The government’s fiscal year draws to a close Sept. 30. What makes this year unique (besides a Presidential election) is the near certainty the government will be operating under a continuing resolution for the next several months.
ClearanceJobs recently discussed the end-of-fiscal year, contracting trends and more with Brad Antle, the CEO of Salient CRGT. Last year Salient Federal Solutions and CRGT merged, creating a bigger company and new opportunities for Salient CRGT.
“We’re definitely finding that the combination of Salient and CRGT now is allowing us to pursue a broader array of opportunities,” said Antle. “Being a bit bigger in this market space has been beneficial for us and our ability to pursue some larger opportunities.”
“We’re starting to marry up some of our different technologies like predictive analytics and cyber together to provide our customers with a better view of the potential threats that exist, as opposed to just trying to analyze existing threats.,” said Antle.
Closing out 2016, and Entering 2017 with a Continuing Resolution
When it comes to what he’s expecting as the government closes out FY 2016, much of the focus won’t be on winding down another year, but on gearing up for a CR.
“Typically in the last government quarter of the year, which starts in July, is usually a rush to get procurement that has been lingering or languishing out before the end of the government fiscal year. The primary driver for that is they’re obviously trying to get as much bang as they can out of their current year funding,” noted Antle. “The other thing that really drives it is the expectation that going into October we’ll be in some sort of Continuing Resolution, which means that there won’t be any new starts coming online, and so the customer will have to be spending at a level that’s commensurate with 2016 levels.”
Another thing that makes this September different is an impending presidential election. And while all eyes seem to be pointed towards who the next president will be, Antle noted it’s the Obama Administration that still holds the influence over the next year’s budget.
“From a budgetary perspective, Obama’s Administration is preparing the 2018 budget now,” said Antle. “It has to be submitted to Congress in February. The new administration really doesn’t come in until January. My experience is the new administration can only make changes around the periphery of the budget. It’s hard to have any substantial impact on the budget until 2019. That will be the first opportunity that either a President Trump or a President Clinton will have to really have a budget that reflects their priorities.”
When it comes to talent, the presidential election does mean more senior government officials are likely looking for their next opportunity now – and not waiting until November. Antle notes that leadership void can sometimes create uncertainty.
Salient CRGT Opportunities
Salient CRGT has a number of career opportunities available. Current focuses include development, programming, app and mobility and data management.
“We rely heavily on strong, clearable talent with solid programming, testing design and development skills,” Antle said.
While most of the positions require a clearance and the company vets all employees, they are also looking for individuals who are ‘clearable’ and who can be sponsored for a security clearance.
“As folks are developing their skills in areas that are in high demand like cyber, like data analytics, even senior developers, those skills are in enough demand within the cleared community that some of our customers are willing to allow us to clear them,” said Antle.
