This afternoon, The Pulse released an initial summary report available exclusively to our Insider + SME members exploring how the Federal Government is so far utilizing the Government Contracting ecosystem to support the urgent COVID-19 requirements. From the desk of Ryan Bradel, Partner at Ward & Berry PLLC, here is what government contractors should know while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. How do I “protest proof” my federal proposal? Short answer - you can’t. However, there are concepts and tactics Government Contractors can use to better arm themselves against a protest lost on compliance and technicalities. To find out what Protest Attorneys look for in acts against compliance, and how you can use this as armor and rationale in your next protest, The Pulse sat down with Elizabeth Jochum of Smith Pachter McWhorter We all know the man, the myth, the legend which is Q4 of the Government Contracting Fiscal Year. But did you know, outside of expected Q4 FY spending sprees, the Federal Government discretionary spending peaks traditionally during the months of March and April every year. This influx makes March Madness in our Nation’s Capital more than just college basketball… To discuss how you, the Government Contractor, can leverage SEO to attract federal buyers, The Pulse sat down again with Google SEO expert, Janet Waring, from ModelB, a modern digital marketing agency. Government Contractors have a lot to juggle. They are tasked to find opportunities on beta.SAM, make sure they are up to date with cost accounting standards, and monitor the ever moving target of their socio-economic classification. Yet there is one more less-discussed avenue Government Contractors need to monitor to stay ahead of the curve – publicly available Congressional documents. We are 70 days into Fiscal Year 2020 and the final Fiscal Year 2019 numbers are finally in! As Government Contractors gear up for Q2 of Fiscal Year 2020, The Pulse wanted to take some time to reflect on how Fiscal Year 2019 turned out. No one in GovCon is a stranger to these seasonal trends, but this time it feels like we are all counting on a little extra Q4 magic. Naturally skeptical as we are, we felt compelled to do a little digging to find out if the Q4 hype is real. Data used to support Senatorial Letter for U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.). Data featured in Nextgov article , Yahoo Finance , CHiefHRO, and Federal News Radio. The Pulse has pulled together our suggestions on how to cross-train your Bid & Proposal teams to give your organization durability, agility, flexibility, and efficiency. We sat down with Mr. Alexander W. Major, a Partner at McCarter & English and Co-Leader of the firm’s Government Contracts and Export Controls Practice Group, to discuss what exactly we should be expecting from our Industry’s Greatest Show on Earth. On October 8th, The Pulse of GovCon and Eastern Foundry teamed up to facilitate an open and honest discussion on industry best practices and pitfalls when shaping in opportunity in government contracting. We are venturing out again to create a simplistic resource guide for Government Contractors to assist them in their journey to understand the history, application, and the opportunity behind this creative procurement tool. After weeks of scouring, vetting, and verifying — The Pulse has pulled together a one-stop reference guide for what it takes to get your socio-economic certification. Each certification has its own enumerated steps and any other necessary, supplemental information. On August 20th, The Pulse of GovCon and Eastern Foundry teamed up to facilitate an open and honest discussion on industry best practices and pitfalls when creating a proposal outline in response to a Federal Government Request for Proposal (RFP). The countdown to the (fiscal) new year has begun - we are a mere 54 days away from Fiscal Year 2020 - so The Pulse wanted to take a moment to reflect how Fiscal Year 2019 has progressed, analyze what Q4 will hold, and begin to prepare for Fiscal Year 2020. We sat down with Mr. Ed Bassett from NeoSystems, an Organization that assists Federal Government contractors and other cloud-driven businesses by enabling, running and securing their business through dedicated security and compliance. On June 19th, The Pulse of GovCon and Eastern Foundry teamed up to facilitate an open and honest discussion on what it takes to be successful in not only hiring a Business Development professional, but also in performing business development functions in this highly competitive environment. The Pulse of GovCon sat down with Ms. Janet Waring, Vice President of Model B, a modern digital marketing agency, to discuss how their company brings together creative web design, finely-tuned metrics-based advertising, and brand-aware content to build beautiful things that inspire action in Government Contracting. On May 28th the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their latest infographic summarizing the Federal Government Contracting landscape in Fiscal Year 2018. And because you know we are all about the details - The Pulse has decided to shred GAO’s infographic and present the collective elements which made up Fiscal Year 2018 in Government Contracting. The Pulse of GovCon, Lunarline, and Public Spend Forum came together to discuss the actual value of three pertinent GovCon elements and evaluate Industry’s ROI Your Pulse gals sat down with Ryan C. Bradel, an experienced Federal GovCon Lawyer with Ward & Berry, PLLC, to find out the answers to the GovCon legal questions you’ve been too afraid to ask. Sometimes working an interesting Government contract can feel like finding the golden ticket. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, The Pulse has decided to re-visit the glittery and shiny agency that has had our attention — the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This concept of efficiency is as alluring as it is elusive. It’s an intangible motivator that both excites GovCon with its possibilities while also evoking fear from the absolutism of its power. This shutdown is unfortunate, but we recommend Government Contractors try to use the time effectively in the interim. We aren’t here to pontificate on what is going on - you have numerous outlets for that - but what we want to contribute are a few ideas to keep you, the Government Contractor, from going stir crazy while we wait out this storm. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been told there is only one way to put together a PowerPoint for a presentation. One golden standard “best practice” to ensure your audience is engaged while you’re speaking. No one in GovCon is a stranger to these seasonal trends, but this time it feels like we are all counting on a little extra Q4 magic. Naturally skeptical as we are, we felt compelled to do a little digging to find out if the Q4 hype is real. It’s been a long year—filled with late nights, dizzying brainstorming sessions, and a steep learning curve, all masked under a cloak of intriguing secrecy. From the bottom of our cynical little hearts, we thank you for putting your trust in us as we were nothing but an idea in its infancy. Despite its alluring mission of promoting economic growth, the Department of Commerce could be considered the wallflower of GovCon customers; it’s technically at the dance, but not shaking it wildly out on the floor. From reports saying that “OTAs” are a new procurement method, and others saying this is the future of just DoD R&D procurement, we are here to debunk and clarify. You can call us the GovCon MythBusters. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in GovCon is nothing new, but the playing field is starting to look less like a game of golf, and more like a round of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The noise around AI has been a buzz that is steadily turning into a fanfare- but do we in GovCon really know what it entails? Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your favorite GovCon experts. This Thanksgiving, your Pulse gals would love to share our gratitude for helpful and informational resources in this topsy-turvy industry. The General Services Administration (GSA) is everyone’s favorite love-to-hate “mission enabler,” charged with “delivering the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to Government and the American people”. However, over the past 68 years, we have seen GSA’s area of responsibility morph into monstrous proportions. It’s easy to forget about the second “A” in the acronym (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) but this buzzword should be in the forefront of the Government Contractors mind. 
