Posts Tagged ‘IT’

Free GSA IT 70 Training 9/20 & 9/21/10 – Tips on Offers, Marketing, & Compliance

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Attendees will gain insight on (a) the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) IT 70 offer process, (b) marketing a MAS IT 70 contract, and (c) keeping schedule contracts in compliance via FREE IT Schedule 70 Business Partner Training classes (Pre-Award and Post-Award).  Classes are offered by GSA’s Center for IT Schedule 70 Program and will be held at 2200 Crystal Drive, Crystal Plaza 4, Room L1301, Arlington, Virginia 22202.

• IT Schedule 70 Pre-Award Training – Held September 20, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This class provides an overview of the OFFER process with seasoned Contract Officer break-out-discussions that include key segments of the contracting process, the Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) Chart and the labor matrix for services.
• IT Schedule 70 Post-Award Training– Held September 21, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This class will provide you with helpful information on how to market your GSA Schedule contract, how to keep your contract in compliance and how to use e-Tools as a resource.
• Registration form and Driving directions available at GSA IT 70 Training webpage.  Contact GSA for additional information at:  IT Center Hotline (703) 605-2700,  8am – 4pm EST daily, email: it.center@gsa.gov.

Contact Vanessa Payne at Aronson & Company, 301-231-6200, vpayne@aronsoncompany.com with your GSA and government contracting questions.

• (more…)

Gulf Oil Spill – new Federal Contract tracking code – Providing Contractor Support in National Emergencies

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

The Federal Procurement DataBase (FPDS-NG) has added a new National Interest Action (NIA) value, “Gulf Oil Spill 0410″ to track the Gulf Oil Spill contracts. The new NIA is is valid from 04/25/2010 to 08/25/2010.

By coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), GSA provides support to other federal agencies when there is a presidential declaration of disaster or other incident of national significance.  GSA Schedule 84 (LAW) includes products for oil-spill containment under SIN 426 4F – Emergency Preparedness and First Responder Equipment, Training and Services.  114 contractors currently provide products under this SIN.  There are  opportunities for large and small business to provide contractor support in national emergencies.

In addition to federal agencies, state and local governments can access the preapproved roster of vendors and products offered by GSA Schedule vendors via two programs: GSA’s Cooperative Purchasing program (GSA Schedules LAW-84 and IT-70, all times) and GSA’s Disaster Recovery Purchasing Program (all GSA Schedules, times of disaster).

(more…)

Do Employees with Security Clearances Earn More Money?

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

And if so, how much?  The answer is, it depends on your job and your location.  Brittany Ballenstedt of Nextgov reported that a survey conducted by ClearanceJobs.com showed that some cleared IT professionals can earn as much as 12% more than their non-cleared counterparts.  The largest salary premium associated with a clearance was for desktop support specialists who earned 12% more and IT managers who earned 10% more than similar employees that lacked clearances.  Other occupations saw much less of a salary bump such as business analysts and software engineers who earned on average 3% more than their not-cleared counterparts.

However, these are average figures.  The results vary quite a bit by location.  For instance, cleared IT professionals in Washington DC or San Diego CA earned at least 20% more in salary then their non-cleared counterparts.  Though, in such cities as New York and San Jose, there was no ascertainable difference in the salaries of cleared and non-cleared IT professionals.

When pricing a job that requires cleared personnel a contractor must take into account the job duties, the type of clearance, and the location of the work or run the risk of over or under pricing.

GSA Adds New Capabilities to IT and FABS Schedule Contracts

Monday, February 15th, 2010

GSA expanded the scope of available services by adding new Special Item Numbers (SINs) to its Information Technology (IT) and Financial and Business Solutions (FABS) Schedule Contracts, adding commercial satellite communications and grant management support services, respectively. A detailed description of each of the new SINs can be found after the jump. Please contact Aronson & Company to learn more about how these new offerings could enhance your GSA Schedule contract.

(more…)

Ms. Powers-King to Retire from GSA

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Mary Powers-King, the GSA Director of GWACS and IT Schedule Programs has announced her retirement from Federal service effective January 3, 2010.  Ms. Powers-King was one of the most influential executives in Government Information Technology (IT) procurement.  Among other duties, she led the development of the Alliant and Alliant Small Business GWACS.  Ms. Powers-King was also responsible for approximately 4,700 IT Schedule 70 contracts that generated $16.4 billion of business volume during the last two fiscal years.

No successor has been named but NextGov is reporting that Jim Ghiloni, her deputy is considered a front-runner.  Ms. Powers-King stated that her post retirement options include, among other things, “keeping her options open.”  It is a safe bet we will see Ms. Powers-King joining industry in some form or fashion in the near future.

Top GSA Schedule Contractors by Schedule Type – FY 2010 YTD

Friday, November 20th, 2009

A quick look at the overall Top 100 contractors receiving GSA Schedule contracts by Schedule Type in FY 2010 which began October 1, 2009 reveals a healthy mix of spending across a variety of schedule types.

While the GSA Information Technology Schedule (IT 70) remains king for the most part, the top contractor on the list provided below holds a GSA Financial and Business Solutions Schedule (FABS 520) with close to $52 million in sales, walloping the top GSA IT Schedule 70 contract holder by almost 4 times as of the tally we ran on 11/19/09. The Top GSA IT Schedule 70 contractor had only $14 million in sales thus far.

(more…)

Get Up Close & Personal with Federal IT leaders at the 11/10 Mid-Atlantic CIO&CTO Event

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Getting an audience with senior IT professionals can be difficult.  The Mid-Atlantic CIO&CTO eliminates the need for cold calls by bringing together IT purchasing leaders in the federal, commercial and non-profit marketplace. Live on November 10, 2009 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.  Your seat purchase will give you an opportunity to spend an hour at the General Reception where you can network with the following IT leaders as well as over 100 of their peers, then have a seat at the Who’s Who of IT in the region.

Register today to have the unique opportunity to meet and network with the Mid-Atlantic’s IT purchasing leaders from the following agencies and companies: • Casey Coleman, CIO, General Services Administration • Peter Fonash, CIO, Department of Homeland Security and Director of the National Cyber Security Division • Jeffrey Johnson, Deputy CIO, Constellation Energy • Devon Bryan, Associate CIO, Internal Revenue Service • Victor Thompson, Deputy CIO, NASA • Douglas Norton, VP and CIO, Northrop Grumman.

Register now to be a part of CIO&CTO Live! If you have questions, please call Mark Glazer Director, MdTech Programs Tech Council of Maryland at 240-243-4045 or e-mail at mglazer@techcouncilmd.com.

2009 Government IT M&A Conference – Oct 20, 2009

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 7:30-10:00 am – Stay ahead of the competition by hearing directly from the region’s preeminent dealmakers in the Federal IT space. Keynote speaker and leading analyst Bill Loomis of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company will present his assessment of recent public and private market trends affecting government contractors. Stan Soloway, President and CEO of the Professional Services Council, will provide an update on significant legislative and political activity concerning the sector. A panel of executives and advisors will discuss in detail their strategies and plans to grow their businesses notwithstanding difficult market conditions. The panel will include Larry A. Davis, Managing Partner of Aronson Capital Partners, LLC.

This program is free of charge, but registration is required by Thursday, October 15, 2009.

For more information, please contact Jamie Graham

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
7:30-10:00 am
The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner
1700 Tysons Blvd.
McLean, VA 22102
7:30-8:00 am
Registration & Networking
8:00-10:00 am
Program

$4 Billion IT Opportunity Coming Soon as NASA Consolidates IT and Data Services

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

NASA’s Information Technology Infrastructure Integration Program will procure services to provide agency-wide management, integration, and delivery of IT infrastructure services.  NASA will release the first of five RFPs as soon as September 22, 2009. The five contracts that NASA plans to compete are: (1) Agency Consolidated End User Services (ACES) contract, (2) Enterprise Applications Service Technologies (EAST) contract, (3) NASA Enterprise Data Center (NEDC) contract, (4) NASA Integrated Communications Services (NICS) contract, and (5) Web Enterprise Service Technologies (WEST) contract. Additional details follow. (more…)

IT Dashboard Is Now Fully Populated

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

The Federal Government’s IT Dashboard is now fully populated with performance metrics for each of the 781 Federal IT projects currently underway.  The dashboard consists of cost and schedule status for each project along with the agency CIO’s assessment.  Each project is then assigned a color coded rating of green, (normal)  yellow, (needs attention) or red (significant concerns).

Any contractor in the business of selling information technology services to the Federal Government needs to be aware of the IT Dashboard.  The website is available to the public and at a minimum, any project rated as “red” and even possibly “yellow” is sure to result in unfavorable publicity for the contractor.  Even more dramatically the VA, in a highly publicized move, recently suspended performance on 45 IT projects in response to their dashboard ratings.  It is thought that other agencies with under performing projects will feel pressure to react in the same manner.