANKS, JIM. PLEASURE TO BE ON THE SHOW.
I STARTED OUT AT FEDSIM BACK A FEW YEARS AGO
AS A SECOND LIEUTENANT OUT OF THE AIR FORCE.
CAME FROM THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY,
AND THAT WAS MY FIRST ASSIGNMENT.
STAYED THERE FOR FOUR YEARS.
AT THE TIME, FEDSIM WAS DOING
THEIR OWN COMPUTER PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS
AND MODELING THOSE,
AND SO I WAS A PROGRAMMER AND DID THAT.
WENT OFF TO THE PENTAGON FOR 2.5 YEARS,
AND THAT'S WHERE I GOT MY FIRST TASTE OF ACQUISITION.
WORKED ON A PROGRAM OFFICE THERE
THAT WAS REPLACING THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS
FOR ALL OF THE AIR STAFF.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, TOOK 2.5 YEARS,
AND I DIDN'T ACTUALLY GET TO SEE THE AWARD,
SO IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER BACK THEN.
Jim: YOU NEVER SAW THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABORS.
Tim: NO. THEN I WENT BACK TO FEDSIM.
IN THE INTERIM, THEY HAD MOVED TO GSA,
SO I CAME BACK AS A CIVILIAN,
AND AT THAT POINT, FEDSIM HAD MOVED THEIR MODEL
AND WERE DOING MORE ACQUISITION.
Jim: OK, SO THAT'S A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE ON YOU.
NOW, LET'S TELL OUR AUDIENCE,
FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT FEDSIM,
WHAT IS FEDSIM? WHY DOES IT EXIST?
WHAT NEED IN THE MARKETPLACE DOES IT MEET?
WHAT'S ITS MISSION, CUSTOMERS, WHATEVER?
Tim: FEDSIM IS PART OF GSA NOW,
PART OF THE ASSISTED ACQUISITION SERVICE,
AND THEIR MISSION IS TO HELP OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
ACQUIRE GOODS, SERVICES,
PRIMARILY IN THE I.T. AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ARENA.
THEY SERVE ALL OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS--
THEY STARTED IN 1972, BUT OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS,
THEY'VE WORKED WITH EVERY GOVERNMENT AGENCY,
EVERY PART OF DoD.
AND RIGHT NOW THEIR MIX IS PROBABLY ABOUT 60/40
DoD VERSUS CIVILIAN,
AND THAT MIX MOVES OVER TIME.
IT WILL PROBABLY MOVE TOWARDS 50/50 THIS UPCOMING YEAR
AS THEY'VE GOT SOME MORE CIVILIAN WORK
THAT'S GOING TO BE COMING OUT.
Jim: IT GOES 60/40, 50/50.
THE POINT IS IT'S BOTH A MILITARY SIDE
AND THE CIVILIAN SIDE,
AND YOU WORKED AT BOTH?
Tim: YEAH, WE WORKED ON BOTH.
Jim: SO WHAT IS THE MAJOR CORE COMPETENCY
THAT FEDSIM BRINGS TO THE TABLE?
Tim: WELL, IT'S DUAL.
THEY HAVE THE ACQUISITION EXPERIENCE,
AND THEY ALSO HAVE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT,
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE DIFFERENCES, I BELIEVE,
WITH FEDSIM
IS THAT RATHER THAN JUST GETTING AN ACQUISITION GROUP,
YOU ACTUALLY GET A HYBRID.
YOU GET BOTH ACQUISITIONS.
YOU GET PRE-SOLICITATION SUPPORT,
YOU GET THE SOLICITATION SUPPORT,
AND THEN YOU GET POST-AWARD.
YOU GET PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
AFTER THE AWARD,
ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM.
Jim: SO, FEDSIM HELPS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
DOES IT EVER DO ITS OWN CONTRACTING?
DOES IT HAVE ITS OWN SUPPORT CONTRACTORS IN ANY WAY?
Tim: DOES NOT DO THEIR OWN NECESSARILY SUPPORT CONTRACTING.
THEY'RE SUPPORTING OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
Jim: OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. YEAH, OK.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A COMMERCIAL BREAK RIGHT NOW,
AND WHEN WE COME BACK,
I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEDSIM
AND THE OTHER GWACs THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT.
Tim: OK.
AFCEA HAS BEEN BRINGING GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY TOGETHER
SINCE 1946.
BY JOINING AFCEA YOU'LL REACH THE DECISION MAKERS
AND BECOME PART OF THE DISCUSSION.
YOU'LL INCREASE MARKET VISIBILITY,
GAIN MARKET INSIGHT,
RECEIVE DISCOUNTS ON AFCEA MEMBER SERVICES AND EVENTS,
AND MANAGE AND ENGAGE CORPORATE ASSOCIATES.
AFCEA IS THE ASSOCIATION OF CHOICE.
JOIN TODAY AT WWW.AFCEA.ORG.
WE AT JRC INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
ARE PROUD OF OUR LEGACY
OF PROVIDING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING EXPERTISE
TO THE STRATEGIC DETERRENCE COMMUNITY.
FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS,
JRC HAS HELPED NAVY STRATEGIC SYSTEMS PROGRAMS
MANAGE THE OHIO AND OHIO REPLACEMENT PROGRAMS.
FROM DEFINING REQUIREMENTS TO DEVELOPING VERIFICATION PLANS
TO BUILDING AND IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM PLANS
TO BRING A MAJOR WEAPON SYSTEM TO SHORE-BASED TEST ENVIRONMENT,
WE AT JRC HAVE BECOME TRUSTED ADVISORS TO ACAT1 PROGRAMS.
IN ADDITION TO NAVY SSP,
JRC INTEGRATED SYSTEMS HAS BEGUN PROVIDING SIMILAR EXPERTISE
TO OTHER RELATED PROGRAMS IN THE MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
AND OTHER WEAPON SYSTEMS PROGRAMS.
IF YOU NEED HIGHLY SKILLED SUPPORT
TO HELP YOU SOLVE YOUR ENGINEERING
AND PROGRAMMATIC CHALLENGES,
THEN WE AT JRC INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
INVITE YOU TO CONTACT US AT INFO@JRCISI.COM.
Jim: SO, TIM, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEDSIM
AND SOME OF THE MULTIPLE AWARD CONTRACTS AND SO ON,
OR GWACs--
ALLIANT, ALLIANT SMALL BUSINESS, 8(a) STARS, VETS GWAC...
HOW ARE THEY RELATED?
Tim: WELL, FEDSIM IS A USER OF THOSE GWACs,
HAS BEEN A BIG USER OF ALL THE GWACs OVER TIME,
A BIG PROPONENT OF THOSE.
THEY LEND THEMSELVES TO THE TYPE OF ACQUISITIONS FEDSIM DOES,
WHICH ARE LARGE-SCALE, TYPICALLY COST-TYPE CONTRACTS.
AND SO THEY ARE, BY FAR, THE LARGEST USER ON ALLIANT.
THEY WERE THE LARGEST USER ON MILLENNIA, MILLENNIA LITE.
I EXPECT THAT THEY'LL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST USERS ON OASIS.
AND ON THE SMALLER CONTRACTS, THE ALLIANT SMALL BIZ,
NOT AS BIG A USER THERE
BECAUSE IT DOESN'T QUITE FIT THEIR MODEL.
Jim: IN YOUR VIEW,
THOSE VARIOUS VEHICLES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT,
HAVE THEY BEEN SUCCESSFUL?
DO THEY NEED SOME MORE FINE TUNING?
WHERE THEY'RE HEADED IN GENERAL--ANY SENSE OF THAT?
Tim: NO, I THINK FEDSIM HAS FOUND,
AND I THINK THE COMMUNITY ITSELF HAS FOUND
THAT THE GWACs DO HAVE A PLACE.
FEDSIM USES THOSE DEPENDING ON THE ACQUISITION,
BUT, AGAIN, WITH THE TYPE OF WORK THEY DO,
IT LENDS ITSELF TO USING THE GWACs.
Jim: UH-HUH, OK. IN ANY SENSE,
DOES FEDSIM COMPETE WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES
IN THEIR ACQUISITION SHOPS?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Tim: FEDSIM DOESN'T REALLY VIEW THEMSELVES
AS COMPETITION TO THE ACQUISITION SHOPS.
THEY VIEW THEMSELVES MORE AS AN OPTION,
AN ALTERNATIVE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU FIND IS ACQUISITION SHOPS,
ESPECIALLY ON THE LARGE JOBS,
THE CONTRACTING OFFICERS MAYBE HAVE DONE ONE OF THOSE
IN THEIR CAREER,
WHERE FEDSIM DOES IT EVERY DAY.
THAT'S THEIR MANTRA,
THAT'S THEIR NICHE IN THE MARKET.
IN TERMS OF OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES,
DOI HAS AN ACQUISITION SHOP THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT,
SO IN SOME RESPECTS, FEDSIM DOES COMPETE WITH DOI.
Jim: OK. SO THAT'S SORT OF COMPETITION
OR LACK THEREOF WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
IN WHAT WAY ARE THE TWO RELATED?
ARE THEY COMPETITORS IN ANY SPACE OR FACILITATORS?
CAN YOU TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR?
Tim: FEDSIM REALLY RELIES ON THE PRIVATE SECTOR
IN TERMS OF ACQUISITION,
SO THEY DON'T REALLY COMPETE WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR AT ALL.
SO THE CONTRACTS THEY PUT IN PLACE ARE FOR OTHER AGENCIES,
AND SO THEY'RE GOING TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR
TO FILL THAT NEED.
Jim: WHAT TYPE OF NEEDS
DOES FEDSIM TYPICALLY MEET AND ADDRESS?
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT SERVICES ARE YOU LIKELY TO BE PROCURING
OR HELPING PROCURE?
Tim: FEDSIM DOES ANYTHING
IN THE I.T. AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ARENA.
AND SO ANYTHING THAT'S LARGE-SCALE
IS REALLY THEIR MAIN THRUST.
Jim: IS ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF FEDSIM
THE FACT THAT IT SORT OF STREAMLINES A PROCESS?
DOES IT ACCELERATE AN AWARD?
DOES IT IN ANY WAY SAVE TIME OR MONEY
FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR THE TAXPAYERS?
Tim: WELL, YES. THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES.
THE LONG ANSWER IS
THEY'VE DEVELOPED A LOT OF PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES
THAT HELP STREAMLINE.
AND IN MOST CASES, THEY'RE SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR FASTER
IN TERMS OF GETTING AN AWARD
AND BEING ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT AWARD OVER TIME.
Jim: DOES FEDSIM ITSELF
PARTICIPATE IN THE EVALUATION OF OFFERS OR BIDS?
Tim: YES. SO, AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE--
FEDSIM IS PART OF THE ACQUISITION TEAM.
THEY'RE PART OF THE EVALUATION BOARD.
THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE ON THERE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY RELY ON
IS SOMETHING CALLED AN ACQUISITION PROJECT MANAGER.
AN INDUSTRY COUNTERPART WOULD BE THE PROPOSAL MANAGER.
SO THEY STICK WITH A PROPOSAL, AN ACQUISITION.
AT THE END OF IT, THEY MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE.
THEY ALSO HAVE SOMEONE
WHO'S THE CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REP
OR THE PROGRAM MANAGER
WHO'S ALSO ON THE EVALUATION TEAM.
ONCE THE AWARD IS MADE,
THEN THEY STAY ON AND HELP ENSURE
THAT THE PROGRAM ITSELF IS SUCCESSFUL
BECAUSE REALLY THE BOTTOM LINE IS NOT THE ACQUISITION,
BUT IT'S DO YOU HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM AT THE END?
Jim: TIM, YOU'VE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE.
YOU'VE BEEN WITH THE GOVERNMENT
AND YOU'VE BEEN WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN WORKING PROPOSALS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO END OUR SHOW WITH
IS WHAT WE CALL KEYS TO WINNING.
WOULD YOU MIND GIVING OUR AUDIENCE ONE OR TWO TAKEAWAYS
ABOUT WHAT IT IS THEY CAN DO
TO IMPROVE THEIR CHANCES OF HAVING SUCCESS AT FEDSIM?
Tim: WELL, JIM, THE FOCUS FOR FEDSIM
ARE REALLY ON THE TECHNICAL APPROACH,
YOUR KEY PERSONNEL AND STAFFING,
AND THEN YOUR CORPORATE EXPERIENCE.
SO IF YOU'RE GOING IN AND TRYING TO WIN A FEDSIM JOB,
YOU NEED TO LOOK AND SEE DO YOU REALLY HAVE THOSE KEYS?
SO COMING UP WITH A TECHNICAL APPROACH,
A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN DO THAT.
BUT DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT KEY PEOPLE?
DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT QUALIFICATIONS?
FEDSIM'S VERY SPECIFIC
ON WHAT THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THOSE KEY PEOPLE ARE.
AND THEN YOUR CORPORATE EXPERIENCE.
DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CORPORATE EXPERIENCE
WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO SCORE VERY WELL,
BECAUSE TO WIN AT FEDSIM,
YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE EXCELLENT PRETTY MUCH ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND, IN THE END, THE PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES FEDSIM HAVE
LEAD TO A VERY FAIR AND REASONABLE AWARD.
AND SO IF YOU'VE GOT THOSE THINGS,
THEN YOU CAN EXPECT TO WIN AT FEDSIM.
Jim: IS THE CONCEPT OF TEAMING
SORT OF ENCOURAGED BY FEDSIM OR TOLERATED?
HOW WOULD YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
Tim: I WOULD SAY TEAMING IS ENCOURAGED AT FEDSIM.
CLEARLY THAT DIFFERENT COMPANIES BRING DIFFERENT STRENGTHS,
AND SO FEDSIM WILL BASICALLY LOOK AT YOUR TEAM
AS THE CONTRACTOR THEY'RE HIRING.
Man #1: SO, DID WE WIN THAT GOVERNMENT CONTRACT?
Man #2: WE DID.
Man #1: AND?
Man #2: AND NOW WE'VE GOT TO DEAL
WITH THE REGULATORY HURDLES.
Man #1: GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.
Man #2: WHEN THE GOVERNMENT'S YOUR CLIENT,
YOU NEED TO PLAY BY THEIR RULES.
Man #1: AND THE RULES CHANGE MORE THAN YOU THINK.
Man #2: EXACTLY.
WE NEED SOMEONE WHO'S DONE THIS BEFORE.
PLUS IT'S COMPLICATED, SO WE'RE GOING WITH BDO.
Man #1: BDO? HMM.
Narrator: PEOPLE WHO KNOW GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING
KNOW BDO.
WORKING IN CONTRACT MANAGEMENT IS A COMPLEX JOB--
CREATING, EXECUTING, MANAGING CONTRACTS.
IT'S AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD,
AND OUR MEMBERS SHARE THE SAME CHALLENGES.
AT THE NATIONAL CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
WE KNOW THIS BUSINESS--
GATHERING THE BEST MINDS IN OUR FIELD,
FURTHERING YOUR CAREER
BY PROVIDING KNOWLEDGE AND TRAINING.
TOGETHER, WE'VE FIGURED IT OUT.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST CUSTOMER,
BUYING MORE THAN $3 TRILLION A YEAR IN GOODS AND SERVICES,
INCLUDING MORE THAN $500 BILLION IN CONTRACTS
WITH FOREIGN COMPANIES.
TO ATTRACT MORE FOREIGN INTEREST,
WE HAVE DEVELOPED THE FORUM,
WHICH IS GEARED TO EMBASSY REPRESENTATIVES,
TRADE MISSIONS,
AND FOREIGN COMPANIES SEEKING TO WIN U.S. FEDERAL CONTRACTS.
THE FORUM WILL PROVIDE A PRACTICAL OVERVIEW
ON HOW TO EFFECTIVELY NAVIGATE THE REGULATIONS AND PROTOCOLS
IN THE FEDERAL MARKETPLACE.
THE FORUM,
TITLED "DEMYSTIFYING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT MARKETPLACE,"
WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 19th
AT THE RONALD REAGAN BUILDING AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
THE SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS
WILL INCLUDE FOREIGN TRADE REPRESENTATIVES,
FOREIGN COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES,
AND PROFESSIONALS IN FEDERAL CONTRACTING.
TO LEARN MORE, GO TO AOCKEYSOLUTIONS.COM
AND CLICK ON "KSI BUZZ" FOR EVENTS.
Jim: GOOD MORNING.
OUR GUEST FOR TODAY IS MR. JON ETHERTON.
JON IS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS
FOR THE NATIONAL CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION--
BY THE WAY, WHICH HE'S DONE FOR 30 YEARS
WHERE HE'S BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS ASSOCIATION.
AND, JON, YOU'RE ALSO THE PRESIDENT
OF ETHERTON AND ASSOCIATES.
WHY DON'T YOU TELL OUR AUDIENCE
ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND CREDENTIALS AND SO ON.
Jon Etherton: SURE, JIM.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN WORKING ACQUISITION POLICY ISSUES
FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
SPENT A GREAT DEA OF TIME, 18 YEARS, ON CAPITOL HILL.
I WORKED IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE
PRIMARILY FOR THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
AS A PROFESSIONAL STAFF PERSON FROM 1985 TO 1999
AND WAS INVOLVED IN ALL OF THE ACQUISITION POLICY LEGISLATION
THAT THAT COMMITTEE OVERSAW DURING THAT PERIOD,
INCLUDING GOLDWATER-NICHOLS,
THE FEDERAL ACQUISITION STREAMLINING ACT,
THE ACQUISITION WORKFORCE LEGISLATION, DAWIA,
AND A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE DID
ON A YEAR-TO-YEAR BASIS.
AFTER THAT POINT, I LEFT
AND WORKED IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION
AS VICE PRESIDENT FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS,
AND WE WERE ALSO HEAVILY INVOLVED
IN A NUMBER OF ACQUISITION POLICY ISSUES
IN THE EARLY 2000s.
AND SINCE THAT TIME
I'VE OPERATED MY OWN CONSULTING BUSINESS,
WORKING WITH VARIOUS CLIENTS,
PRIMARILY FOCUSING ON THESE TYPES OF ISSUES.
Jim: PRIVATE SECTOR CLIENTS?
Jon: YES, YES, YES.
Jim: SO, LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH NCMA.
WE MENTIONED A 30-YEAR ASSOCIATION.
WHAT IS NCMA?
FOR THOSE OF OUR GUESTS, OUR AUDIENCE WHO MAY NOT KNOW IT,
TELL US ABOUT NCMA, ITS CHARTER, AND SO ON.
Jon: NCMA IS THE NATIONAL CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION,
AND IT'S PRIMARILY AN ASSOCIATION
OF ACQUISITION PROFESSIONALS,
BOTH IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND IN THE GOVERNMENT.
THEY FOSTER A NUMBER OF INFORMATION-SHARING,
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION,
AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
FOR CONTRACT MANAGERS
AND OTHER FOLKS IN THE ACQUISITION PROCESS.
MY INVOLVEMENT WITH NCMA HAS BEEN,
I'VE BEEN A FREQUENT SPEAKER AT THEIR EVENTS,
I'VE SERVED ON THEIR BOARD OF ADVISORS
FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS,
AND I'VE BEEN WORKING WHEREVER I CAN
TO SORT OF HELP THEM DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF WHAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN CONGRESS.
Jim: WELL, THAT'S A GOOD ORGANIZATION.
IT ENJOYS A VERY STRONG REPUTATION IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO, YOU ARE A-- I'M GONNA USE A TERM.
YOU'RE AN EXPERT ON THINGS OF LEGISLATION AND CAPITOL HILL
AND THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH.
SO LET'S LOOK BACK AT 2013 FOR A MINUTE,
AND CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT WAS DRIVING THE LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE ISSUES
AND WHAT DID THE CONGRESS ACCOMPLISH
DURING THIS VERY TUMULTUOUS YEAR?
Jon: RIGHT. I WOULD SAY THAT,
A COUPLE THINGS YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND GOING INTO IT.
GENERALLY, THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST
IN ACQUISITION POLICY LEGISLATION
FROM A LOT OF MEMBERS AND A LOT OF COMMITTEES.
BUT MOST OF THAT LEGISLATION
PRIMARILY GOES THROUGH THE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION PROCESS.
SO THAT IF YOU WERE TRACKING
THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN ACQUISITION POLICY,
A GOOD PLACE TO START WOULD BE IN TITLE VIII
OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILLS
AS THEY COME OUT OF THE SENATE
AND AS THEY COME OUT OF THE HOUSE.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT THIS YEAR--
ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT'S GOTTEN A LOT OF PRESS
HAS BEEN THE CAP ON ALLOWABLE REIMBURSEMENT
OF COMPENSATION COSTS FOR DEFENSE CONTRACTORS.
Jim: FOR EXECUTIVES?
Jon: IT'S ACTUALLY FOR ALL CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES NOW.
THERE ALSO WERE ISSUES
INVOLVING THE RELATIVE WEIGHTING OF PRICE VERSUS OTHER FACTORS
IN SOURCE SELECTION,
WAS AN ISSUE THAT WAS UNDER DISCUSSION.
WE HAD THE FEDERAL INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION REFORM ACT,
SO CALLED FITARA,
THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE HOUSE VERSION OF THE BILL
AND WOULD REORGANIZE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION
ACROSS THE GOVERNMENT.
THAT WAS ANOTHER MAJOR ISSUE.
Jim: DID IT EVER MAKE IT THROUGH BOTH HOUSES?
Jon: IT MADE IT THROUGH THE HOUSE.
IT WAS DROPPED IN THE CONFERENCE.
SO THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE TAKEN UP NEXT YEAR.
AND THERE WERE SOME VERY IMPORTANT CHANGES
TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTING RULES,
ALSO IN TITLE XVI OF THAT BILL.
Jim: SO, THE ISSUES YOU'VE MENTIONED
ARE CERTAINLY WELL-KNOWN AND FELT BY A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY,
SO I THINK YOU'VE GOT YOUR FINGER ON THE PULSE.
I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
I'M HERE WITH JON ETHERTON,
A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS FOR THE NCMA,
NATIONAL CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.
AND JUST A MOMENT AGO WE WERE TALKING ABOUT
SOME OF THE LEGISLATION THAT TOOK PLACE IN 2013.
NOW I WANT TO TURN TO OUR CURRENT YEAR.
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE MOOD OF THE CONGRESS
WHEN IT COMES TO ACQUISITION AND ACQUISITION REFORM?
Jon: I THINK RIGHT NOW
EVERYBODY'S READY FOR SOME BIG CHANGES.
THAT'S MY...I SEE A LOT OF EFFORT RIGHT NOW
COMING OUT OF THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
UNDER CONGRESSMAN THORNBERRY'S LEADERSHIP,
TO REALLY EXPLORE FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES
TO THE WAY THE ACQUISITION PROCESS WORKS.
I'M GETTING SIMILAR FEEDBACK FROM FOLKS ON THE SENATE SIDE,
THAT THEY WANT TO ALSO LOOK AT DOING SOME THINGS
THAT ARE MORE FUNDAMENTAL
IN TERMS OF CHANGING THE ACQUISITION PROCESS.
I'M NOT SURE PEOPLE REALLY HAVE A SENSE
OF WHERE THEY WANT TO GO YET WITH SOME OF THAT ENERGY,
BUT I'M SEEING A LOT OF STAFF EFFORT
AND A LOT OF MEMBER INTEREST IN THAT
AND A LOT OF EFFORT FOR FOLKS TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES.
Jim: DO YOU SEE ANY AREAS
OR CAN YOU SHARE ANY AREAS OF THIS FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE
THAT MAY BE TAKING PLACE?
Jon: YES. SOME OF THE WORDS THAT YOU'RE HEARING NOW
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT 20 YEARS
ARE WORDS LIKE STREAMLINING THE PROCESS,
TRYING TO CLEAR OUT SOME OF THE UNDERBRUSH,
SOME OF THE RULES AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
MAYBE TO FREE THE PROCESS TO MOVE A LITTLE BIT MORE QUICKLY,
LOOKING AT THE ORGANIZATIONS
AND SEEING IF THERE'S ANY REDUCTIONS
THAT COULD BE MADE THERE.
AND ALSO, HOW TO MAKE ALL THE PLAYERS IN THE PROCESS
MORE ACCOUNTABLE.
Jim: YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PLAYERS IN THE PROCESS,
AT LEAST FROM THE CAPITOL HILL STANDPOINT.
WHO ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS
THAT INDUSTRY SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND WATCHING,
AND DO THEY HAVE SOME POSITIONS THAT WE OUGHT TO TAKE NOTE OF?
Jon: RIGHT.
I THINK THAT I MENTIONED CONGRESSMAN THORNBERRY.
I THINK HE IS SOMEBODY DEFINITELY TO WATCH
IN THE PROCESS,
AND I THINK THAT ADAM SMITH ALSO,
THE RANKING DEMOCRAT ON THE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE,
HAS ALSO EXPRESSED A LOT OF INTEREST IN THIS AREA,
SO I THINK THE TWO OF THEM WILL BE SORT OF LEADING THE EFFORT
COMING FROM THE HOUSE SIDE.
ON THE SENATE SIDE, CARL LEVIN HAS BEEN INVOLVED
AS CHAIRMAN OF THE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE AT TIMES
AND ALSO CHAIRMAN OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
FOR YEARS ON THESE ISSUES, VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE.
THIS IS HIS LAST YEAR IN THE SENATE.
SO I EXPECT HIM TO BE FULLY ENGAGED THIS YEAR
AS HE WRAPS UP HIS SENATE CAREER.
AND SENATOR McCAIN, SENATOR INHOFE
ARE ALSO PEOPLE THAT I SEE
AS BEING MAJOR PLAYERS THIS YEAR IN THOSE ISSUES.
Jim: SO LET'S SWITCH TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
YOU'VE DESCRIBED THE LEGISLATIVE ROLE.
WHAT ROLE IS THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH TAKING?
ARE THEY TAKING A LEADERSHIP ROLE?
ARE THEY FOLLOWING? ARE THEY LEADING?
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THAT PARTICULAR ASPECT OF GOVERNMENT?
Jon: I WOULD SAY THAT WHERE THE ADMINISTRATION IS RIGHT NOW
IS THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP UP
WITH WHAT THE CONGRESS IS REALLY DOING.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES
COMING OUT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,
OUT OF UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FRANK KENDALL'S OFFICE
SUCH AS THE BETTER BUYING POWER INITIATIVE.
THERE'S ALSO BEEN SOME INTEREST
IN THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE'S OFFICE
IN LOOKING AT SOME BROADER STREAMLINING EFFORTS AS WELL.
SO I THINK THEY'RE ACTIVELY ENGAGED,
AND I THINK IT WILL BE SORT OF A NECK-AND-NECK RACE
TO SEE WHO PUTS ON THE TABLE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS
AND WHO IS ABLE TO BRING THEM TO COMPLETION.
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF FERMENT RIGHT NOW IN THE AREA.
Jim: WE'RE GOING TO PAUSE FOR A COMMERCIAL BREAK RIGHT NOW,
AND WHEN WE COME BACK,
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION
RELATIVE TO ACQUISITION POLICY.
IN THIS HYPER-COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE,
AS A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR,
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FEDERAL ACQUISITION AND PROGRAM OFFICES
ARE WORKING EVERY DAY
TO DEFEND AND SECURE THE UNITED STATES.
HELLO. I'M BRIAN NAULT,
PRESIDENT OF BLUEWATER FEDERAL SOLUTIONS.
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Jim: WE'RE BACK NOW WITH JON ETHERTON
FROM THE NCMA, NATIONAL CONTRACT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.
BY THE WAY,
I SERVED ON THE HILL, TOO, FOR ABOUT 6 1/2 YEARS.
I GOT THE SCARS TO PROVE IT, BY THE WAY.
SO YOUR LONGEVITY IS REALLY VERY IMPRESSIVE.
BUT I WANT TO TURN TO YOU ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION NOW.
LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
HOW DOES NCMA OR SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS
PLAY A ROLE AS A STAKEHOLDER IN THIS ACQUISITION PROCESS?
AND HAVE THEY TAKEN ANY KEY FUNDAMENTAL POSITIONS
THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO AT LEAST DESCRIBE FOR US?
Jon: I THINK THAT NCMA'S MAJOR VALUE
THAT THEY BRING TO THE PROCESS
IS THEY SERVE AS A FORUM FOR A COUPLE OF VERY IMPORTANT THINGS.
THEY ARE A GREAT ORGANIZATION FOR GETTING THE WORD OUT
FOR THE CHANGES THAT ARE EITHER IN PROCESS
OR THAT HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED
THAT ARE BEING REFLECTED IN THE REGULATORY REGIME
OR IN ANY ADMINISTRATIVE MEMOS,
AND TO REALLY HELP EDUCATE THE WORKFORCE
SO THAT THEY CAN KEEP CURRENT WITH A LOT OF THESE THINGS.
WE'VE SEEN UNPRECEDENTED CHANGES IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS
COMING THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS,
AND NCMA IS ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS
THAT REALLY HELPS KEEP THE MEMBERS UP TO SPEED
AND WHAT THEY CAN EXPECT COMING IN THE FUTURE.
THE OTHER THING I THINK,
AND I THINK NOW MORE THAN EVER IS VERY CRITICAL FOR NCMA,
IS THEY SERVE AS A GREAT CLEARINGHOUSE
FOR GETTING PEOPLE FROM THE INDUSTRY,
GETTING PEOPLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT TOGETHER
AS WELL AS EVEN PEOPLE FROM CONGRESS, STAFF PEOPLE,
SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE A GOOD DIALOGUE.
IN AREAS WHERE NOW TRAVEL BUDGETS ARE BEING CUT BACK
AND OTHER KINDS OF THINGS,
THE NCMA FORA REALLY PROVIDE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES
BOTH AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL
FOR A LOT OF THAT NECESSARY DIALOGUE TO OCCUR.
Jim: GOOD COMMENTS, JON. WE HAVE LESS THAN A MINUTE HERE,
BUT WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS WRAP UP, IS ASK YOU,
IF THERE WAS ONE COMMENT, ONE THOUGHT, ONE TAKEAWAY,
ONE LEAVE-BEHIND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE OUR AUDIENCE WITH
AS THEY'RE WATCHING THIS MORNING,
WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT BE?
Jon: I THINK THAT FOLKS SHOULD EXPECT
THAT FURTHER CHANGE IS COMING.
I KNOW THAT FOLKS THINK THAT, UP TILL NOW,
WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGES OVER THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
I SEE A LOT OF ENERGY RIGHT NOW PUSHING FURTHER CHANGE.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL SEE A LOT OF IT
REFLECTED IN LEGISLATION THIS YEAR,
BUT WHATEVER WE DON'T SEE THIS YEAR
IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT YEAR.
Jim: WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE IT AS GOOD OR BAD CHANGE
FROM THE INDUSTRY'S PERSPECTIVE?
Jon: I THINK FROM THE INDUSTRY'S PERSPECTIVE
IT WILL PROBABLY BE GOOD CHANGE,
BUT IT WILL REQUIRE EVERYBODY TO BE FULLY ENGAGED--
BOTH THE GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKERS
AS WELL AS PEOPLE IN INDUSTRY
THAT ARE AFFECTED BY A LOT OF THIS.
I THINK WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE TO SIT AT THE TABLE
AND PLAY A ROLE.
Jim: OK. WELL, WE HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A CLARION FOR CHANGE
IN THE FUTURE.
I WANT TO THANK YOU, JON ETHERTON,
FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY.
I REALLY ENJOYED IT,
AND I HOPE YOU'LL COME BACK SOMETIME AND VISIT US.
SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I WANT TO THANK TIM McCURDY OF ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
AND JON ETHERTON OF ETHERTON AND ASSOCIATES.
HE JOINED US TODAY
AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS OF NCMA.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, I WANT TO THANK YOU, OUR VIEWERS,
FOR ONCE AGAIN MAKING GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING WEEKLY
A REGULAR PART OF YOUR LEARNING REGIMEN.
ON BEHALF OF ALL MY COLLEAGUES HERE AT AOC KEY SOLUTIONS,
I'M JIM McCARTHY, AND I'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.
YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING WEEKLY,
SPONSORED EACH WEEK BY AOC KEY SOLUTIONS, INC.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING WEEKLY
IS THE ONLY TELEVISION PROGRAM DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY
TO THE COMPETITIVE AND DYNAMIC WORLD
OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,
COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OR SUGGESTIONS,
PLEASE WRITE US AT GOVERNMENTCONTRACTINGWEEKLY.COM.