SECAF Taps Former Federal CIOs for Discussion on Creative Strategies for Ensuring Small and Emerging Business Success
McLean, VA (PRWEB) January 27, 2014 -- The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF), the premier organization for the small and emerging government contractor, held its most recent Briefing – Creative Insights for Success from Former Federal CIOs: A Conversation for Small and Emerging Businesses – on January 16 at the Gannett Building. Speakers included Nitin Pradhan of GOVonomy, former CIO at the Department of Transportation; Vance Hitch of Deloitte, Former CIO at the Department of Justice; and Chris Niedermayer of BRMi, Former Deputy CIO at Housing and Urban Development. The conversation was moderated by Roger Jordan of Professional Services Council.
Each speaker brought years of federal experience and shed tremendous insight on how companies can achieve success in this challenging, lowest price driven, highly competitive marketplace. Key strategic take-aways for businesses included:
-Understanding the culture of the organization as it works with your organization and not going "native.” Be aware of the culture and how they function. Each organization is different so understand and learn the nuances of their buying process;
-Consider a productizing of your services and come to the customer with a clear solution. This has become a priority for government and, therefore, its vendors and solution providers;
-Government agencies can spend more money on grants than the items they procure. Innovation research and SBIR directions should also be factored in given the challenging marketplace;
-Try to build relationships internally. Attend conferences, events and meet key speakers. Invest in developing business relationships with key CFO's, CTO's, and procurement officers; and
-Think cloud. Cloud computing is well beyond a trend and will offer significant opportunities in the years to come if companies are creative in leveraging this direction.
“SECAF events always deliver the most compelling discussions and expert advice – this panel was certainly no exception,” said Fran Craig, CEO of Unanet and SECAF Board Member. “The value of the material and context that the CIOs provided was extremely beneficial. I know for me – as well as other attendees that I spoke with – it helped to reframe some of my current thinking and emphasized the fact that there are many ways to understand the challenges that agencies are up against.”
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About The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum
The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF) enables the small and emerging government contractor to achieve maximum growth rates in a highly competitive marketplace. Arming members with business resources, access to influencers, government agencies, advocacy opportunities and education, SECAF is an important resource for a growing company. SECAF also serves the medium to large government contractors, providing invaluable introductions to specialized small businesses that enable the overall contracting community to work successfully in tandem. For more information, visit http://www.secaf.org.
Amy Talley, http://www.secaf.org, +1 (703) 395-5143, [email protected]
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