GovCon

Microsoft CRM Based Stimulus Tracking Tool Gaining Great Momentum!

2009-10-28T19:59:00Z

Washington, DC (October 10, 2009) –Clients of Information Strategies (InfoStrat: www.infostrat.com) successfully completed their American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) reporting to the Office of Management and Budget using the Microsoft Stimulus360 solution.

InfoStrat Stimulus360 clients are located from coast to coast, including the states of Arizona, Missouri, and Tennessee, cities including Chicago and Seattle and counties such as Los Angeles County and Cook County. Together they account for over 55 million in population, and over 1,500 federal grants worth billions of dollars.

Seattle implemented 360 to help city departments with Prime Recipient Awards track and prepare their 1512 reports. According to Jen Chan, policy and fiscal analyst at the City of Seattle, “we found the tool helpful, and departments will appreciate being able to see data for all their federal stimulus awards in one place. “

InfoStrat developed the Stimulus360 solution for Microsoft in response to new reporting and transparency requirements introduced by ARRA.

Additional information about Stimulus360 may be found at:

http://www.govserver.com/Solutions/Pages/Stimulus360.aspx.

Microsoft Government Contractor Executive Forum Appoints new Member

2009-10-27T15:52:00Z

Washington, DC, October 27, 2009--Microsoft and Tatum, LLC are proud to announce that Peter A.S. Pfeiffer, Managing Partner of Tatum’s Mid-Atlantic practice, has been named as a new member of Microsoft’s Government Contractor Executive Forum. “It is an honor to be asked to support such an important program at Microsoft, one that parallels Microsoft’s objectives with Tatum’s value proposition in the Government contracting space”, said Peter A.S. Pfeiffer. The Microsoft Government Contractor Executive Forum is comprised of senior level executives from the government contractor industry. The Forum provides insight into key business challenges relative to high growth government contractors. A one day Government Contractor Summit will be held on November 17, 2009. The Summit will expose interested government contractors to Microsoft Dynamic DCAA Compliant Financial Management solutions and CRM solutions in addition to networking with peers and gaining access to best practices.

“Government Contracting is a very specialized industry with ever evolving compliance needs. As we service the needs of forward thinking CEOS, having Peter Pfeiffer of Tatum, LLC take a board position was a very natural next step. Through their deep industry expertise, Tatum, LLC is about unveiling possibilities and delivering operational expertise to the contracting community. This marries up well to what Microsoft Dynamics offers the contractor marketplace. This collaboration becomes a real winning combination,” said Christine Zmuda, Strategic Engagement Manager for Microsoft.

About the Microsoft Government Contractor Summit

This one day event will be held at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church, VA. This event will be keynoted by Carolyn Brubaker, Microsoft’s Chief Transition Officer. Ms. Brubaker will share insights on business development and technology trends for government contracting from her work with the Obama Administration. To learn more, call 1-877-MS-EVENT and reference Event ID103 242 3211.

About Tatum, LLC

Companies turn to Tatum when critical business challenges arise because we immediately deliver financial and technology operational expertise via solutions tailored to the Office of the CFO. We understand the urgency of NOW and we leverage nearly 1,000 executives and consulting professionals nationwide to accelerate results to create more value™. For more information, visit www.tatumllc.com.

Opportunity Management for Government Contractors with Microsoft CRM

2009-10-12T20:16:00Z

Please join us for this webcast on October 29th at 2pm est. Register here to attend!

The coordination of government RFP and RFI responses is a continual challenging process requiring the task management, document version control and the coordination of multiple teams. An effective opportunity management solution can enable government contractors to accurately manage pipeline management, collaboration and proposal development. Success ultimately depends on whether your organization can respond with speed, knowledge, and confidence. Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be utilized beyond sales force automation as an alternative to line of business applications to enable government contractors to better track their pipeline and opportunity management.

Join representatives from Eagle Eye and Ascentium, Microsoft’s Outstanding Dynamics Partner of the Year as they discuss and share best practices on improving the relationship of working with government agencies through the use of technology. This Webcast will provide an overview and demonstrate the ability to rapidly develop and deploy a pursuit opportunity solution for government contractors on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform.

Presenters:

Paul Murphy, President, Eagle Eye Publishers, Inc.
Jason Ambrose, Managing Director and VP of Enterprise Solutions, Ascentium
Christine Zmuda, Strategic Engagement Manager, Microsoft

REGISTER NOW! If you are booked that day, sign up anyway. We’ll send you a link to the recorded event to view at your convenience.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 Creates New, Expaned Reporting Challenges for Prime Recipients

2009-10-12T19:52:00Z

Prime recipients are organizations that have received ARRA funds directly from the federal government. These organizations could be states, tribes, localities, counties,
non-profit organizations or federal contractors/private sector companies. Even though the ARRA creates significant opportunities for these organizations, the funds
are accompanied by additional obligations beyond what is normally required to do business with the federal government. As such, companies must be aware
that the recent ARRA regulations provide strict compliancerequirements and could have a direct bearing on every aspect of their business operations. Please see this whitepaper written by RSM McGladrey.

Government contractors are fertile ground for agencies looking to hire experienced IT professionals

2009-09-04T23:50:00Z

This was written by David Hubler (Full Article Found here) .

Government contractors have become fertile ground for federal agencies looking to hire experienced information technology professionals. To some, such recruiting is simply a way of finding badly needed talent; to others, it’s government poaching and needs to be controlled.

“It’s becoming a common practice because nobody can sue the government,” said an industry expert who asked not to be identified. “It’s happening especially in IT.”

“In the 20 years that I have been around this business, both in government and industry, I have never heard so much concern about it as I hear today,” said Stan Soloway, president and chief executive of the Professional Services Council and a contributing columnist for Washington Technology.

“It’s not just the recruiting and poaching of employees,” Soloway said. “It’s the targeting of individual employees in what would appear to be violations of the Merit System’s hiring and other procedures.” He said he is bothered by “the often heavy-handed tactics that are being used.”

Soloway said he knows of at least one major military command, which he declined to name, that “has a list of 750 contractor employees that they are one-by-one recruiting specifically.”

That is raising hackles with the people being recruited, “some of whom do not want to go into government,” he said. He cited one case of a federal agency hiring a contract employee by starting him at the high GS-15 pay grade.

"It raises some ethical questions for us where you have a direct business relationship, where you’re actually soliciting employees of your supplier," Soloway said. "In the commercial world it is very common to have no-solicitation clauses" in contracts

Save the Date - 3rd Annual Microsoft Government Contractor Summit - Tuesday Nov 17th 2009!

2009-08-14T23:43:00Z

We are excited to announce the 3rd Annual Microsoft Government Contractor Summit. Final agenda to be posted in a few short weeks. Save the date to hear from industry experts in mergers and acquisitons, compliance, and technology. Ideally designed for CFOS, CEOs and VP of Business Development roles. This event will be limited to 350 attendees so reserve your seat today by registering at

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423211&Culture=en-US

Stimulus Funding for Organizations New To Government Contracting

2009-08-14T23:30:00Z

If you speak with the folks at Input.com they are inudated with commerical organizations interested in learning "how to become a government contractor" training. RSM McGladrey has published a helpful whitepaper which guides commerical entitities on how to compete for Stimulus Funding from a compliance perspective Read here for more details.

Webcast for Government Contractors: How to Build a Successful Foundation for DCAA Compliance

2009-04-28T04:00:00Z

Webcast Overview

As a government contractor, you may have heard that your organization must have an accounting system that is approved by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) to do business with the U.S. Department of Defense. No such requirement exists. DCAA does not certify accounting systems—they accept accounting systems. Attend this webcast to learn how to build a successful foundation for DCAA accounting compliance from two industry experts, Ken Bricker and Larry Mocniak. Ken and Larry share insights and established standards for managing the labor and other direct costs associated with government contracts using the Microsoft Dynamics SL financial management solution.

When: May 12, 2009 at 2pm EST/11am PST (60 minutes)

Our Speakers:

Ken Bricker has worked in the government contracting and acquisitions arena since 1975. He has private-sector experience as the vice president of finance and chief financial officer of a government contractor, and he has government experience as a senior auditor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). Ken has served as a guest instructor at the Defense Contract Audit Institute and has been a contributing writer to the Defense Contract Audit Manual (DCAM). He is a lecturer at many conferences for the Government Contracting Institute and American Graduate University, and he is an adjunct faculty member for Old Dominion University and George Washington University through ESI International.

Larry Mocniak oversees all aspects of Phoenix International's financial management, government procurement, financial reporting, and capital investment initiatives. Larry has an impressive track record of developing and implementing mission-critical financial processes and reporting systems that lead to greater profitability and operational efficiency. He has a unique blend of technological savvy and operational management rooted in real-time financial reporting. In addition to his financial management qualifications, Larry has a broad range of corporate expertise that he gained while administering government contracts for more than 20 years and while serving in senior management roles for both public and private companies for 17 years.

Webcast Opportunity: Understanding DCAA Requirements and the new PASS or FAIL AUDITS criteria – Is your organization ready?

2009-04-24T00:29:00Z

By far, the largest hurdle for small to mid-sized government contractors to overcome is the requirement to provide excruciating detail about the direct, indirect and overhead expenses associated with every item billed to the government in fulfillment of specific contract awards. Are you equipped to PASS DCAA AUDITS?

Join us for this one hour webcast on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 2PM Est/11AM Pst where industry experts will share advice on compliance requirements for government contractors, including:

What’s the truth about satisfying the DCAA requirements?

Why do Government Contractors need a special accounting process?
Why do forward thinking Government Contractors seek more than just compliance?
Is it possible to have a single ERP system that serves both your commercial AND Public Sector practice?

The session will give you straight talk on requirements and solutions and will be a great opportunity to ask questions of the panelists, including President of 1105 Government Information Group, Anne Armstrong, and learn from other government contractor best practices.

To help you understand there are choices in these economic times, join us for “Understanding DCAA Requirements” sponsored by Microsoft!

REGISTER NOW! If you are booked that day, sign up anyway. We’ll send you a link to the recorded event to view at your convenience.

SBE Council Government Contractors Survey - Participate and Receive Whitepaper Findings

2009-04-20T07:22:00Z

Small businesses serving the U.S. Federal Government as support services contractors can benefit from the results of a new doctoral research study being conducted by Mr. Robert S. Frey, MBA, of the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). SBE Council encourages our government contractor members to participate in the survey as they results will be helpful to our advocacy, research and education efforts.

Click here to participate in the survey.

A very useful and clearly presented "white paper" will be provided to SBE Council following completion of Mr. Frey's dissertation research later in 2009. You will have access to this set of aggregate findings through the SBE Council website. Entrepreneurs can leverage this white paper to identify the areas of organizational infrastructure that tend to be associated with the highest levels of return on investment (ROI) of resources within small businesses that provide support services to the Federal Government. The overall goal of Mr. Frey's research is to assist small business entrepreneurs gain insights to be more successful in the federal market space in terms of annual revenue and staffing level.

Other organizations supporting Mr. Frey's study include the Professional Services Council (PSC), MIT's Entrepreneurship Center, Southern Illinois University Entrepreneurship Center, and the Kansas Women's Business Center. All data will remain confidential in strict accordance with the ethical standards established by the University of Maryland's Institutional Review Board (IRB). When you complete the survey, all information is encrypted through Verisign.

DCAA Compliance Requires Better Processes and Flexible Tools - 'Documentation Traceability' Can Build Confidence in Audits

2009-04-20T07:13:00Z

To comply with the regulations regarding proper financial management, government contractors must satisfy the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), which is responsible for performing all audits for the DoD, and for providing accounting and financial advisory services to DoD components responsible for procurement and contract administration. DCAA also provides contract audit services for many other government agencies as well.

Government contractors have found there's no 'silver bullet' solution certified to guarantee compliance with DCAA's regulatory audits. Instead, contractors must invest in the proper processes and reporting tools to help them achieve and maintain compliance with DCAA's various financial audits. When it comes to compliance, DCAA auditors most want to see a 'traceability of documentation.

For all of these reasons, government contracting organizations are increasingly turning away from basic accounting software or services, instead seeking broader and integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) and document management solutions, such as those offered by Microsoft. Government Contractor customers have found the Microsoft Dynamics solutions are fully FAR, CAS and DCAA compliant. Relevant experiences with DCAA are shared from both industry experts and contractors utilizing Microsoft Dynamics for financial and operations management. Available for Download - this whitepaper can be found here.

Microsoft Dynamics for Government Contractors - New Product Launch - March 19th, 2009!

2009-02-27T00:11:54Z

Microsoft and PVBS invite you to the official launch of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, the fastest growing ERP and financial management software for government contractors

Be among the first government contractors to see Dynamics NAV 2009, Microsoft's DCAA-compliant ERP, project accounting, and financial management solution for companies that provide services and/or sell products to the Government. This is Microsoft's biggest new product launch in the last three years and is a must attend for government contractor executives.

The launch will be held at the Microsoft Technology Center in Reston on Thursday, March 19, 2009. Lunch will be served at this event.

Event Agenda:

11:00am: Registration, Lunch

11:30am: Welcome and NAV 2009 Overview

12:00pm: Executive Customer Panel Featuring Microsoft Dynamics NAV Users

12:30pm: Product Demonstration (This will be the first NAV 2009 DC-area showing.)

This event is open to all government contractors and product resellers however pre-registration is required. Mention (Czmuda@microsoft.com) for special recognition at the event.

Please click here to register online to attend this event.

I look forward to seeing you on March 19 at the new product launch.

SECAF Awards Gala: Nominations Being Accepted through March 10, 2009

2009-02-21T05:22:53Z

The First Annual SECAF Awards Gala is the premier commemorative event honoring the small and emerging government contractors and the players in the ecosystem that rely on small business. The 2009 finalists will be recognized and winners announced for each of the following categories:

·     SECAF Contractor of the Year (Under $6 million)

·     SECAF Contractor of the Year ($6 to $12 million)

·     SECAF Contractor of the Year  ($12 to $25 million)

·     Small Business Partner of the Year (greater than $25 million)

·     Government Advocate of the Year -  Honoree

Due to high demand, we have extended our nominations deadline to March 10, 2009.  Self-nominations

will be accepted. All award winners will be chosen by a judges committee and announced at

 our Awards Gala on Thursday, April 16, 2009.

 Click here to Nominate online

 Click here to download Nomination Application Form

Stimulus to generate $4.5B state and local tech spending

2009-02-17T17:49:12Z

William Welsh authored this article today in Washington Technology.

Contractors doing business with state and local governments should expect to see $4.5 billion worth of new information technology opportunities from the proposed economic stimulus package, according to Input Inc.

The projection is based on analysis of the House of Representatives’ version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Reston, Va.-based market research firm said Feb. 11.
“The broadband rollout represents the largest portion of the likely state and local technology investment in both [House and Senate] versions of the bill,” said Chris Dixon, Input’s manager of state and local analysis. Facilities modernization, mass transit and health IT also will drive technology spending, he said. Funding for these areas is included in both versions.
Improvements to physical infrastructure and mass transportation are likely to have key technology components, Dixon said. “Increased security and efficiency is the key in these areas, and both are technology-intensive outcomes,” he said.

Funding in both bills will drive significant improvements in health IT through initiatives aimed at improving the flow of electronic information at hospitals and clinics as well as large-scale Medicaid Management Information System projects. The two versions contain key funding differences, Input said. While the House version has substantial spending for education, law enforcement and unemployment insurance, the Senate version would trim spending in those areas, and instead allocate more dollars to broadband and health IT.

Midsize firms hardest hit by new requirement

2009-02-13T18:18:00Z

Alice Lipowicz posted this article in Washington Technology on February 12th, 2009

Midsize federal contractors with $5 million to $500 million in annual revenues are likely to be hardest hit by the new mandatory self-disclosure requirements in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, according to a government contracts expert.

“This means the most to companies in the middle,” said Tony Fuller, a partner at Beers and Cutler law firm, during a forum in Washington today. “They have further to go to comply.”
Under new provisions that went into effect Dec. 12, 2008, federal contractors must report in a timely fashion when they have credible evidence of violations of federal criminal law, fraudulent acts and receipt of overpayments. Failure to do so could result in suspension or debarment from federal contracting. The rules apply to most federal contracts valued at $5 million or more.

Contractors also must institute ethics compliance and anti-fraud controls and train their employees about those programs. Midsize contractors’ ethics and anti-fraud systems tend to be at varying levels of maturity, Fuller said. Some firms will need to take additional actions toward setting policies and procedures, training employees, and establishing control systems and documented processes to comply with the new rules, he said.