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Using Surge Support to Fill the Gaps and Save Money

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Summer is busy for many different reasons in the GovCon community; proposal season, approaching fourth quarter, vacations, summer Fridays, and the list continues. Even though the rest of the world seems to be “summering” it’s go-time for GovCons and things can’t be allowed to slip. Your back office needs to stay on track. If you put important tasks on the back burner, there will be an impact on your bottom line at the end of the year. Therein comes Surge Support.

What Is Surge Support?

Surge support is a great way to help with managing these times during the year.  Surge support can be used during busy times, large contract ramp-ups (always a good problem to have), extended staff leaves and maybe just because your staff is maxed out and needs temporary support. Surge support can help in several areas; accounting, contracts, Pricing, HR, Recruiting and more. BOOST helps provide professional and expert-level surge support requirements for GovCons.

 

Concerns About Surge Support For GovCons

We know your first concern about surge support is budget. We understand. Prior experience shows that surge support can be cost-effective  When you consider the impact of NOT having tasks completed, the shock can be larger than simply paying for additional staff time.

 

Another concern may be ramp-up time for surge support staff.  This is where your policies and procedures come into play.  If your house is in order, bringing on surge support will be easier. Even if this is not the case, the time spent to bring a new person up to speed will be worth it.

 

We know that asking for help can be a challenge. Reaching out to a qualified firm that knows government contracting is the best first step for surge support. Sometimes you might not even know exactly what you need, but a good firm will help you. A qualified firm will guide you in structuring tasks and identifying the most effective way to quickly ramp up staff and get the most for your money.

Surge Support For Government Contractors

BOOST can help with surge support requirements for your back office and get you the help you need, quickly. Follow the link to get quality Services For GovCons or Email us for help at [email protected].

 

 

 

April Showers

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We find ourselves suddenly in April and the beginning of 2Q18.  How did that happen?  We’ve closed the books on 1Q18 and have 3 more quarters to meet our goals.  How did you do?  Are you prepared for ramping up?  Here’s a checklist to get you thinking:
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  • Proposal season – it’s almost here.   Is your team ready to tackle a few monsters?  Have you lined up teaming partners?  Have you started storyboarding your technical solution?  Now’s the time to start locking resources, teammates and solutions down. Don’t forget to include recruiting for potential slots as well to get ahead!

 

  • Pipeline Report – How real is the pipeline report?  Have you started glossing over “must wins” on a spreadsheet in your efforts to make the meeting go faster?  Who has dug into the opportunities and have you set them up to be successful wins?  Trust but verify CEOs… BD and Capture folks are inclined to load a spreadsheet with people they spoke with before, but that’s not an opportunity.  Be very clear on what makes it to the list and why it’s there.

 

  • Revenue – What did you have as a 1Q18 win that slid?  Are you going to be able to recover that revenue in 2Q-4Q?  Time to review the revenue assumptions for the year and figure out where you can make it up while there is still time.

 

  • Cash – by now, you should have recovered from your December cash spend/holding back bills and should have paid off any LOC used to make it through January’s payroll.  Are you in a good position?

 

  • Multiplier and profit – are you going to make money this year?  How many “must wins” are in your indirect rate budget that you are using for bidding?  Ensure that you are turning a profit and not undercutting your rates unnecessarily.

 

  • Hiring Talent – when was the last time you checked in on your potential hires?  You know, the folks that you’d love to work with but can’t hire until the contract hits or cash flow frees up.  A quick coffee to touch base can keep their interest.

 

  • Infrastructure – A little spring cleaning is always a good thing.  How’s the team running?  Do they need more resources or can you get away with less?  Have you documented everything your folks do, should they win the lottery and leave?  No one is indispensable… make sure you’ve covered how your organization runs.

The above should serve as a quick checklist of things to follow up on and analyze.  If you don’t know the answers to the above, you should take steps to find out…now.  There is time to not only recover but gain this year if you have your act together.

Did you know? BOOST does strategic planning to help with all of the above! You could benefit from the variety of resources we have in our BOOST backpack including the area’s top matchmaking resource, govmates.  Send an email to [email protected] and let’s set you on the right path for the rest of 2018.

Back At It

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Editor’s Note: This Article Has Been Updated November 21, 2022

With another swampy DC summer under our belts, we start to move into fall, which is generally a pretty busy time for federal contractors. As we squeeze out the last two weeks before Labor Day, a few things to keep in mind.

GovCon Proposal Season

Proposal Season is Complete – Are You Ready to Execute?

Most of the end of year proposals have been submitted, and September becomes award season. Have you looked over the key staff you proposed and reached out for their availability? Are you pipelining candidates to ensure you can transition and staff up quickly? Have you started looking at project plans?

GovCon Senior Leadership

Senior Leadership Alignment – Do You Need to Regroup?

Summer (despite proposal hell) is usually filled with vacation times, short weeks, and lots of in and out of the office. Does your senior leadership team need to reconnect?  Do you need to review your progress on CY17 goals and what needs to be done to meet them in the next 4 months? CY18 budgeting and planning will be here before you know it. Don’t miss the opportunity to finish this year strong.

GovCon Processes

Process and Procedures – Have You Standardized?

When used effectively, having standardized processes for every day can help streamline your organization, maintain higher quality and most importantly, make you efficient. When the process is too cumbersome and too overbearing, it’s either ignored or used as an excuse. Eliminate the crap you don’t use, highlight and tailor what you do use.

GovCon Mindset

Mentality – Are You Recharged?

Small businesses and GovCon in particular is a grind. There is FAR regulation, in-sourcing, LPTA, proposals that never get awarded, protests, agencies that can’t figure out what they want, and funding issues. It is pretty easy to question your sanity in this world. To that end, make sure you have rested, recharged, spent time with friends and family and generally just realigned your head toward growth.

If you need help with any of the above, reach out! BOOST is happy to assist with a streamlined approach as well as providing you the extra brain-space to tackle your next big project! That’s why we offer GovCon accounting services, GovCon contract services, GovCon HR, and GovCon recruiting and talent acquisition. Simply email me [email protected], and we’ll get the conversation started.