Federal worker morale took an unprecedented hit during the 35 day partial shutdown.  One need look no further than the comments scrolling on the Federal News Network web page to get a glimpse of the feelings.  Contractors are well advised to show some empathy and understanding as current and potential clients shake off the cobwebs and get back to work.  Speaking of which, there is a lot of it that has accumulated since the shutdown.  The need for government work to do be done doesn’t stop because no one is there to do it.  Your customers face a daunting backlog of existing project management, planning for new projects, and training.  It will take some time to work itself out.  Add to this the prospect of another closure (despite the rhetoric, even experienced Washington hands are uncertain over whether this could happen) and a picture emerges that there will nothing resembling “business as usual” for perhaps a month and maybe more.  It should be noted, however, that “wait and see” is not really a good approach, either.  Allen Federal is hearing from companies, and government agencies, that business is getting done.  Larger projects that may not be executed until warmer weather (!) are, indeed, being planned.  The best advice is to know your customer.  Some are ramping up quickly, while others may have much other work to get to before they feel they can speak with industry.  Don’t take it personally.