2014 – WashingtonExec Annual Market Outlook Series
As we turn the page on 2013, we look forward to a new year and new opportunities for innovation and growth in the government contracting community. This past year we experienced budget sequestration, a 16-day-long government shutdown, and a perpetually increasing focus on cyber security and healthcare IT.
WashingtonExec reached out to those most knowledgeable and experienced individuals in the federal contracting space. We asked executives in and around the beltway for insight regarding where they see the government contracting community headed in 2014. Topics discussed include M&A activity, cloud computing, healthcare IT, defense, mobility, and more.
David Moskovitz, Chief Executive Officer of Accenture Federal Services, told us 2013’s leftover fiscal pressures will make 2014 the “year of delivery,” meaning agencies will have to “deliver” or fail:
“In 2013 the federal government was rocked by the ongoing debate over government spending, the necessity of budget cuts and the government shutdown. While agencies are experiencing a dawning realization that budget cuts are permanent and there is no relief on the horizon, they also now have more certainty about the budget. Federal agencies need to reorient themselves around a way to preserve mission effectiveness, meet increasing citizen and operational demands and increase efficiency with fewer resources, including personnel.
Agencies are presented with both an opportunity and a challenge in aligning individuals to best allow agencies to streamline operations and accomplish their mission. Human resource analytic capabilities will play an increasingly important role in the assessment, distribution and alignment of civilian and military services personnel to the needs of the agency.
In light of these fiscal pressures and the recent issues on major technology programs, strong delivery – on-time, on-budget, with quality – will be the bottom line. Agencies cannot afford to have projects fail, be delayed or not deliver the critical business results. 2014 will be the Year of Delivery!
With the establishment of the Defense Health Agency and the priority of our returning veterans, there will be once in a generation modernization of our military health system. DOD and VA will have the opportunity to deploy new state of the industry technology to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare and shift the culture from one of “managing illness” to one of “managing wellness.” The departments will need to work together to adopt mobile health practices, concentrate on the virtualization of health care and embrace the concept of wellness from a force readiness perspective.
Finally, 2014 will be the year of strategic government efficiency powered by innovation, leveraging opportunities in cloud, mobility, shared services and developing new commercial models. These digital tools and systems offer solutions to help drive government efficiency through the next year and beyond.”
Check out our November interview with Moskovitz about Accenture Federal Services’ 2013 GovCon awards nomination.
