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There has been a lot of back and forth these days and policy debates about cost, efficiency, structure, and roles in the government. In particular, there is the debate about government roles versus contractor roles.
John Hillen, president and CEO of Global Defense Technology and Systems, expressed his belief that the conversation will only continue. At the Voices of GovCon Luncheon earlier this week, Hillen said there is not a definitive solution in the near future, especially on the cost side. However, there are some “immovable physics“ of the government contracting industry that represent some great opportunities for the contractor base.
The first opportunity for government contractors stems from the mission itself. Since 9/11 has dramatically changed the new threat environment, the government has a lot of work to do to help close the seams between agencies. Contractors can help fill some of those gaps.
Hillen said technology ownership presents another opportunity. The government has always outsourced technology and now that it is changing so rapidly government agencies can barely keep enough experts for pre-award diagnosis. There is a “very robust role for the private sector in providing solutions after the requirements have been defined,“ said Hillen.
The pure demographics in government present opportunity. With the number of retirees, the U.S. has to hire more rapidly than other time since World War II. Finally, Hillen sees that the workforce flexibility that the external workforces can provide in a dynamic threat environment will provide great opportunities for the government contracting community.
Click here to watch the video recap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSfetnN3peE
