Nelson Alvarez

Master past performance in government contracting! Join us on April 28th for insights into Defining past performance, Key regulations, Federal assessment systems, and Resources for success. Don't miss out: https://bit.ly/4a2XIb6 #Govology #PastPerformance #Webinar

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We are going to share a #GovCon secret. This industry secret has catapulted #GovCons to multiple awards, accolades, and millions in revenue. Ready? Here it goes... #Data isn't enough. #Compliance and #context are required to properly navigate, target, and engage your #federal buyer. Here is how we at The Pulse of GovCon put the human element back into #GoCon so you can grow with intent. https://bit.ly/4cDUZpL

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Exciting! Specifically that DoD is emphasizing ATO reciprocity between components and departments. Although the “escape clause” is a little broad: During his keynote at the annual GEOINT Symposium on Wednesday, Pentagon Chief Information Officer John Sherman unveiled a new one-page memorandum signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on May 2 that directs “testing re-use and reciprocity to be implemented [by DOD authorizing officials] except when the cybersecurity risk is too great.” Attempts to standardize ATO evaluation assessments have been challenged in some key ways as far as I’ve seen. Will be interesting to see if this moves the needle… https://lnkd.in/eyScAvfE

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Leverage industry events, webinars, and podcasts as prime vehicles to share your knowledge and elevate your #GovCon thought leadership! Collaborate with your teams to refine their presentation skills, aiming for keynote opportunities. Pitch your consultants to conference organizers to establish them as sought-after speakers in the industry. Learn how to strategically leverage these platforms and amplify your thought leadership presence, showcase your company's expertise, and attract valuable connections and opportunities >>  https://lnkd.in/eAnEMZGS  #GovernmentMarketing #ThoughtLeadership #ContentStrategy #PublicRelations #Webinars #Podcasts 

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Are you engaged in government contracting? Keep your finger on the pulse of the GovCon sector. Read about the latest news, explore updates across major industries, and thrive in government contracting: https://lnkd.in/eqqgAQDr ______ #GovCon #Innovations #Trends

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Unveiling Olympus: A game changer in cloud service management by the Defense Information Systems Agency. This platform harnesses technology to facilitate defense agencies in evolving their cloud environments at ease, minus the hassle of enterprise network connectivity. With integration to DISA’s Vulcan DevSecOps, Olympus brings to fore capabilities unseen before! Click here to learn more 👉 https://bit.ly/3wFYGvz #cloudmanagement #defenseagencies #DISA #Olympus

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Transitioning from MPIN to OTP in SAM.GOV Registrations: A Significant Update "In a noteworthy development impacting federal contractors and entities engaging with the U.S. government, effective March 31st, 2023, the longstanding Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN) has been phased out in SAM.GOV registrations. This transformation represents a pivotal shift in authentication protocols, with the One-Time Passcode (OTP) assuming a central role." Click the link to read more: https://lnkd.in/gWVYATt4 #GovernmentContracting #APEXAccelerator #Govology #Transitionperiod #MPIN #OTP #SAM

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RGi President Brian Loggins spoke with the WashingtonExec. this week about how we provide an #ImmediateImpact for our government clients, and stand out among other GovCons. “What makes us different is the quality of our work, the quality of our people. I know a lot of companies can say that, but the difference with us is we’re very deliberate and focused on hiring the best, most innovative-type people, and then only going after the really innovative, complex kinds of work." Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gUBWHsAE #GEOINT #NationalSecurity

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Efforts to modernize government will fail if infrastructure and systems remain stagnant. This can be sped up by embracing three key principles. Learn more about them here: https://bit.ly/4b0XNfA Federal News Network #GovernmentContracting #Innovation

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I was thrilled to learn that the U.S. Department of State plans to establish three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (#FFRDCs): public-private partnerships that conduct innovative R&D for their USG sponsors on topics that cannot be effectively met by the government or the private sector alone. FFRDCs are required to have a long-term strategic relationship with the agency that supports them, allowing the FFRDC to recruit and retain scientific and technical expertise, conduct R&D to meet the needs of the sponsoring agency; and offer independent scientific and technical advice. From my days as an FSO at State and as a consultant on national security and technology for the past five years, I’ve strongly advocated for State to join its Executive Branch brethren – Commerce, NIST, DOD, NSA, Energy, HHS, DHS, NIH, Treasury, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, NASA, NSF, the Social Security Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission – in establishing an FFRDC. This was a recommendation I encouraged the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence to include in its 2021 Final Report to the White House and Congress, so it’s heartening to see State finally proceed.  Better late than never! State wants to create three FFRDCs to conduct R&D on: (1) Operational support for acquisition planning and development for new technologies; and operational analysis to identify institutional and capability gaps and how to fill them; (2) Emerging threats, concept exploration, and experimentation and evaluation, developing new concepts, models, prototypes, and proof-of-concept demonstrations, and test-beds, and (3) #IT and #Cyber Operations. I hope this important step, when implemented, will facilitate two more steps that State should take to be a global leader on technology for diplomacy for the rest of the 21st century: (1) Establish an in-house “Technology for Diplomacy” R&D lab that builds off of the FFRDC's work, to conduct internal R&D, prototyping, scaling, and deploying of #AI and other emerging technologies that empower American diplomats, and (2) Fund "Small Business Innovation Research" (#SBIR) Grants to leverage the innovative and entrepreneurial talents of U.S. small technology companies to offer their own innovative tech ideas to bolster US diplomacy and build a private sector constituency for the State Department in America’s vibrant tech startup ecosystems. All of this in due time. The immediate next step is for innovation stakeholders (like FedTech) to give feedback on the proposed scope of the work to be performed by the FFRDCs and on already-existing capabilities in these areas that the Department should consider. Exciting to see State make a long-term commitment to #innovation #technology #entrepreneurism #startups #diplomacy #natsec #leadership.

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INNOVATIVE AF | Ideas are a dime a dozen... Crafting a narrative is difficult... Organizing a team is harder yet... Executing on a vision is even more infrequent... Developing a prototype is challenging... Securing resources is a formidable undertaking... Delivering a solution—at any appreciable scale—a rare feat of courage, determination, and grit... Gaining market adoption is always a hurdle... Ensuring sustainability is the ultimate test... All told, innovation is hard. But then there are moments where we get glimpses of success. It's in these moments that it's incumbent on the workforce, contemporary peers, and senior leaders alike to amplify the story—not just the monolithic achievement, but the stories of the people themselves. Say it with me: the proverbial stories of historical lore are getting tired. It's time for a refresh. Make no mistake, NIPRGPT is awesome. Even more awesome-r? The people behind it. Who are they? Collen Roller, Nick Brooks, Alexis B., and a whole host of others who you should ask about—including all the volunteers at hackathons and behind-the-scenes supporters. They each have personal stories full of insight, inspiration, and wisdom that will enable others to go faster and do even better. To that point, if there's only one axiom found in public service, it's that FOMO is real. I can just hear senior leaders in other services and agencies now, "Hey! Where's our NIPRGPT?!" This FOMO and observational precedent can be a POWERFUL tool. Witness a young person successfully empowered and in charge of something? They'll respond, "Where's my Gen Z or Millennial?!" Take liberty with a policy? They'll proclaim, "We should do that too!" The list goes on and on, which can lead to some perverse outcomes or behaviors—insert budget/technological redundancies and the oftentimes dangerous currency dealing of political capital show theater here—but when harnessed and wielded, it's, for the most part, a good thing. Like healthy sibling rivalry. And what does that lead to? More innovation, more trailblazing, more mindsets like "Yes, if..." and professional improv like "Yes, and..." Isn't that all we really want? Sure, NIPRGPT is great; there are also a lot of iterative fixes ahead, too. Don't dwell on the thing. Focus on the real takeaway: the stories of others that compel and inspire. Humans are storytellers. Tell more contemporary stories. It's a marker of progress that leads to growth and learning. Because, truly, the best form of learning is found by doing. #technology #leadership #artficialintelligence #future #innovation

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🔍 Insight from the Federal Tech Landscape 🔍 Exciting news from the General Services Administration! A powerhouse team of federal tech experts has been selected to shape the future of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). As part of the newly formed Technical Advisory Group (TAG), these influential figures from agencies like DHS, CMS, and GSA will drive strategic decisions to enhance government-wide compliance efforts and foster the adoption of cutting-edge technology solutions. 🌟 Meet the Pioneers: Laura Beaufort, Paul Hirsch, Michael Boyce, Elizabeth Schweinsberg, Grant Dasher, Nicole Thompson, and Brian Turnau—visionaries in technical leadership and cybersecurity—are at the forefront of this pivotal initiative to revolutionize FedRAMP processes and elevate cloud service utilization across federal agencies. 🚀 Empowering Federal Innovation: The TAG's mission to streamline operations, bolster security frameworks, and embrace novel technologies underscores a commitment to maximizing the potential of FedRAMP. Through collaboration and foresight, these experts aim to make cloud services safer, more accessible, and technologically advanced for government entities nationwide. Stay tuned for the latest updates on how Cardinal North Solutions is poised to support and collaborate with these influential voices, driving innovation and digital transformation in the federal IT landscape. #CardinalNorth #FedRAMP #Innovation #FederalTech #Cybersecurity #CloudServices #Collaboration #DigitalTransformation

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“The conferees agree that intelligence support to the planning and execution of cyber operations conducted below the level of armed conflict, for preparation of the operational environment, and at each level of operational art — strategic, operational, and tactical — must be substantially improved.” I could not agree more. We must arm our formations, at the lowest level, with the information to conduct #cyber preparation of the environment and become integral in the staff estimate. We struggled with this and nobody felt it was “their” task. No formation, regardless of size, should deploy without knowing the cyber environment AND their inherent weaknesses of their network overlayed by the adversary’s motives, methods and intent. But the DoD cannot do it alone and must partner with the commercial industry to provide not only the complete cyber threat intelligence picture but also one that is easily shareable across #coalitions and mission partner environments. CrowdStrike US Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICoE) United States Department of Defense #mpe #indopacom U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

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Knowing who is where, both from a business intel and relationship view, is key to success in GovCon. This report highlights a number of executive-level moves that caught the attention of OS AI across Government and industry for the week ending April 19, 2024. ==>> https://lnkd.in/eUSctsdT

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Stepping into the future with #DISANext - a comprehensive 5-year blueprint from the Defense Information Systems Agency. Spearheading industry change through its 4 fundamentals: Secure Capabilities, Strategic C3, Modernization, and Data. Hear from the visionary himself, Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner about the strategic imperatives of this plan: https://bit.ly/3WcCrb2. Paving the way for advanced #Cybersecurity and #strategy!

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Knowing who is where, both from a business intel and relationship view, is key to success in GovCon. This report highlights a number of executive-level moves that caught the attention of OS AI across Government and industry for the week ending April 24, 2024. ==>> https://lnkd.in/edPRZknm

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#DISA #DefenseInformationSystemsAgency Wondering what we do here at DISA? Here's a quick look at how we connect and protect U.S. warfighters in cyberspace. About DISA DISA is the U.S. Department of Defense's premier IT agency, responsible for maintaining the DOD's global information technology infrastructure. As a combat support agency, DISA conducts operations for the U.S. military to enable lethality across all warfighting domains - on land, at sea, in the air, space, and cyberspace - in defense of the United States of America. DISA also provides communication services to the White House in support of the President of the United States. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 📹➟ DISA video by Emre Tufekcioglou -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media: X ➟    / usdisa   Facebook ➟    / usdisa   LinkedIn ➟  h / disa   ttps://lnkd.in/eTV5egb5 #USDISA #WarFighter #StrategicDynamics #innovation #NetworkConsortium

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In case you didn't know: the GSA has released a resource guide for the federal acquisition of Artificial Intelligence solutions and infrastructure. The Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Informtion Technology Category, Laura Stanton, stated: "Contracting officers will play a critical role by working closely with program and IT staff to find, source, acquire and make secure the right generative AI solutions for agencies’ needs". If you're a tech firm who provides AI services and solutions, you should pay attention to this! It's always wise to know what sort of standards and practices the government will put in place for these new technologies and what CDOs and CAIOs like Ramona Carey, Matthew Graviss, Kirsten Dalboe, Michelle Zebrowski, Eric Hysen, Bill Streilein, Brian Erickson, PE, Chandra Donelson and Brian Peretti might be looking for. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAphMRM8 #ai #artificialintelligence #govcon #gsa #federalacquisition #federalprocurement

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