2008 Seminars

CONCURRENT SEMINARS I (9:00 - 10:00am)

Department of Defense Opportunities in a Changing Landscape
Hear from key current and recent procurement officials about opportunities within the Department of Defense and how to find them. Learn about trends in DoD programs and requirements. Discuss key resources to stay current with your DoD customers. Learn where to focus your company’s attention and resources to meet the changing needs of DoD.
Panelists: Brigadier General Wendy M. Masiello, Program Executive Officer, Combat and Mission Support, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, invited; Tina Ballard, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Policy and Procurement, invited; Diann L. McCoy, Former Component Acquisition Executive, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA); Navy procurement official, invited

Key Accounting Issues for Government Contractors
Understanding accounting and compliance issues is critical to businesses serving government customers. Learn what EVMS means to the way you account for and report contract progress and milestones. Learn when you have CAS- covered contracts and how to comply with the rules. Understand how you can prepare for a DCAA audit to ensure the audit is successful.
Panelists: Dawn Chronister, Manager, Cordia Partners; Lynne Gummo, Partner, Beers + Cutler; Rich Wilkinson, VP/Industry Director, Deltek

The Current M&A Landscape for Government Contractors and its Changing Value Drivers
This panel will focus on discussing the activity in today’s M&A market for government contractors and the value drivers that are currently affecting company’s valuations. Specifically, the panel members will address public company performance, notable M&A transactions, specific value drivers for federal contractors, and the outlook for M&A over the coming months. Specific high visibility topics such as how last year’s SBA ruling has affected valuations, the effect of the credit crunch on the industry, and how a change in administration could affect the M&A market will also be addressed. Value drivers such as financial performance, contract makeup and backlog, and organizational infrastructure will be discussed. The panel includes a seasoned industry person who has done multiple acquisitions over the past year in order to offer insights into what issues are driving their strategic acquisition decisions.

CONCURRENT SEMINARS II (10:30 - 11:45am)

Civilian Agency Opportunities in a Changing Landscape
Hear from key procurement officials at four key civilian agencies (GSA, Veterans Affairs, NASA, and Department of Energy) about opportunities within these agencies and how to find them. Learn about trends in agency programs and requirements and the GSA Schedules. Discuss key resources to stay current with your civilian agency customers. Learn where to focus your company’s attention and resources to meet the changing needs of these agencies.
Panelists: Al Matera, Director, Office of Acquisition Policy, General Services Administration; Jan Frye, Veterans Affairs’ Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Logistics; Department of Energy procurement official, invited; NASA procurement official, invited

Ethical, Legal, and Accounting Considerations in the Government Contracting Compliance Arena
The following panel will provide a brief overview of the ethical, legal, and accounting issues that exist in the current government contracting industry. There are significant landmines and risks to be aware of and we will present some key strategies on how best to mitigate them.
Panelists: Jacob Blass, Ethical Advocate -- Ethics with Teeth
Ethical analysis and behavior is rarely a defined part of management decision making and ethical issues are frequently managed by circumstances. In the GovCon world, that simply won’t work anymore. Explore and start developing strategies for  how you and your company will address ethical issues with discipline, focus and planning.
David Black, Holland & Knight -- Legal issues surrounding the current environment
Legal considerations are discussed in the government contracting environment.
Andrew Stowe, Beers + Cutler -- Accounting outlook in the compliance arena
Current accounting challenges for small and medium-sized government contractors will be discussed. Also, current audit initiatives from the Defense Contract Audit Agency will be analyzed.

Financing your M&A: Has the Changing Landscape Impacted Financing Options for Government Contractors?
This panel will focus on an overview of the financing alternatives available to Government Contractors in making acquisitions. Specifically, the panel members will address senior debt, mezzanine financing and private equity. Panelists will discuss the impact of the current credit crisis on the availability of and access to capital, as well as the economic outlook over the coming months. The panel includes an experienced senior debt lender, a private equity provider and a seasoned industry CFO who has completed multiple acquisitions over the past few years through a combination of financing vehicles.
Panelists: Rob White, MD, M&T’s Investment Banking Group as Moderator; Eric Pietras, Senior Lender, TD Commerce Bank; Equity Partner/GC CFO

CONCURRENT SEMINARS III (1:45 - 3:00pm)

Department of Homeland Security Opportunities in a Changing Landscape
Hear from key DHS procurement officials about opportunities within the Department of Homeland Security and its components and how to find them. Learn about trends in DHS programs and requirements. Discuss key resources to stay current with your DHS customers. Learn where to focus your company’s attention and resources to meet the changing needs of DHS.
Panelists: Mix of procurement officials from DHS and key DHS components, invited

Recruiting/HR/Clearances
The HR/Recruiting session will cover three problem areas for most growing government contractors – Recruiting, Reporting and Security Clearances. Michael Tinsley will speak to the different recruiting methods, their pros & cons and their impact on the bottom-line. Joe Sherrier will speak to the different reporting requirements government contractors’ face and options to help with the reporting requirement that are required in certain contracts. To close, a review by Stephen Sorett to speak to the changing landscape of security clearances, getting, maintaining and recruiting issues. At the end of this session time will be left for a Q&A time with our panelists.
Panelists: Michael Tinsley, NeoSystems Corp.; Joe Sherrier, Employment Enterprises; Stephen Sorett, McKenna Long & Aldridge

Legal Challenges and Opportunities in Today’s GovCon M&A Environment
This panel will focus on a number of current legal issues impacting today’s M&A market for government contractors. Specifically, the panel members will address various deal structure issues, the impact of foreign investment on cleared contractors, the increased focus on export control compliance, and how the new small business regulations are shaping today’s acquisitions. In addition, the panel will offer some helpful compliance tips for companies that are looking for strategic growth opportunities. Finally, the panel plans to include an industry executive to offer insights into what issues are driving strategic acquisition decisions.