Let’s check the article about a pipeline attack and analyze how we can help government agencies!

THE PIPELINE ATTACK AND GAO REPORT

Remember the pipeline attacks that happened a few weeks ago? Well, Nextgov issued an article regarding that incident. 

As per this article, in May 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a scathing report of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) performance.

Now, what GAO essentially does is review federal agencies and issues that  they need to fix, their weak areas, and areas where there’s vulnerabilities. 

In that report, GAO talked about infrastructure protection and its recommendations on how TSA manages its pipeline securities. 

However, there may have already been a problem because of the attack that recently happened. 

Currently, there was an interagency team created in response to the cyberattack and they are developing a system restart plan regarding the matter.

But why is this important for us, contractors, to know? Because this is a way to get an opportunity.

Not that we’re taking advantage of such a problem, but if you have a solution, why not offer it to the ones who need it, in this case, the federal government. 

Now, how can you do it? Well, read further to learn how!

WHAT CAN CONTRACTORS DO?

1. Look at the problem in the eye of the government.

In order to fully understand why our solutions are needed, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the government buyer.

If you are one of the employees who need to sort this whole problem, what would you do? Where do you get solutions from? Who do you call?

Now, this is where contractors like us are needed… but it is our responsibility to offer that solution because the federal buyer won’t learn about us without us building a relationship with them. 

2. Look at the agency’s website. 

If you work with any federal buyer, the activities that they do, as well as other reports that they may have, are public information.

Due to this, we can easily learn more about that agency and what are the things that they need help with. 

Besides, we need market intelligence when talking to the different players and layers in the govcon marketplace. 

For instance, if you have a capability meeting for a certain federal buyer but don’t know how to talk to them in a way that will be an advantage on your part, then why not check their website? 

Look into their reports and data and check which aspect needs help or which aspect can you provide your products and services. 

“The government is a public entity paid by taxpayers dollars and the information on whether they do good stuff or bad stuff is available.”

3. Offer solutions. 

In a past interview with Nicole Tripodi, we discussed opportunities for small businesses and why it’s a must to have forward thinking.

This is because we tend to forget or maybe we’re not aware of this, but this is an area where we can offer solutions. 

People oftentimes want to come in and say, “Okay, I have this new technology. I’ve got this solution. Who do I present it to?”

Well, this pipeline attack is a perfect example on how you can turn a problem into an opportunity and how you can present your solution to the government.

Your solution didn’t even have to be a software or a hardware solution, it could be a simple solution for a better way of tracking information, collecting data, and offering recommendations or triggering alerts.

ADVICE FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS

1. You should pursue multiple opportunities.

Don’t just focus on one bid and wait for that contract to be awarded. Rather, you need to pursue multiple opportunities. 

Why? Because that one bid may not lead to a contract award due to budget restrictions, among others. 

What you need to do is submit a bid and then continue working on other contract opportunities. Don’t think about that anymore and just continue qualifying for more opportunities.

Then, even if that bid is awarded to your company, continue working for more. That’s what we usually do and that’s why GovCon Giants and its community are continuously winning. 

“You should be doing more activities to align yourself with more opportunities.”

2. Don’t turn down contract opportunities.

There are a lot of ways that you can execute a contract, so don’t turn it down because you think you cannot do it or you have no resources to do so.

Why not work with a teaming partner or subcontract parts of the contract? If you have no resources and banks won’t let you borrow money, why not borrow money from other businesses instead? 

There are a lot of ways that you can deal with such problems… all you need to do is take advantage of the relationships that you built with experts within your industry. 

An example of this is Randie Ward’s experience as a consultant. The business that she was working with didn’t want to deal with the opportunities that she’s bringing, so she executed it herself. 

With the help of GovCon Giants, we found someone who executed the contract in California. 

Now, Randie is winning more contracts. In fact, just recently, she won a $5 million single award contract and an IDIQ for her clients. 

RESOURCES

If you want to find out how to help government agencies in terms of problems like a pipeline attack, then check our resources below.

You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Pipeline Attack | GAO Reports | FEMA Puerto Rico funding and Contract Opportunities

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB6q6S7MkoE&t=736s

Energy Department Leading White House Interagency Response to Pipeline Attack

https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2021/05/energy-department-leading-white-house-interagency-response-pipeline-attack/173931/