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Confronting the Challenges Facing Today's Government Contracting Community2019 Government Contracting Conference, Oct. 3, 2019
From left: John Hillen, Roger Krone, Maury Peiperl, Jim Woolsey, and Jerry McGinn. The School of Business' Center for Government Contracting and Defense Acquisition University cohosted a first-time conference geared toward the government contracting community on October 3 at the Washington Marriott Metro Center. The Conference offered Fireside Chats with Roger Krone, Chief Executive Officer of Leidos; Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Representative Denver Riggleman (R-VA) with a perspective from the Hill; and four panels on New approaches to Federal contracting; Intellectual property and supply chain security; Small business policy trends; and Workforce challenges for government and industry. Post-Conference Media ReportsSchool of Business: Government Contracting Conference Highlights Continuing Challenges and Need for Increased Government, Industry, and Academic Collaboration, Robert Appel, October 21, 2019 Inside Defense: Section 809 panel chair warns against ‘abuse’ of other transaction agreements, Justin Doubleday Inside Defense: Lord says key acquisition reforms near completion, Tony Bertuca, October 4, 2019 Washington Technology: Leidos CEO shares insights on his commercial strategy
Government Contracting Conference — Media Buzz
Mason Alumni GovCon Happy HourJoin your fellow Mason alumni working in and around the government for drinks and conversation. We will meet in a private room at Cafe Deluxe in Tysons Corner to expand networks and reconnect! We hope to see you there.
Graduate Programs Develop Talent Pipeline for New Amazon HQ and Local Businesses Shortly after the announcement by Amazon that their newest headquarters will be located in Northern Virginia, George Mason University announced an initiative to bolster research and develop more high-tech talent through a large-scale expansion of its Arlington Campus. This move will rapidly increase the number of highly skilled graduates for Amazon and other regional employers. “Amazon coming to our area is a symbol of the transition that Washington, D.C., is making, transitioning from a primarily federal government town to a primarily business and tech town with a significant portion that has a technology focus,” says Dean Maury Peiperl. “It’s very clear that in our regional economy, the government slice has stayed constant and the business slice has grown.” [Announcement] Specialization Is Key for Government Contracting Industry Success Brett Josephson, assistant professor of marketing, has studied government contracting since he was a PhD student. In recently published research, Josephson—together with Ju-Yeon Lee, assistant professor of marketing at Iowa State University, and Babu John Mariadoss and Jean Lynn Johnson, associate professors of marketing at Washington State University—recommended that companies focus on specialization. Damian Cristodero, November 4, 2019. [Announcement] Washington Technology: Why government services M&A deals seem to breeze through antitrust reviews In an article written by Ross Wilkers, senior staff writer for Washington Technology, Jerry McGinn shared insights on why service firms seem to have an easier time in gaining government approval of their mergers and acquisitions. [Article] FedTech — Government Reset Jerry McGinn was included in a panel discussion led by Wylie Wong, a writer with FedTech Magazine, on the long-term effects of the government shutdown on federal technology projects. The topics discussed included IT modernization projects, procurement, cybersecurity and contracting. [Article, Summer 2019] Commentary: In Praise of the Revolving Door James Hasik, Senior Fellow at the Center for Government Contracting, has written a piece for Defense News. [July 24, 2019, Article Link] Jim offers his thoughts of a plan "To Reduce Corporate Influence at the Pentagon. Executive Director’s Commentary on Navy’s Education for Seapower Study on the Future Education of Navy Leaders, June 19, 2019 [Article Link] New Advisory Board Members The press release on the Center's newest appointments to the Advisory Board [see below for full press release] was picked up by Washington Technology, ExecutiveBiz, and GovConWire. School of Business Opens Registration for Executive MBA in National Security The Executive MBA in National Security provides professionals interested in working in national security, the defense industry or government contracting space the competencies and knowledge to benefit their careers and long-terms goals. Focusing on national security and defense industry government contracting, a participant can complete the program in 16 months. [Program Description] Center for Government Contracting Appoints New Advisory Board Members The Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University’s School of Business has appointed nine new Advisory Board members. “These additional appointments continue our efforts to diversify the composition of the center’s board, from small to large firms, whether products or services, and with business and government representation,” said Center Executive Director Jerry McGinn. “These new members add to the rich ecosystem of thought leadership to help drive future center research and events on topics of great interest to the GovCon community.” New members of the Center for Government Contracting board are:
Scott Hine is serving on the Board in his personal capacity. His service does not reflect the activities or opinions of the Department of Energy or the federal government. [Press Release]
Transatlantic Industrial Interests and the Risk of Technological Gap in the Defense Sector Jerry McGinn, executive director of the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University’s School of Business, was invited to speak and participate in a discussion led by The German Marshall Fund of the United States. The discussion was held as part of an on-going Transatlantic Security Task Force project in Paris, France, from April 8–9, 2019. The theme of the discussion was U.S. Strategic Priorities and the New Terms of the Transatlantic Defense Partnership. This program underlined the key challenges that will continue to frame debates on the transatlantic defense cooperation in an increasingly complex political and strategic environment. Jerry’s paper addressed the panel topic: “Transatlantic Industrial Interests and the Risk of Technological Gap in the Defense Sector.” Media Mention — "Ripe for engagement: George Mason's 'GovCon' center targets massive
Industry Discussion — CFIUS Modernization: Implications for Government and Industry, with Heath Tarbert, Assistant Secretary for International Markets, U.S. Department of the Treasury — April 5, 2019. Secretary Tarbert shared insights on the reasons for recent reforms in the CFIUS process, including a pilot program regarding controlling investments and the process of identifying emerging and foundational technologies.
The most recent Happy Hour for Alumni, held March 20, brought together alumni, faculty, and members of the Center's Board of Advisors. The chance to network and share ideas and interests has proven to be a highly sought after event. The background of the attendees ranged from junior, mid-level and senior practitioners in the industry. A point of pride for the Center is that this event attracts all Mason alumni who work in the GovCon industry, from the Business School, to Schar, and the Law Center. Korn Ferry, Perspective — In search of 'cleared' talent Jerry McGinn joined a discussion with Jon Barney, a senior client partner with Korn Ferry's Aerospace and Defense practice and a member of the Center's Advisory Board, on the challenge for technology companies to find "cleared" employees to add to their workforce. The article includes suggestions are how to hire and employ workers in face of this challenge. [February 29, 2019, article] Federal News Network — New government contracting center aims to fill independent research, education void Jerry McGinn, executive director of the Government Contracting Center, talks to Executive Editor Jason Miller about the center's three-pronged approach to research, education, and collaboration. Interview Link. This February 20, 2019 interview also appeared in on ExecutiveBiz Blog.
Government Matters: Interview with Jerry McGinn on how the public and private sectors are navigating the shutdown, and mitigating issues that could arise, January 17, 2019 [link]
Have you seen our FALL 2018 Report on Center activities? Here is the link.
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Latest News
Alumni Happy Hour — Why we look forward to these events
Center for Government Contracting Launch Reception: A reception was held on January 30, 2019 to celebrate the launch of the School of Business Center for Government Contracting. The great crowd of attendees manifested our vision to be a nexus for government, industry, and academia to address issues in government contracting. Pictured above, from left to right: Sumeet Shrivastava, Maury Peiperl, Jerry McGinn, John Hillen, and Jerry Grossman. [
Can the shutdown lead to better government? A Commentary by Jerry McGinn and John Hillen in Washington Technology on January 22, 2019 that examines how government and government contractors are managing the shutdown and keys for the future. [
Shrivastava GovCon Scholarship Recipient Committed to Serving Community as CPA, Business Owner: Karen Crosswhite, a Master of Science in Accounting student at the George Mason University School of Business, is the first student to receive the Shrivastava GovCon Scholarship. Crosswhite is also the founder of BAS Accounting Services, a small Certified Public Accountant firm located in Ashburn, Va. Sumeet Shrivastava, EMBA ‘94 and president and CEO of ARRAY established the scholarship. Shrivastava is also a member of the School of Business Dean’s Council and GovCon Advisory Council. In addition to providing funds to the scholarship awardee, the Shrivastava GovCon Scholarship includes a mentorship component. Crosswhite will receive support from the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Center for Government Contracting. [
