WashingtonExec Annual Greater Washington GovCon Awards Finalist Series
The clock is ticking. With just a few days away from the “Oscars of the Government Contracting Community,” the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and the Professional Services Council will both share the winners of the 13th annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards.
As we count down to the grand event at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, WashingtonExec is interviewing “Executive of the Year” and “Contractor of the Year” finalists about how they’re setting their businesses apart in the government contracting arena, and how they’re attracting a new generation of workers to implement their mission.
WashingtonExec spoke with Accenture Federal Services CEO David Moskovitz about the company’s plans for growth, its acquisitions in 2015 and how it maintains various levels of engagement with company staff.
Accenture, based in Arlington, Va., is a finalist in the Contractor of the Year category for companies worth more than $300 million.
WashingtonExec: What is your organization’s plan for growth during the next three to five years?
David Moskovitz: We’re “foot on the gas” for our clients and our people, picking the spot where we can have the greatest impact with our clients. This is about doubling down on digital and making investments to bring innovation to our clients through emerging technologies like digital, mobile, interactive, analytics and cloud. We’re carefully deciding where we want to lead in terms of clients, industries and opportunities, wining work and building the business our clients need like digital and health. We’re investing in our people, recruiting the best talent, providing more opportunities for training and development and shifting from a performance management to a performance achievement model that provides continuous feedback to our people. We want to be the employer of choice in the federal market. And we’ll continue to consider investments we feel we add skills and talents that our clients may need during the next five years.
We’re investing in our people, recruiting the best talent, providing more opportunities for training and development and shifting from a performance management to a performance achievement model that provides continuous feedback to our people.
WashingtonExec: How has your business been able to grow as the federal market contracts?
David Moskovitz: This is third consecutive year we’ve seen double-digit revenue growth, which is even more impressive if you consider that our market currently is flat to declining. We’re laser focused on delivering value to our clients, creating opportunities in high-growth areas and running a disciplined business. We see ne growth opportunities and are pleased with the progress we’ve made, especially as it relates to digital-related services. The most important factor though is our focus and absolute commitment to delivering value to our clients. We’re known for getting things done, and for successfully taking on the most complex and transformational projects in the federal government. There is an increasing priority among our clients on delivery assurance. Delivery is the hallmark of our federal business.
WashingtonExec: What is the fastest growing component of your business?
David Moskovitz: We are focused on two areas or continued growth — health and digital. In addition to our work on healthcare.gov, we’re working to improve healthcare access to our nation’s veterans as well as being a part of larger efforts to maintain security of those systems. We’ve seen growth in our work with the Social Security Administration and with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health. ASM Research, an Accenture Federal Services Company, tripled revenue for healthcare programs in one year. We’re also gaining momentum in digital, cloud and agile, technologies that are creating new opportunities and redefining the competitive landscape for our services. Accenture’s “Cloud First” agenda, the Accenture Cloud Platform and the recent corporate acquisition of Cloud Sherpas makes us one of the largest cloud service providers in the federal government. Accenture focuses on cloud solutions first to help clients improve performance and mission delivery. And we’re going to employ more agile methods for our clients, for those clients who faster, incremental, customer-center and low-risk digital developments.
WashingtonExec: What was your organization’s largest accomplishment in the last 12-18 months?
David Moskovitz: Our record of delivery. Perhaps our most visible project and certainly one we’re extremely proud of is healthcare.gov. This is an example of Accenture on its best day. We brought the best from across our company to work collaboratively with our client, CMS, and other contractors brought together for the Federally Facilitated Marketplace. We mobilized 500 people in six weeks. We leveraged the power of digital tools and technologies to improve customer service for issuers and purchasers alike, simplifying and streamlining processes and building a cutting-edge, cloud-based solution to give issuers increased visibility. We supported a 45 percent increase in the number of issuers and a 50 percent increase in the number of market plans and expanded the Small Business Health Options Programs to 39 states.
JD Power released a study this May that showed satisfaction among new enrollees in 2015 increased 55 points from the previous year. Because of this, CMS awarded us a five-year, $563 million contract to continue working on healthcare.gov. This commitment to our clients and to contributing to work that matters also was demonstrated in a $966 million contract to continue operations and maintenance of the federal financial aid system that helps make college a reality for millions of students and their families and a $300 million contract from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to support the Continuous Readiness in Information Security Program (CRISP), which is designed to reduce information security of our nation’s veterans. And we’re especially proud to be a part of the team that will be able to modernize the military’s healthcare system in a meaningful way through the Defense Healthcare Management Systems Modernization (DHMSM) program.
WashingtonExec: Given today’s government contracting marketplace, how has your organization’s approach to customers, employees and future customers changed?
David Moskovitz: It is more important than ever to deliver on your promise. Clients need to see the value you bring. A contract is something more than a binding legal agreement It is your commitment, your reputation and your acknowledgement that you will do whatever it takes to deliver the project or program, to do so in a way that is collaborative and keeps the client always at the center and to help the client deliver mission and services to its citizens. I think we’re seeing clients bottoming out of LPTA. They’re recognizing they have to see value at every stage. We have a history and culture of delivery. We bring deep industry expertise, technology “independence” and objectivity and insight into how government works. We want to always challenge our people, help them grow, provide them training and opportunity and become the employer of preference in this market.
WashingtonExec: We have seen many large, M&A transitions this year, do you anticipate this will continue in the future?
David Moskovitz: We have completed two very successful acquisitions over the last two years – ASM Research and the former Agilex. The ASM acquisition was named “Best Healthcare Deal” in 2013. With Agilex, we deepened our digital capabilities, expanding agile development opportunities for our clients and are now able to offer DevOps as well. I think M&A transitions will continue because we aren’t seeing the market expand.
WashingtonExec: How does your organization maintain engagement with all levels of employees?
David Moskovitz: Our progressive policies and practices encourage individual work-life balance. In 2014, we implemented a market-leading parental leave policy providing the primary caregiver, mother or father, with eight weeks paid leave following the traditional eight week maternity leave. More than half of our people participate in Employee Resource Groups focused on personal and professional interests. Our ERGs host events, including weekend leadership summits that were attended by more than 500 employees last year. Recently, we introduced on-site wellness coaches at our larger office locations.
WashingtonExec: Have millennials entering the workforce changed your company’s strategic plans for corporate policies?
David Moskovitz: As more and more baby boomers retire every day, Millennials are stepping in to take their place. This is a generation unlike those previous and we need to understand their motivations and goals and apply that knowledge to specific talent and recruitment strategies, and engagement efforts. The most prevailing theme we found was the need for challenging work that leads to new career opportunities: is the work innovative? Will Millennials learn new things on a daily basis? At Accenture, we are building a company culture where people are encouraged to transition internally and grow their careers in-house. We’ve created the Careers Marketplace, an interactive mobile platform that provides employees a means for mobility. And we have “Pinterest-like” learning boards where employees can both contribute and consumer learning concepts from an array of vehicles (TED talks, articles, books) in sizable chunks on their time and at their own pace.
WashingtonExec: How is your business involved in the community?
David Moskovitz: AFS people at all levels help community partners deliver real change in youth, veteran, homelessness and STEM issues. More than 3,500 volunteers contribute more than 10,000 hours at 245 unique events and 100 organizations, including KIPP, City Year, Back on my Feet, Goodwill, Dress for Success and FIRST Robotics. We reached 2,200 veterans and spouses through more than 100 employment workshops hosted with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. We led the Bob Woodruff Foundation effort to improve veteran access to care, convening more than 20 organizations to transform a regional patchwork of providers into a national network serving veterans and their families. For me, personally, the idea of community service and community partnership is very important. I’ve served for the last 20 years on the board of directors for The Center for Employment Opportunities, an organization that provides services to people returning home from incarceration.
WashingtonExec: Is your business involved in cultivating our local National Capital Region pipeline of young STEM professionals?
David Moskovitz: STEM is critical for business and government alike. As part of our global Skills to Succeed initiative, we work to prepare young adults, ages 16 to 24 years, for the workforce and equipping them with the professional skills employers seek. We are very active with Girls Who Code. In the D.C. area, we sponsor For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition Greater DC Region. Accenture’s team, the Robopartners, comprises KIPP students and is supported by Accenture volunteers.
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