Well, September was a busy month indeed. I managed to not get the final version of the Skyway Wire done in time #fail. I suppose I can take some relational solace in the fact that Congress could not get their job done either (the government is shut down as I write this on Oct 2). That’s a bizarre (and lame) comparison but I could not let the irony go un-noted.
First, for those our client subscribers who are affected by the shutdown, I do not mean to make light of this. I have been through several, both a Contracting Officer and Skyway. They suck. They are time vampire with no upside. The best we can hope for is getting back zero…a budget to be able to do the work of GovCon to meet the mission of the government. For now, I hope some of my levity over it will help make it less annoying, distracting and impactful.
As we roll into FY26, this is yet another unique year. Each year is unique, but some are more unique than others. For example, GovCon is becoming a thornier market to be in due to 3 key factors (of many, but these bubble up to top 3 for me):
- The costs are going up (see CMMC comments in last month’s Skyway Wire, and see episode 521)
- The opportunity is going down (see budget cuts, government shutdown, etc.).
- The recession is underway (I’m not an economic…but I do read economic data. See August 2025 Skyway Wire.)
That’s a gloomy picture of GovCon. However, it’s only gloomy if you only look at the surface. Like scuba diving under an ice sheet, the picture becomes much clearer with the right perspective. The costs are not up, yet. The budget cuts are not universal. The overall economy is slowing, but that GovCon does not track the private sector economy.
- Those costs going up are not actually here yet. Example: CMMC only applies to DOD (so far) and contractors can self-certify for another year. Plus, the items in the applicable clauses are for good cyber hygiene…so we contactors should be doing most, if not all of them, now anyway. Will the cyber costs increase due to CMMC? Yes. But we have time to plan for it. Business is not a straight line. We plan, we adapt, we pivot based on what happens. Knowing what will happen BEFOFE it is a critical advantage (i.e. CMMC requirements are coming but now here, yet).
- The budget cuts are not universal. They are not in every agency, every industry, and every place. This shuffling of funds and priorities is not new. It’s part of the GovCon terrain – just like it’s part of the private sector. The value of targeting has always been important. See our Targeting Podcast Playlist from the Playlist Page for more details with that, targeting has become more important as of late because of the rapid shift in priorities. I’m also working on some training videos on targeting too. Bottom line: not all that is, is uncertain. Is the budget for your agency (for our government clients) or your target agency (for contractor clients)? That is the question to watch. In my September webinar, I outlined the importance of following the money. This is that.
- The economy is contracting. That happens from time to time. We can debate whether this was self-inflicted or not, but that debate is a time vampire.
What to do then? First, focus on what we can do to navigate the terrain…rather than get distracted by the things we cannot control. My recommendation is start with keeping up with the changes. see our FAR Overhaul Podcast Playlist and my recent webinars. With that baseline, then assess how these changes impact you, personally (low, medium or high). Not how they play out in the news. Not how they impact “others”…how these changes impact you personally and professionally. With that lens of targeting, then go back and ask how the 3 factors (Cost increase, Opportunity Decrease, Recession) impact you, your agency, your company.
True wisdom comes from focusing on what we can control and disregarding things outside of our control. – Epictetus
Reminder: we are here to help you with the things you can control through training, consulting, and mentoring. To contact us, email connect@skywayacq.com. If you already know whom on the Skyway team can help you, reach out to them directly.
What’s new from Skyway this month?
Webinars: Based on feedback from our clients, I’m making live Skyway Webinars again!
The September Webinar was “Wrapping up FY2025”
The October webinar is “Launching into FY2026”
The Nov/Dec webinar is the “6 Ps of commerciality” & maybe a webinar on targeting since that is germane right now.
Watch your emails for more info on these live sessions or find them on Skyway Central© at skywayacq.com/webinars.
New Contracting Officer Podcast episodes this month:
New Episodes:
525: The “Overhaul” of FAR Part 6 (Part 3 of 4) 526: The “Overhaul” of FAR Part 6 (Part 4 of 4)
527: Small Business Search Tool with Shelley Hall 528: The “Overhaul” of FAR Part 12 (Part 1 of 2)
529: The “Overhaul” of FAR Part 12 (Part 2 of 2)
NOTE: You can listen to all Contracting Officer Podcast episodes on our website or directly on the native podcast app that’s already on your smartphone (See how here). For curated lists of episodes by topic, see all 40+ Podcast Playlists:
Thank you for being a Skyway client.
Having clients stay with us (96+ retention rate) helps us know that we’re doing meaningful work. That matters. – Kevin
