Many of the habits listed below are super simple to add to your tool box of interpersonal skills. Sometimes we forget that simple gestures like listening, smiling and greeting people by their names increases our like-ability almost immediately. They Ask Questions The biggest mistake people make when it comes to listening is [...]
Pictured above are OCI Finance Department personnel on a casual Friday. Teyona Holland is the department Clerk. Daiza Smith is the Billing Manager. Bibi Ogunyankin, CPA, is the Finance Department Manager.
Bernie DiTullio has joined OCI as Vice President of Business Development. Bernie has over 30 years experience in business development in the Government services industry. He previously served as a business development lead at Hewlett Packard, Cisco, and other companies. OCI president Russell Smith said, "We are lucky to have Bernie onboard. [...]
November 13, 2014 It's a little bit early I know but it's never too soon to be thankful. Let me quickly share one of the reasons I enjoy being in this business. A few years ago, I became involved with the Children's AIDS Fund, a non-profit helping thousands of Africans. I never [...]
The package arrived on a Saturday as l recall. I opened it and found the book, The Loss That Is Forever, subtitled, The Lifelong Impact of the Early Death of a Mother or Father, by Maxine Harris, Ph.D. I began to read and could not put the book down, having lost my [...]
Last month, OCI was one of the sponsors for the AFCEA Bethesda “A Night for the Children” fundraising Gala. The money raised at the event was donated to two local charities, The Children’s Inn at NIH and DC House of Ruth. AFCEA Bethesda has been involved with charitable giving for over 15 [...]
The TV shows House of Lies and House of Cards provide graphic lessons for proposal professionals. Both shows have characters that are determined to be game changers in their chosen field of work, and both have unbridled ambition to jump over their competition using any possible means. One wants to own his own agency and be the boss (Don Cheadle). The other wants to ultimately be President or at least the person who controls the office (Kevin Spacey).
As the New Year starts, all of us here at OCI want to take this opportunity to thank you for your business. We strive as hard as humanly possible to consistently provide excellent service to you. If we make a mistake, we try to correct it as near to immediately as possible.
The question at top of all our minds is that asking, how much proposal business will we see in 2014? In this article, I will attempt to answer this question. The article is addressed primarily to OCI consultants.
Last Year – 2013
It is no secret that calendar year 2014 was slower than usual. The proposal market was slow enough that most consultants experienced abnormal amounts of time on the bench. Business in 2013 was slower than in 2012 at all proposal consultant agencies known to OCI. The volume of 2013 business at OCI was about 9% slower than in 2012. As far as we know, business at all other proposal consultant agencies was farther down. Figures we have heard in networking with significant competitors include business that was 14%, 17%, 25%, 35%, 40% and 50% lower in 2013 than it was in 2012. A few consultants have left the industry, while others have worked some in areas other than proposal services to augment their income.
Overview
CIO-CS is one of the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Chief Information Officer (CIO) series of Information Technology (IT) solutions for government-wide procurement, specially aimed at Commodity Solutions, thus the CS suffix. It first dawned on the procurement scene in March 2013 as a Sources Sought RFI and draft RFP and has now been through two rounds of questions and answers and a second, updated draft dated June 14, 2013. Since that date, the solicitation has been dormant, running into the strong winds of Budget Sequester, budget gridlock in Congress, and lack of GWAC approval by OMB.
