A Note from the GMarkU CEO

Hello Government Marketers! It has been a cold February but that has not stopped all of us at GMarkU from developing relevant and valuable educational content. We are very excited about next week’s virtual Power Hour with our guest speaker, Suzette Kent, the former Federal CIO of the federal government. We have several new tools and resources in development that will help you in your marketing planning along with government marketing training courses (DoD Marketing, ABM Marketing, Strategic Marketing, S&L Marketing, LinkedIn Social Selling, Digital Marketing, Data Driven Marketing 101.

GMarkU is a “Marketplace of Knowledge” and we are always looking for Instructors and content contributors, so I encourage any of you that may be interested to contact me at lbrossman@gmarkudev.wpengine.com.

We hope you enjoy reading our February 2021 edition of “The Beat”.

Lou Anne

Word on the Street

When You Don’t Want to Be a Cat: How to Use (and Remove) Meeting Filters

An adorable cat filter is purr-fectly appropriate for a Zoom session with family and friends, but what happens when you join your next meeting as a furry feline and want to quickly regain your human form?

All the answers to your questions about using filters, whether you want to know how to become a cat in your next Zoom meeting, and perhaps more importantly, how to remove your filter when the situation calls for it.

Loving Lately

Bill Gates and Rashida Jones Ask Big Question‪s

In this unlikely pairing, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and actress Rashida Jones come together to address the big questions in life like is there an absolute truth? Is inequality inescapable? Is it too late to stop climate change?

Listen in as the pair talk through these existential questions with one another and their expert guests. While it might sound like a heavy listen, Gates and Jones break down topics to make them informative and optimistic.

Our Community

Share Your Government Marketing Knowledge & Expertise

GMarkU is looking for government marketers who have thought “I know a lot and would enjoy sharing my knowledge to help other government marketers succeed in their careers”.

If this is you – we’d love to have a discussion on having you as part of our GMarkU Faculty.

What’s on Tap

Power Hour 2021 Series: Master the Government Marketing Skills You Need in the Time You Have
February 24th @ 2:00 p.m. ET
Virtual

Federal Power House and former Federal CIO, Suzette Kent, is in the “Virtual” GMarkU House!

Snag your virtual seat! We are kicking off our 2021 Power Hour with a federal government POWERHOUSE – Suzette Kent. Suzette was the former Federal CIO who had a remarkable impact on Federal IT by driving critical mandates and policies.

We look forward to the open and candid discussion with Suzette which will enable us all to gain insight into how to better market to federal government leaders.

Wine & Chat Book Club
Quarterly Series with Readings from the Author
February 25th @ 4:00 p.m. ET
Author: Rita Walston, Director, Public Sector Marketing, Snowflake

Grab your wine and join us for our 1st Wine & Chat Book Club. One of our own government marketers, Rita Walston, has published her first book so we are coming together to celebrate this occasion as well as to hear her discuss her debut novel Paper & Ink, Flesh & Blood, a suspenseful literary tale for all book lovers. Attendees receive a discount code to secure their copy of the book.

GMarkU’s Power Hour Hosts are Lou Anne Brossman, CEO & Founder of GMarkU and Brian Chidester, Host of GMarkU’s “The Government Huddle” Podcast Series.

Early Insights on the New Administration
Brought to you by Deltek
March 2nd @ 2:00 p.m. ET

Do you know the latest updates on rules, regulations and policies set to impact the government contracting landscape now that President Biden has begun to settle in?

The 2021 administration transition is underway and savvy companies who are serious about growing their business in the federal space must understand the ongoing changes in order to compete effectively.

In this can’t-miss webinar, GovWin’s market analyst experts Kevin Plexico and Deniece Peterson provide a fresh look at the evolving administration transition with a specific focus on highlighting need-to-know updates that are important for the contracting community to understand.

“Need to Know”
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 is a $2.3 trillion spending bill that combines $900 billion in stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill for the 2021 federal fiscal year and prevents a government shutdown.  While we still don’t know exactly how the money will flow, we do know that technology will again play a major role in supporting many citizen related services that are being funded through this act. State and Local governments will play a critical role in distribution of these services. $82 billion has been allocated for schools and universities, including $54 billion to public K-12 schools, $23 billion for higher education. Marketers, keep your ear to the ground on this one as it has the opportunity to align your company’s solutions and services with the provisions in this important act. 

“Need to Know”
StateRAMP to Offer State, Local Government Secure Vendor Pool

State and local governments challenged with navigating the cybersecurity posture of the many vendors they do business with have a new resource to turn to.

StateRAMP, made up of a consortium of public- and private-sector cybersecurity officials, is a new organization charged with vetting the cybersecurity structure of third-party vendors, much like the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) already accomplishes for technology contracts with the federal government.

StateRAMP’s aim is to “help bring state and local government together to create that common method, and assist state and local governments in managing the third-party service providers, when it comes to cloud security and cybersecurity,” said Leah McGrath, executive director for StateRAMP.

GSA preps guidance for using CMMC in civilian contracts

The General Services Administration wants to get ahead on training and education materials contracting officers will need as Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements become standard in government contracts.

Keith Nakasone, the GSA’s deputy assistant commissioner for IT acquisition, said the agency is developing ordering guides for contracting officers who use government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs).

GSA has already begun incorporating CMMC language, starting with the request for proposals in the Streamlined Technology Application Resource for Services (STARS) III. It’s also drafting contract language, with CMMC requirements, for the Polaris small business government-wide contract vehicle, currently in the draft solicitation phase, that will replace the Alliant 2 Small Business contract.

Becoming a GOVCON Expert

How to Accelerate Your Success in Government Contracting

Six of the nation’s top government contracting experts share essential strategies for doing business with the government in this new book released on February 11th. The strategies in this book have helped companies win over $3 billion in government contracts and over $30 billion in multiple award contracts.

Each chapter skips the fluff and focuses on the core concepts required for you to master the game of government contracting. Unlike most books, “Becoming a GovCon Expert” provides practical advice from subject matter experts with step-by-step instruction and recommendations.

You will learn:

• How to prepare yourself to be a successful government contractor
• 12 common challenges faced by new government contractors
• Branding yourself as a GovCon Subject Matter Expert (SME)
• How to bridge government sales strategy with business strategy
• How to create a daily “battle-rhythm” for marketing and sales
• And more!

Job Alert

Purchasing Power is looking to hire a Director, Sales & Partner Development Leader to join our exciting and fast-paced, Public Sector team. This position can be remote within the U.S.

This critical leadership role will lead and champion new business development within government entities by developing and executing on strategic sales goals, driving new industry relationships, and partnering with internal business partners to ensure success.  For more job openings, please visit our GMarkU Job Bank. 

Get to Know Someone New

Our new friends over at the GovConSummit are planning their 6th annual GovConSummit. GMarkU is excited to be a sponsor.

Learn tactics and strategies that have helped thousands of companies win over $2.8 Billion in government contracts from six of the Nation’s top GovCon experts. Share this event with your sales and business development teams.

GovConSummit (Virtual)
April 20-28, 2021

GovConSummit is a virtual accelerator network for veteran entrepreneurs in federal contracting, connecting them with the resources, relationships and revenue they need to grow their business and hire more veterans.