Is there a federal agency that provides consulting services for other federal agencies?

Answer 1

The end of the government fiscal year can be a stressful time. You need to find the right contractor to assist with your government needs, but the competitive bidding process can take months.

To expedite things, your contracting officer may try to persuade you to use an existing contract. Unfortunately, by adding on to an existing contract, you may not get the customization for your specific project needs, and as a result, you end up with a quintessential Beltway cookie-cutter solution. Is there another way?

As a matter of fact, yes. Though not widely known or publicized, the federal government actually has its own consulting service that just might be your white knight.

Its name sounds like a Beltway Bandit firm, but the Federal Consulting Group (FCG) is indeed a federal entity, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Federal Consulting Group is the successor to the Federal Quality Institute, and has been advising and assisting federal agencies for more than 20 years. Amazing, huh... feds helping feds!

The Federal Consulting Group provides three major services:

Consulting - helping organizations envision and develop strategic plans, organizational logic, management approaches, business cases and more

Executive Coaching - meeting the leadership development needs of new and seasoned supervisors, managers, executives, political appointees and other high-performers throughout the federal sector

Measuring Performance & Satisfaction - using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) for internal strategic planning, performance improvement strategies and most recently web analytics

Many of their senior consultants at FCG got their experience by achieving results leading large, high-profile programs and projects. They understand the challenges today's government leaders face and provide strategies that lead to success.

And don't get confused or wrapped up by the Economy Act; because the FCG is a franchise of the Department of Interior, all that is needed to begin work is a signed Memorandum of Understanding or Reimbursable Agreement. You can contact the FCG by phone at Phone: 202-513-7687 or by Fax: 202-513-768 or via their Web contact form.

FCG has an impressive roster of satisfied federal clients, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Food and Drug Administration, and even smaller agencies like the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. If you decide to approach FCG, let us know how your performance measurement project turns out.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat