The federal IT market will not see a brand-new set of priorities for FY2017 spending, because those decisions have been made and already are being executed on, Larry Allen of Allen Federal Business Partners, told us in our latest EDGE360 podcast. So what new opportunities will we see in the New Year? He expects to see positive energy that comes in with a new Administration and an opportunity to connect with and educate new staffers.
With any new Administration, staffers are handpicked, optimistic and want to get things done. “This is the time to move the ball forward and sometimes get it way down field in terms of progress,” Allen shared, “This president may have some input on FY18 spending priorities, but we won’t see a full set of spending priorities or management policy priority until FY19.”
So where is FY2017 spending going to be? Cloud, new tech acquisition, data analytics and cyber defense, and there will be more focus on new technology.
“I anticipate increased focus on new tech acquisition, even though there isn’t a ton of money available for that,” Allen said. “Contractors should be seeking out agencies that have some of that funding for new tech.”
He also said that this is a great time for value-added resellers (VARs) to educate new federal employees about how innovation can be done safely and economically and about how the government works.
“As an expert, a VAR may know the fed market better than anyone new coming,” Allen said. “Some of these new appointees may not fully know the ins and outs of federal acquisition and priorities. You could help keep them from making serious mistakes.
“They want to do well; they have good ideas; and they want to have positive impact,” he said. “An experienced VAR can show them how they can get things done without having a negative GAO report coming in with them.”
Listen to Allen’s looking forward to 2017 below.
