May - June 2009   Volume 5, Issue 3

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As one the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, the US Government can be a major force in the marketplace for "green" products and services. The purchasing power of the Government gives it enormous influence in the kinds of green products, services and initiatives that will succeed in the overall marketplace of ideas. As Government agencies experiment with green programs, they will spend money on ideas that will eventually grow and move throughout the public and private sector.

Government Executive magazine recently published an article about a federal conference where federal administrators discussed trends in "Green Government." The article highlighted several green initiatives being conducted by the Government, including, but not limited to:

• A composting project sponsored by the Public Building Service (PBS) at the cafeteria of its San Francisco, CA-based office building
• Regulations regarding printing and recycling aimed at reducing waste
• EPA programs targeting employee travel as an area of savings and reducing an agency’s carbon footprint by implementing more use of videoconferencing and webcasting
• Federal purchasing of green cleaning products in an effort to reduce toxic chemicals in the buildings environments
• White House efforts through executive orders aimed at building and vehicle fleets to implement stronger goals on conserving energy and water.

These green purchasing decisions will have an impact on the overall marketplace. In addition, given this priority, it provides a new reason for companies offering green products and services to approach the federal marketplace.

To check out the Government Executive article click here

Global Services President, Courtney Fairchild, was recently interviewed by Washington Technology magazine about the incoming GSA Administrator, Martha Johnson, and on what Ms. Johnson will need to focus as she assumes the leadership of the agency.

Courtney offered the following points (quoted from the May 7, 2009 article):

The top priority for her will have to be the distribution, oversight and reporting of the $5.5 billion in stimulus funds received by GSA’s Public Building Service through the recovery act. There is a lot of public interest to make sure the taxpayer's money is spent wisely.

Attention is going to need to be paid and decisions will need to be made regarding the recommendations from the Multiple Award Schedules Advisory Panel. This panel has spent a lot of time and effort to make suggestions on how the MAS program can move forward. Given the past problems with GSA procurement programs like Alliant and Alliant Small Business, Johnson must ensure that the agency cleans up how these procurements are run from a legal and process perspective. This is also important to the image and vitality of GSA as it needs to be considered the "go-to" procurement force for the rest of the government.

A short term priority will be hiring and training qualified 1102 procurement staff. GSA has been doing more with less for some time and the workload is only increasing. In the long term, like every other agency, it is important to ascertain how to retain this qualified staff. Success depends on the quality of their workforce.

For more information click here to see the entire Washington Technology article.

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Global Services provides valuable expertise in federal contracting and sales issues. If you are holding an event and would like Global Services to participate, please contact us at global@globalservicesinc.com or 202-234-8933.

Keep us in mind for help with your government contracts.

1401 14th Street, NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC 20005

202-234-8933 phone
202-234-8935 fax
global@globalservicesinc.com
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Newsflash

Martha Johnson Nominated to Head GSA:

Ms. Martha Johnson, a former Chief of Staff to a previous GSA Administrator and a current employee of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), has been nominated by President Obama to be the next GSA Administrator. Her previous experience with the agency is seen as a positive indicator of changes to come. It is reported that Ms. Johnson will bring great improvement to the functions of GSA based on her inside knowledge of the agency, which should help her to forge respect among current GSA employees.

Many believe that Ms. Johnson's previous GSA experience will be invaluable in helping GSA to recover from recent problems. For example, According to Federal Computer Week magazine, "unlike recent administrators, Johnson has experience inside GSA, which would give her an advantage in improving an agency that has suffered through contracting crises, lost business as customer agencies do their own contracting work, and leaders who lacked a deep understanding of the agency."

Ms. Johnson is widely expected to be confirmed by the Senate in the very near future.
 

Opportunities

•     DHS EAGLE II – Small Business (listed on FBO as Solicitation Number: DHSEAGLE2)

Both solicitations are in the post-RFI/pre-RFP stage, and final solicitations are expected in the near future. Since our last newsletter update, not much has happened with these procurements except for an update from GSA indicating they are "putting the final touches on the 8(a) STARS II solicitation."

Small Information Technology firms with interest in seeking these important contract vehicles should continue to monitor them on the FBO site, as well as the agencies' respective websites.

For help enhancing your proposals - call us at 202-234-8933 or email global@globalservicesinc.com

August 28, 2009
Washington, DC Chapter of SCORE presents "GSA Schedules 101." This course is from 9:30AM to Noon. Please contact SCORE at www.scoredc.org or 202-272-0390. 

September 10, 2009
Global Services presents our GSA Schedule Post-Award Training Seminar: "Staying Compliant and Making Your GSA Contract Work" This course is from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM and will be held in our offices at 1401 14th, Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, DC, 20005. Please click here to register or call 202-234-8933. Space is extremely limited, so register today.

September 11, 2009
Washington, DC Chapter of SCORE presents "Business Development in the Federal Sector." This course is from 9:30 AM to Noon. Please contact SCORE at www.scoredc.org or 202-2720390.

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