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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower: How Small Contractors Can Get Around Client Visibility, Credibility Issues
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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower: How Small Contractors Can Get Around Client Visibility, Credibility Issues

Mark Amtower, a managing partner of Amtower & Co. and a member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, recently posted his latest feature via LinkedIn to discuss the challenge that small contractors have building familiarity and favorability with customers to drive company growth in the relationship-centric federal landscape.

“There are reasons some companies win more than others, and some may be beyond your control, like the size of some companies, or the number of feet they have on the street. And other internal resources,” GovCon Expert Mark Amtower explained.

He continued, “But large companies are not the only companies that win regularly. I’ve seen and work with mid-tier and small contractors that win regularly because they do several things right.”

Amtower also detailed that the first thing a contractor should do is define a critical area of expertise and begin generating content that truly showcases the company’s deep knowledge and team in that area of expertise.

“The content needs to be relevant to the agencies you seek to work with, so don’t produce content that is too broad or general,” GovCon Expert Mark Amtower. “If you produce good content, and reach out to the right people in the target agency, the problem of ‘the customer doesn’t know us’ starts to go away.”

Click here to read the full article from GovCon Expert Mark Amtower.

About GovCon Expert Mark Amtower

Since 2009, Amtower has been coaching GovCon companies and individuals on leveraging LinkedIn. It’s not about learning how to be “on” LinkedIn. It’s about learning how to more fully leverage LinkedIn to market the Federal government in ways that were never possible before.

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GAO: Cybersecurity, Service Procurement Among Challenges in Agency Cloud Transition
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GAO: Cybersecurity, Service Procurement Among Challenges in Agency Cloud Transition

The Government Accountability Office has identified four challenges that federal agencies should address as they move to the cloud and these are ensuring cybersecurity, procuring cloud services, tracking savings and costs and maintaining a skilled workforce.

When it comes to cloud acquisition, GAO found that some of the agencies did not always integrate key practices for service level agreements into their contracts for cloud services, such as specifying how networks and data will be managed and responsibilities for notifying the agency in the event of a security breach, according to a report published Wednesday.

GAO recommended that agencies create guidance that includes key practices for such agreements.

The congressional watchdog said most of the agencies continue to utilize cloud services that were not certified under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

According to the report, four of the major agencies GAO picked for a detailed assessment do not always include in their cloud security plans the required information and incorporate summaries of security control test results in security review reports.

GAO called on the Office of Management and Budget to hold federal agencies accountable for cloud service authorization via FedRAMP.

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Senators Cite Need for Senate-Confirmed Leaders at Social Security Administration
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Senators Cite Need for Senate-Confirmed Leaders at Social Security Administration

A group of senators called on President Biden through a letter to nominate a commissioner and deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration to help address the challenges facing the agency when it comes to delivering services to citizens.

The lawmakers said in the letter dated Tuesday more than 70 million individuals receive Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits on a monthly basis and “older Americans make up about four out of every five beneficiaries.”

The legislators also cited the need to have Senate-confirmed leaders at SSA to help address labor-management issues and falling employee satisfaction at the agency.

“Permanent, Senate-confirmed leadership at the agency will help improve this longstanding challenge for the agency and its employees,” they noted.

Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; and Tom Carper, D-Del., were among the letter’s signatories.

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UK Seeks to Deepen Defense Cyber Cooperation With US Through New Academy
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UK Seeks to Deepen Defense Cyber Cooperation With US Through New Academy

The U.K. defense ministry has announced a $54 million investment in an academy to support the training of cybersecurity professionals and share ideas and knowledge with the U.S. and other international partners in cyberspace operations.

The U.K. government said Wednesday the defense cyber academy will come up with domestic and international courses to further develop the country’s cyber profession and provide cybersecurity training for defense personnel to prepare for future NATO, multidomain and joint operations.

The academy will work with industry and academia to improve research and higher education programs and collaborate with international allies to develop and implement cybersecurity best practices.

Ben Wallace, U.K. defense secretary, said defense cooperation between the U.S. and the U.K. will continue to broaden in the coming decades and the cyber academy will build on that collaboration to help fight cybersecurity threats.

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USPTO Appoints 5 Federal Agency Leaders to Inclusive Innovation Council; Kathi Vidal Quoted
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USPTO Appoints 5 Federal Agency Leaders to Inclusive Innovation Council; Kathi Vidal Quoted

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has appointed five additional federal officials to serve as co-vice chairs of a multiagency council that aims to develop a national strategy that promotes inclusive and expansive innovation in domestic entrepreneurship.

Federal representatives of the Council for Inclusive Innovation will work with members who come from the academic, nonprofit and commercial sectors, USPTO said Tuesday.

Gina Raimondo, secretary at the Department of Commerce, serves as the group’s chair and USPTO Director Kathi Vidal is the vice chair.

“Our nation’s diversity is what makes us stronger and more competitive. A more inclusive and expansive intellectual property economy will create new jobs with higher wages and promote economic prosperity for all—from those in all socio-economic classes as well as veterans, youth, retirees, to those who identify as diverse,” Vidal said.

The newly appointed co-vice chairs are:

  • Alejandra Castillo, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development
  • Donald Cravins Jr., undersecretary of commerce for minority business development
  • Laurie Locascio, undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology, and director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation
  • Shira Perlmutter, director of the U.S. Copyright Office
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CACI Receives DOD Recognition for Mentorship of Small Business Partner; Dan Cuviello Quoted
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CACI Receives DOD Recognition for Mentorship of Small Business Partner; Dan Cuviello Quoted

The Department of Defense has honored CACI International with the Nunn-Perry Award for its support and partnership with a small disadvantaged business that specializes in software development and information technology management services.

The recognition highlighted CACI’s team up with CDIT, a small business enterprise in Louisiana, under the DOD Mentor-Protege Program, the Reston, Virginia-based government contractor said Wednesday.

As part of the partnership, CACI worked with Morgan State University to provide CDIT with strategic planning and quality management training that helped the small business earn ISO 9001, ISO 27001, HUBZone and CMMI-DEV Level 3 industry certifications.

It has also driven growth at CDIT, which reported a 323 percent gain in annual gross revenues and a 188 percent increase in workforce this year.

In addition, the mentorship has helped the U.S. Navy’s Naval Supply Systems Command boost global logistics delivery and quality of life support through expanded industrial base.

“CACI is committed to supporting the DOD’s critical missions and introducing them to new businesses that can help them achieve their goals,” said Dan Cuviello, senior vice president of business development at CACI.

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GSA’s Laura Stanton: 2nd-Gen IT BPA Transactions Reach Over 59K
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GSA’s Laura Stanton: 2nd-Gen IT BPA Transactions Reach Over 59K

The General Services Administration has processed more than 59,000 transactions under its Second Generation Information Technology blanket purchase agreements via the GSA Advantage! online shopping platform, according to GSA official Laura Stanton.

Forty-three agencies have used the governmentwide 2GIT vehicle and over $127 million in sales, or 74 percent of the total revenue, going to small businesses, the assistant commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Service’s Office of IT Category wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.

Stanton noted the program supports a diverse pool of more than 50 small-business partners. Her office has offered assistance and training sessions to over 800 customers worldwide, including Pacific and European Air Force units.

The training covers various aspects of the 2GIT acquisition program, best practices on market research and the procurement process through the GSA eCommerce portal, Stanton added.

She added the agency applies supply chain risk management principles to the BPA and has worked with industry partners to remove approximately 75,000 unauthorized offerings from the GSA Advantage! ordering system.

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NTT DATA Agrees to Buy Digital Design Company Umvel; Wayne Busch Quoted
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NTT DATA Agrees to Buy Digital Design Company Umvel; Wayne Busch Quoted

Information technology and consulting company NTT DATA has entered into an official agreement to acquire digital design and engineering organization Umvel.

The transaction is projected to close in the coming weeks and is susceptible to typical closing conditions, the Tokyo, Japan-based company said Tuesday.

Wayne Busch, president of the consulting and digital transformation group at NTT DATA Services, described Umvel’s added value as boosting the former’s digital engineering capabilities as well as its strategies to take project proposals from concept to execution.

Busch also said the buy was part of a desire to bring NTT DATA’s clientele first-rate digital services.

After the acquisition is complete, Umvel’s staff of over 140 will begin working under the NTT DATA umbrella. Its currently Mexico City-based team of designers and engineers specialize in high-end design and digital product development.

NTT DATA’s yearly $3.6 billion average of funds directed toward research and development will be opened up to Umvel’s customers and team members once ownership is locked down, as will its network of 5,000 international research personnel, along with the company’s six innovation facilities and Plano, Texas Innovation Studio, which concentrate on complex technology development.

“Joining the NTT DATA family of companies is a recognition of the excellence in digital product development we have strived for since our inception,” remarked Umvel CEO Jaime Reixach Arias, while Umvel Chief Strategy Officer Frank van de Ven predicted that together, they will assist customers to “excel in the digital economy.”

With this latest purchase, NTT DATA’s portfolio of digital design forces continues to grow. It has previously acquired Nexient and Postlight.

In March, the company signaled its intent to buy Detroit, Michigan-based digital transformation specialists Vectorform.

Such portfolio additions will help the company better realize assignments such as their September contract award from the Federal Communications Commission to offer application support services. This work will primarily be carried out by their subsidiary Net ESolutions.

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CISA’s Protective DNS Resolver Service Now Available to Federal Agencies
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CISA’s Protective DNS Resolver Service Now Available to Federal Agencies

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has announced the general availability of the Protective Domain Name System Resolver service designed to help federal government agencies safeguard their networks and devices against cyberthreats.

CISA said Tuesday the Protective DNS service protects users’ network connections to prevent them from reaching suspected malicious websites and provides better visibility into their internet traffic.

The service features modernized capabilities, including expanded coverage, enhanced threat intelligence, real-time alerts, increased visibility and accessibility and zero-trust alignment.

The availability of the service follows beta testing with limited partner agencies.

Federal civilian executive branch agencies can use Protective DNS, the latest offering from CISA’s Cybersecurity Shared Services Office, to keep up with the ever-evolving digital threat landscape.

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Equifax CISO Jamil Farshchi Named Strategic Engagement Adviser to FBI
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Equifax CISO Jamil Farshchi Named Strategic Engagement Adviser to FBI

Jamil Farshchi, executive vice president and chief information security officer at consumer credit reporting firm Equifax, has been appointed strategic engagement adviser to the FBI.

In this role, Farshchi will work with the law enforcement agency to address cybersecurity threats facing U.S. businesses by strengthening partnerships with the private sector, Equifax said Tuesday.

“Over the last four years, Equifax and the FBI have created a powerful blueprint for public-private partnership,” Farshchi said.

He noted that a collective effort between the private and public sectors will “improve information sharing, bolster corporate resilience, and strengthen national security.”

Farshchi previously held information security leadership roles at companies including Visa and government agencies including NASA and the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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