Meet Pramod Banavar, president of QSS International, founded in 2004. Banavar discussed with WashingtonExec his predictions for the government contracting community in the coming year, the need for increased competition, and thanks his employees for the success of his company.
QSS International Inc has received several awards, it was ranked 269th in the top 500 fastest growing companies in America and 7th in construction by Inc. Magazine as well as named one of the Top 100 Diversity Owned Businesses in Virginia and Top 100 Privately held Businesses in Virginia by DiversityBusiness.com two years in a row (2010 & 2011).
WashingtonExec: What do you think of the current federal government procurement and acquisition climate?
Pramod Banavar: Personally, we have been able to grow during this economic down turn, but with the recent budget cuts the Federal government budget significantly I feel that FY 2011 is going to be a tough year. There are several challenges for the small business community to consider in the current federal procurement climate, between the best value procurement practices, the vast number of IDIQ’s and BPA’s, and number of contracts that are competed that a large in size makes it difficult for most of small businesses to take part in a competitive procurement process. In the current climate one of the ways for business to be successful is to partner with large firms or other small businesses.
WashingtonExec: If you could change one thing about the government contracting space what would it be?
Pramod Banavar: I think the government should open up as many projects as possible to open competition either to small businesses; this will be beneficial to both the contracting community as well as the federal government. Competition will allow the government to get the best bang for their buck, two this would also help the businesses by being able to competitive on a more wide range of projects, which will in-turn help the businesses to pursue more contracting opportunities.
WashingtonExec: How would you describe the role of small business in the overall government contracting community?
Pramod Banavar: The Small Business community is the linchpin of the government contracting community, just as we are the critical to the overall economy of the U.S. The government contracting community is one of the biggest supporters of the small business community, we both need each other.
WashingtonExec: What do you contribute to your success as a small business owner?
Pramod Banavar: I can attribute our success as a small business to three things: hard work, luck, and God’ grace. I feel that I have been fortunate enough to find and surround myself with smart people, who have the same drive as I do. We have also been successful in following our strategic plan of building a diverse client base in the Washington Metro region, and growing at rate that still allows me to have full control over the day-to-day operations. Ultimately, as a General Contractor our success is really an attribute to the great employees that work for us and the subcontractors we hire to perform for us day in and day out.