SENIOR FED MANAGERS SAY “THIS WILL TAKE SOME TIME”

Everyone wants to do their own assessment when they come into a new agency, but not every appointee has a high degree of familiarity with the inner workings of their new department.  These are among the observations from a host of recent panels and presentations featuring senior career feds speaking on the transition.  While essential operational work continues, larger projects may be put on hold prior to the execution phase to ensure that careerists don’t get ahead of political appointees who may want to focus on other issues.  All of this means that working through the transition into “normal” business will take time.  To start with, it takes time to put appointees in place. It takes time to get them up to speed and/or figure out what new marching orders might be.  This can all be extremely frustrating for contractors.  The people you want to speak with in federal agencies may hold an “acting” title until a new person comes in, or there may just be vacancies.  This is not the time, though, to try your hand at a PGA career.  There is plenty of RFI activity right now and the gears of government business will shift in just a few weeks.   As always, it is vital to understand your market.  Right now, it’s open, but in transition.