ERP PeopleSoft Consulting

Do you read Federal Computer Week? If not, and you are working on any government project, it is a wealth of information. Each time I read it, I gather some new information about what is going on with the agencies, some of the strategic direction and where to find information I may be seeking. I’ll try to summarize some of the high points and look forward to your responses on the information.

John Stein Monroe indicated the Obama administration has made it clear that agencies should try to bring many jobs that contractors are handling back in-house. Being a contractor who has worked on many, many government projects I am concerned that the transition will be a difficult one on many projects. While contractors are more expensive, they are also short-term (or should be) and engaged for the length of a project. They can be terminated at any time if they aren’t performing and there are no long term costs for retirement, pension, and other resource related items.

The same issue indicated an overall contract spending reduction by 7 percent through the end of fiscal year 2011 as a performance target. Steve Kelman indicated that the administration is making clear it is not seeking to eliminate cost-reimbursement contracts, but they may be looked at more closely.

Training could be very important in the coming years as the Office of Personnel Management has a goal to help employees succeed by providing training and helping to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Having been a consultant for over 20 years, training and ongoing education has been critical to maintaining my skill set and I would love to work for a company that was concerned with work/life balance. How about you? What are you thoughts on these issues?