PRESIDENT ’S LETTER
W
elcome to the summer edition of Service Contractor magazine! You don’t need my words to tell you that this summer will be unlike anything we have ever seen. While the world changes around us, the government must continue to operate key missions and functions that help keep the country running. At PSC, our COVID-19 priorities remain: keep the entire government operating, keep contractors working, and keep you getting paid. We continue to work with the federal government on issues ranging from access to secure facilities to securing the cybersecurity supply chain. Read more about these in Alan Chvotkin’s Policy Spotlight on page 14. Contractors face new approaches to acquisition policy amidst uncertainties over next year’s funding in the context of a national election. I share some considerations about that in “Acquisition Policy: Can Bureaucracy Keep Pace?” on page 8. This summer edition offers timely insights into how industry adjusts in times of rapid change. Leo Alvarez and Jeff Clayton of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, share insights into tracking procurement trends in supply chain management, on page 6. Shayn Fernandez of Rockridge Venture Law highlights legal issues on Proprietary Information Deliverables in his article on page 11. Leaders from PSC member companies give their insights into managing and leading during a pandemic, including Amentum’s Jeff Treffinger on return to work (page 20), TSI’s Shawn James on leadership and strategic thinking skills for all employees (page 21), and Lawrence Solutions’s Mitch Lawrence on access to secure facilities during COVID-19 (page 22). PSC encourages and supports accurate, timely, and useful government agency forecasts of future contract activity. These help companies prepare and respond better, leading to more effective competition and improved results. On page 24, read more from
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PSC’s Amanda Goff on our 2nd annual PSC Federal Business Forecast Scorecard, covering 60 agencies and sub-agencies. PSC continues to refine and create resources for our members to stay informed and engaged. Read more on page 26 from PSC’s Membership Team on the Coronavirus Resource Center on the PSC web site, PSC virtual events, and the advent of PSC online communities. Cate Benedetti’s regular PSC legislative bill tracker is more important than ever, with its overview of key Congressional actions on COVID-19 and much more, beginning on page 15. PSC conferences have gone virtual, with the July 13 Federal Acquisition Conference, Defense Services on August 13, FedHealth on September 15, and our annual Vision Forecast Conference in November. These provide member and non-member companies with outstanding market intelligence and policy insight while letting us reach members and their employees nationwide and around the world. The rescheduled Annual Conference in October remains the best way to learn about key industry changes that affect us now and will shape doing business with the government in the future. Watch the PSC Daily for updates on this in the coming weeks. Let me close on a note of somber reality and renewed hope. The response to the killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans feels different this time, generating needed actions to address systemic racism and other forms of discrimination throughout society. I urge you to visit our website and read my open letter to PSC members on PSC’s actions to practice and promote diversity, inclusion, and equality. As always, I welcome your input, your feedback, and your engagement in our efforts.
David J. Berteau
Professional Services Council
