We are in turbulent times in GovCon. There are changes coming…some may happen, some may not, but there is a general sense on uncertainty that permeates GovCon right now. The rules, guidance and potential paths ahead seem to be changing by the hour. We’ve been in turbulent times before. See my Feb 2025 Skyway Wire for details and examples of periods of uncertainty in GovCon. Those other turbulent times felt unique at the time. Just like now.
There are lots of questions that bubble up when we face so much uncertainty..
For contracting officers: Will my agency’s funding be cut? How many contracts do I have to descope? What do I focus on first? What do I say to the contractors when they ask? Do I T4C our contracts? or do I issue stop work orders? Am I allowed to do either/both? How do I do that? What’s the best way to do that…and so on.
For contractors: will we have funding on our contract? Will our contracts be terminated? What do I do if they are? What are my rights? Do I have any? What if the government decreases my funding but does not terminate? Do I have to let employees go? How will I get them back if I the work starts up again? Is the government market even stable anymore?… and so on.
In some areas of GovCon, it can feel like we’re in the dark.
So…what do we do?
Exactly that – focus on what we can do. Given the situation, what can we do? That is the question to ask right now. Don’t focus on what you are angry or nervous or anxious about. Instead of reacting to the latest smoke puff of potential change…or worrying about what may happen (or not) based on the latest post – focus on thinking of what you can do given the situation in front of you, the contract in front of you, and the time you have to devote to both. When things are uncertain, it’s human nature to tap the brakes. To wait to see what happens. To wonder and think and worry. Instead, focus on what we can do, despite the uncertainty.
Rather than curse the darkness, light a candle. Focus on what you can do to despite the darkness.
This is the first of a series on ideas and actions we can take now to light a candle in GovCon. I will focus on what we can do within the rules we have (as they are today), within the situations we are managing, today. My focus is to light a candle, and inspires other to do so as well, so that we thrive despite the uncertainty.
This is what I can do to align with the Skyway Acquisition mission: “Bring context to both sides of GovCon to make government contracting better, one contract at a time.”
