The finalists for this year’s Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards were announced in September and WashingtonExec is bringing you its annual series with the nominees.
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Professional Services Council have unveiled the finalists for the 14th Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards, the premier awards event for the Washington area government contracting community. The winners will be named at a Nov. 1 gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner.
WashingtonExec talked with one of the finalists, Lisa Wolford, president and CEO of Constellation West, to get her take on the company’s biggest achievements, among other issues.
WashingtonExec: What is your organization’s plan for growth over the next 3-5 years?
Lisa Wolford: CWest plans to continue to expand and deepen our presence in cyber, continuous monitoring, cyber defense as well as health care IT. We already have numerous strategic vehicles and have bid even more in this last year that we expect to see awards on in the upcoming 12 months.
In order to further our support to our customers’ changing technical requirements and cost constraints, we apply modeling and simulation along with research and development solutions to be more effective and efficient. We have built Constellation West by continuing to pursue higher end strategic work for a broad range of customers.
WashingtonExec: What is the fastest-growing component of your business?
Lisa Wolford: We have expanded our cybersecurity domain presence across multiple agencies by helping them understand how best to align resources with federal policy, agency guidance and specific organization directives. In some agencies, we are setting the standard for how cyber will be addressed for the long term.
WashingtonExec: What was your organization’s largest accomplishment in the last 12-18 months?
Lisa Wolford: By reshaping our corporate structure, I have retained a completely new executive-level talent whose experience are fostering appropriate change and maturity within the organization. As such, we are accessing a broader set of customers and leveraging stronger partnerships with teammates.
WashingtonExec: How do you see a new administration changing the landscape of government contracting?
Lisa Wolford: Each administration has its own priorities which require support from Congress, the states and territories. The maturity and effectiveness of the new administration and its ability to maneuver within the political and economic landscape with not have a significant or immediate impact on government contracting.
But it does depend on who gets in office what the priorities of the next administration are especially when applied to budgets and associated contracts in the out years.
WashingtonExec: How has your organization changed over the past year and what makes you optimistic about winning GovCon Awards in your category this year?
Lisa Wolford: Every nominee is well qualified and each finalist’s summary shows the caliber of individuals and companies competing in this year’s GovCon Awards highlights the best of what industry offers. CWest has positioned itself smartly with executive leadership adjustments, improved processes such as adding ISO 9001 certification and reappraisal of CMMI Level 3 and an expanded customer set. We continuously endeavor to ensure customer satisfaction regardless of the size, scope, or name of the our customer, teammate, or partner.
Related: Q&A with 2016 GovCon Award Finalist Sonny Kakar, Founder and Chairman, Sevatec, Inc.