WashingtonExec 2014 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.
Bob Kipps, managing director at KippsDeSanto & Co., predicted 2014 would be stable in comparison to 2013. He gave us four deal themes:
“Following a very tumultuous 2013 for most industry players, the recent budget deal and prospects of less confrontational Congress in an election year—while certainly not a complete panacea–should provide some stability to the industry and M&A markets in 2014.
Top 4 deal themes will include:
1) Cloud, mobility, health care, data analytics, cyber and C4ISR high on the shopping list for buyers
2) Continued divestitures from the primes and non-pure play industry players
3) A renewed focus on larger deals and
4) Potential mergers of private equity owned portfolio companies to achieve scale/harvest cost synergies.”
Kipps two years ago gave us his market outlook for 2012 as well as his advice to his kids.