Eastern Foundry Partners with BAE Systems and Booz Allen Hamilton for Government Contracting Certificate
Arlington, VA (PRWEB) February 25, 2015 -- Government contracting is often painted as a safe harbor for small businesses to grow thanks to the Federal Government’s 23 percent small business spending target and additional protections for those led by members of disadvantaged communities. Despite this requirement, small business spending often falls far short of this goal. One reason is that the size asymmetry of a ten person small business working with a 20,000 person government agency or large prime contractor creates many operational challenges. Additionally, there is an even more pernicious barrier that may not be so obvious⎯trust⎯or rather a lack thereof.
A large business can read about a small business' prior performance, look at employment histories, and review academic history to assess whether the people in a small business are likely to be able to perform the substance of the work in question. However, it is much harder to assess whether a small business knows how to write their section of a proposal, meet reporting requirements, or understand the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) accounting system. Errors in any of these areas could cost a prime contractor millions by losing a contract, or cause reputational injury with their agency client.
Currently there is no good way for a prime contractor to quickly assess a company’s knowledge of the government contracting process, so they either have to spend hours interviewing the small business' leadership, or more likely just keep going back to the same stable of small businesses that they have used in the past, who might not be the best, but are unlikely to make process errors.
Needing to assess a professional’s credentials is nothing new, as different professional fields have created competency tests to do this quickly and efficiently. While the Bar and CPA examinations exist for law and accounting, no widely accepted credential exists for government contracting.
As a first step towards creating an industry standard, Eastern Foundry has partnered with two of the largest prime contractors in the business, BAE Systems and Booz Allen Hamilton, and will be conducting a pilot program for a first-of-its-kind, classroom-based Government Contracting Professional Certificate from March 9-13, 2015. We are pleased to announce our program advisors and instructors from BAE Systems and Booz Allen Hamilton respectively, Mr. Wes Green and Mr. John Avalos. Mr. Green and Mr. Avalos will each individually lead workshops to share their expertise, as well as provide guidance for the entire curriculum.
As Director of ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) Analysis for BAE, Wes Green has led successful proposal efforts for contracts valued at over $200 million over five years and is an expert in project oversight. He has also orchestrated and created a new training directorate for managers to improve contract execution by employees and has hands on experience in close partnerships with numerous firms, in addition to managing a variety of businesses and accounts. He has extensive knowledge of customer base and market interaction, and is an adept project leader. Prior to joining BAE Systems, Green served as a Captain in the US Air Force.
Booz Allen Hamilton Vice President, John Avalos leads business development for the security and military intelligence-cyber markets. He is a specialist in sub-prime contracting and has extensive experience and knowledge in business development and contracting oversight. Mr. Avalos has worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and numerous clients within the intelligence and law enforcement communities. He has vast experience in partnership development and target market planning. Prior to joining the private sector, Avalos served as an Intelligence Analyst & Liaison Officer in the US Army.
In addition to these industry veterans, the Certificate curriculum will be taught by an instructor team of over 15 experts from all areas of government contracting, and will be offered “at cost” for $250, including reference materials and over 50 hours of instruction. The program is open to the officers and staff of small businesses, as well as employees of large prime contractors who want a better understanding of the life and opportunities of a small business
For more information or to sign-up, please go to http://www.efgcc.com or email Michael Stack at Michael(at)eastern-foundry(dot)com
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About Eastern Foundry
Through the incubation of cutting edge technology, Eastern Foundry’s mission is to help small tech companies succeed in the government contracting space, help system integrators find qualified partners, and help federal agencies meet their small business targets. More information can be found at http://www.eastern-foundry.com
Lisa Throckmorton, SpeakerBox Communications, http://www.eastern-foundry.com, +1 (703) 287-7803, [email protected]
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