Live from Deltek Insight 2011
Where can you find over 3,000 user of Deltek? In Nashville, Tennessee at the 2011 Deltek Insight conference. The Aronson, LLC Government Contracting Services Group has been busy this year at the conference where there really is something for everyone. As a platinum sponsor of the conference it is hard to miss the members of the Aronson team.
Aronson’s focus this year is survival. How are you surviving in the federal marketplace in 2011? Continue reading »
UPDATED: A Contractor’s Guide to Surviving the Government Shutdown
Government Shutdown Seems Inevitable
The latest budget negotiations between the House, the Senate and the White House ended without a deal being reached. As a result even previously optimistic souls are now predicting the shutdown will happen. The current continuing resolution expires today (Friday, April 8th). Please see this breaking news story from the Washington Post for a detailed description of the stalled negotiations. Continue reading »
Small Businesses at Greater Risk if Government Shutdown
Judging from the Mar. 4 GovWin Instant Webinar “Surviving a Government Shutdown,” you need the time: Of webinar poll respondents, only 4% rated themselves as Very Prepared for a shutdown… while a whopping 70% were either Somewhat Prepared or Unprepared. To read more about what you need to do to prepare, view article including additional quotations from Aronson Principal Consultant, Thomas Marcinko, at Washington Technology.
Congress Extends Continuing Resolution for Two Weeks
T
he Government shutdown was averted, at least temporarily, as Congress passed a bill extending the continuing resolution for two weeks and President Obama signed the measure this afternoon. Despite the compromise that resulted in this extension, Democrat and Republican opinions are still as far apart as ever on federal spending and most pundits think there is little chance a permanent budget can be passed in the next two weeks. Many analysts believe that a shutdown is still likely.
The good news is Continue reading »
Updated: Surviving GSA Contract Cancellations
Update: Miss the event? Don’t worry, you can download the slides or listen to a replay of the presentation online.
GSA is facing shrinkage of their contracting workforce which, in return, is creating an increase in contracting officer workloads. An easy way for GSA to resolve this problem is to cancel contracts that are not in compliance.
Case-in-point: During the government fiscal year 2010 there were approximately 20,000 active GSA schedule contracts. Of those, 9,014 did not attain the minimum contract sales requirement of $25,000 and 6,825 had no sales at all!
Join Aronson on February 24thfor a free webinar Continue reading »
Event: Surviving Your Pay on Display – Executive Compensation and Subcontractor Award Reporting
Government contracting rules and requirements are constantly changing, but Aronson’s experts want to help you stay on top! The new FAR Clause 52.204-10: “Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontractor Award” represents a significant change in the type of information that is publicly available and how it should be collected. Join Aronson for a webinar on February 9th that will help you understand and comply with the new reporting requirements. Our government contracting specialists will address:
Survival Tactic #10 Create the Strategic Plan to Survive, Thrive and Be Successful as our Industry Faces Unprecedented Challenges
The growing federal deficit will create a unique dynamic that companies doing business with the Federal Government have never had to face before. Do you have the strategic plan to survive, thrive and be successful on the back end? Our industry is facing unprecedented challenges today. Not only is there an administration that has a clear mission of transparency and oversight but we also are facing the following:
- A shift in over 50% of the congressional make up over the past 4 years with new heads of committees in all likelihood questioning how every dollar will be spent and has been spent by creating additional committees and investigative panels.
- A continuing resolution (CR) that could take us to March which is half of the fiscal year.
- A burgeoning deficit .
Survival Tactic #9 Know What’s Hot in the M&A Market
2011 Government Services M&A Outlook
The government services sector is set to face prolonged challenges in 2011 driven by federal budgetary pressures and increased competition. Procurements will be delayed, awards will be protested, and the contradicting commentary regarding insourcing and federal pay freezes will persist. However, many of these factors that will confront the government services industry as a whole will likely fuel M&A activity. Strategic buyers, faced with lower organic growth rates, continue to analyze their portfolios and acquire firms that fill capability gaps and position them in the areas of federal spending priority to create additional financial growth in profitable areas. Therefore, we expect 2011 government services deal volumes to be consistent with 2010. Below is a list of areas that will see the lion’s share of M&A activity in 2011:
Survival Tactic #8 Strategic Teaming
First, the bad news about FY 2011: There will be fewer government contracts.
Now, the good news: Spending probably won’t go down. Sure, in the long run, it’s on the decline. The deficit will force some belt-tightening. But experts tell us that it’s even possible the contracting industry could see modest growth next year.
But how will that math work? More dollars in fewer contracts? Simple – the analysts we talk to all expect the government to concentrate more funding into large Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) vehicles. Continue reading »
Survival Tactic #7 Avoid Trouble with Tax Authorities
The type of tax planning that saves cash is great, but sometimes the best tax planning a company can do is to stay out of trouble with the taxing authorities. Here are a few pitfalls government contractors should be keen to avoid:
State and Local Tax
It’s been a busy year, the books are closed and the numbers look good. During the year, you had employees, independent contractors, property, etc., in several states. Do you know which state and local jurisdictions, i.e., states, counties, cities, towns, etc., will require you to file a tax return for 2010? Once you have established the states in which you are required to file a return, you must determine how much of your income is reportable to which state or local government. Continue reading »
Aronson Contributors
Categories
Popular Tags
Blog Roll
Popular Posts
What We Are Writing
- A Marriage of Inconvenience: GSA Schedule Contracts & The Contractor Code of Business Ethics & Conduct Clause
- Emerging Small Businesses: To Grow Your Business, You Must Plan For Growth
- Government Contracting: Look Before You Leap!
- GSA Schedules – Strategies for Success
- New Employee vs. Independent Contractor Considerations
- Pay on Display – Understanding the Executive Compensation and Subcontractor Data Reporting Requirements & Ramifications
- The GSA Schedule: Your Ticket to the Federal Market (May 2010)
- The New FAR Codes of Conduct and Compliance Program Provisions
- The Seven Deadly Sins (of contract compliance)