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Government Consulting at Booz Allen Hamilton
Kristin ReisingerAssociate
Booz | Allen | Hamilton
4692 Millennium Dr. #200Belcamp, MD 21017 USA
Tel: +1 [email protected]
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Agenda
Introduction
Government Consulting– Industry Overview– Federal Proposal Process
Working at Booz Allen– Human Capital Consulting Practice– Example Projects– Required Skills
Q&A
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Introduction
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My Path
Loyola CollegeBA 2001
Manchester, Inc. 2002- 2003Consulting Intern
University of BaltimoreMS 2003Grad Assistantship- Dean’s Office
Human Performance Systems, Inc. 2003 – 2004Intern, Research Assistant
Booz Allen Hamilton2004-PresentConsultantSenior ConsultantAssociate•McLean, VA 2004- 2006•Philadelphia, 2006-2010•Aberdeen /Telecommute 2010-present
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Government Consulting
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What is Management Consulting?
Consulting: Work done by a consulting firm, which focuses on advising organizations on the best ways to manage and operate their business
Management Consulting: The practice of creating value for organizations through improved performance, achieved by providing objective advice and implementing business solutions
Booz Allen Hamilton is a leading provider of management consulting, technology, and engineering services to the US Government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets– Trusted long-term partner to our clients– Seek our expertise and objective advice to address their most important and
complex problems
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Commercial vs. Government Consulting
Commercial Consulting Federal Consulting
Example Organizations
“Big 4” Consulting FirmsErnst & YoungDeloittePrice Waterhouse CoopersKPMG
McKinseyBainBoston Consulting GroupStrategy& (BAH commercial spin-off)
“Beltway Bandits”Booz Allen HamiltonBearing PointAccentureDeloitteLockheed MartinSAIC InternationalCSC
Employee Stereotypes
Top-tier MBA GraduatesFocus on doing cutting edge, interesting work
Ex-military and/or smart/driven functional expertsFocus on serving important government missions, providing excellent client service
Relationship to Clients
Trusted advisors Staff Augmentation (“Butts in Seats”)Strategy and implementation work done in direct collaboration with clients
Assignment Length
Short-term (3-6 months) Multi-year, long-term strategic partnerships
Culture “Up or Out,” “Road Warriors” Common to stop at “Associate” levelLong-term onsite work, risk of “Going Native”
Environmental Impacts
Economy Elections
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Federal Contracting
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) guides how we work with our government clients– Complex set of rules governing the federal government’s purchasing process– Ensures consistency and fairness of purchasing procedures– www.acquisition.gov/far
Booz Allen solicits work from the federal government through a structured procurement process
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The Standard Federal RFP Format has 13 Sections
RFP Description Typical Content
A Solicitation/Contract formRFP table of contents, contact information, due date, submittal location, serves as contact when signed by offeror and government
B Supplies or services and prices
Contract Line Items (CLINs) listing what is to be priced and how
C Statement of Work Describes work required, i.e., specification
D Packaging and marketing Product packaging and marketing requirements
E Inspection and acceptance Product/service inspection and acceptance criteria
F Deliveries or performance When products are services are required
G Contract administration data Contract requirements not on solicitation form
H Special contract requirements Items not in Section I or other sections of the contract
I List of attachmentsData requirements and organization, anything that did not fit elsewhere, and occasionally organizational instructions not included in L to permit using an otherwise “standard” RFP
J List of Instructions
K Representations, certifications Acknowledgement forms that must be signed and submitted with the proposal
L Instructions, conditions, notices
Instructions for proposal preparation, format, organization, content, length
M Evaluation factors for award Process, evaluation factors, and relative importance of the factors used to evaluate offers
Sections we write to, and ensure compliance
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Proposals
What is a proposal?– A response to a client’s RFP– A sales document that is intended to convince the client of our ability to successfully
perform the work at the lowest risk.– If awarded, our proposal is a binding agreement to perform.
Most government proposals include: – Technical/Management Volume
Approach Staffing Assumptions
– Cost Volume– Past Performance Volume
All Booz Allen client-facing staff support proposal development
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Procurement Process ExampleSocial Security Administration Office of Information TechnologyHuman Capital Strategic Plan Development
Requirements Definition
•Existing BAH client, SSA IT, needed support developing a human capital strategic plan for their IT workforce•Supporting BAH IT team reached to HC leadership for support•I took the marketing call to understand their need and discuss our human capital capability. •Client requested a white paper outlining general approach•BAH IT and HC staff collaborated on the white paper
Acquisition Strategy
•Client turned white paper content into an RFP
Request for Proposals
•BAH IT and HC staff collaborated on the proposal, responding to specific requirements
Evaluation•SSA IT evaluated two offers based on approach, cost, and qualifications. Cost was the most critical factor.
ContractAward
•Offeror was notified of win•OUTCOME: BAH lost on price
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Consulting vs. Industry
Consulting• Work is project-based; customers, team, schedules, functional expertise vary• Advise clients, but do not make decisions
• Project scope is fixed• Time is billable• Project failure loss of future business for the firm
Internal Role• Consistent team andcustomers• More predictable workload and schedule• Decision-making rights• Project scope is moreflexible
• Project failure job loss
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Working at Booz Allen
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Our Operating Model
Focus of Work in Central Maryland and
Aberdeen
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Booz Allen’s Human Capital Bench Strength
Approximately 1,800 human capital and learning professionals with advanced degrees and certifications in:– Professional in Human Resources (PHR)– Human Capital Strategist (HCS)– Change Management Advanced Practitioner
Professionals with functional expertise in:– Workforce planning and assessments– Competency development– Organizational development and transformation– Performance management– Human Resource (HR) process redesign– HR program support
Breadth allows us to staff projects with specialized experts and rapidly surge to meet client needs
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Example Booz Allen Human Capital Capabilities
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Example Projects Along My Path
Competency Model Development and Analysis– Veterans Affairs, Office of Information Technology/ Human Resources Academy– Department of Homeland Security– National Science Foundation– Joint Special Operations University
Employee Opinion Survey Programs– National Reconnaissance Office– Office of the Director of National Intelligence– NASA
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Case Study: VA IT Workforce Development Challenge Faced:
– Need for data-driven process for identifying training needs
– Need for common language for newly centralized IT staff performing similar roles in different ways
Actions Taken:– Identified workforce competencies for all IT and IT
support occupations, with behavioral indicators for five levels of proficiency
– Aligned 8000 staff against appropriate profile– Assessed individual gaps for custom training plans– Assessed aggregate gaps to drive training development
and acquisition
Results Achieved:– Competency models for 22 occupations– 3000 learning events mapped to the models in a Talent
Management System– 96% assessment completion
Lessons Learned
Best Practices
Active SME Working Groups
Used one occupation as an initial pilot to agree on definitions/outcomes and improve the process
Implemented competency-based learning
Pitfalls
Lack of senior stakeholder engagement from the outset caused leadership commitment to wane in some organizations
Competency models are voluminous and some reflect functions not competencies
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Career Progression at Booz Allen
Senior Associates
Lead Associates
Associates
Principals,Partners
Senior Consultants
Consultants
Admins, Researchers
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The Way We Work
Virtual work is accepted– Many staff on client site– Move to ‘hoteling’/staff alignment to closest office– Matrixed teams
Virtual Collaboration is expected– Most meetings include Lync/ LiveMeeting screen sharing– Outlook invites include iPhone direct access
Work/Life balance is a mantra– 40-50 hour work week– Travel outside DC is minimal– Flex hours are common
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Required Skills
Consulting– Listening actively and asking pertinent and relevant questions– Thinking critically to properly evaluate information– Project management– Communicating solutions effectively
PowerPoint
Executive writing
Human Capital– Job Analysis – Focus group facilitation – Analysis– “Best practice” theories and approaches– Credible sources to cite
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Questions?
