NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Top 10 Government Contracting Trends to Watch in 2010

1. Bad ideas will rise again.
   These include fixed price research and development contracting, says Norm Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp.
2. National security will remain a top priority.
   While some predict non-defense government spending will grow faster than defense spending, national security will remain a top challenge, says Paul Cofoni, president and CEO of CACI.
3. Government contractors will remain key players.
   While last year brought on talk of insourcing, the industry will remain "robust" over the next decade, says Renny DiPentima, former president and CEO of SRA.
4. Business models will offer more for less.
   Contractors will have to deliver more for less, says Jacques Gansler, former Under Secretary of Defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics.
5. Need for industry-government partnership will grow.
   So will the government's demand for industry to deliver more secure software products and services, says Melissa Hathaway, president of Hathaway Global Strategies LLC.
6. Confidence rebuilding will dominate the year.
   The "government services sector will continue to be the nation's 'anchor to windward,'" says Bill Hoover, president and CEO of AMERICAN SYSTEMS.
7. Use of IDIQ contracts will increase.
   Other positive industry trends ahead include Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' push toward 75 percent solutions and spiral developments, says Linda Mills, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Information Systems.
8. Intellectual property protection will top discussion.
   So will collaboration between industry and government. Meanwhile, reforms in bid protests will emerge - and not a moment too soon, says Stan Sloane, president and CEO of SRA.
9. Economy and industry will see "modest growth."
   "I'm cautiously optimistic that 2010 will be a year of modest growth and productivity," says Ralph Shrader, CEO and president, Booz Allen Hamilton.
10. Acquisition and contracting challenges will grow louder.
    The GAO has identified 15 acquisition and contracting challenges, says David Walker, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

What else does 2010 hold for government contracting? See the full list of predictions here.

About ExecutiveBiz

ExecutiveBiz is a weekly digital magazine that covers the Greater Washington, D.C. business community. For more information, visit http://blog.executivebiz.com/

Global Communicators (for ExecutiveBiz)
Jennifer Heuer, 202-371-9600
jenniferheuer@globalcommunicators.com