President's Letter 

David J. Berteau, President and CEO, PSC

Welcome to the summer 2024 edition of Service Contractor magazine. August in Washington DC is generally a quiet time, but that’s not the case this year, as PSC continues to advocate for the government contracting industry and improved government-industry relations. 

Our conferences and events are a key element in enhancing government-industry relations, and this issue highlights two recent half-day conferences.  

In May we hosted our annual FedHealth Conference, and in June we held our annual Federal Acquisition Conference. You will find highlights from both of these events in this issue, along with some great photos. Start planning now to attend our conferences this fall: Defense on October 8, Vision on November 19, and Development on December 10.

Another key element of our advocacy is PSC’s annual scorecard of agency business forecasts, which is based on 15 key attributes and covers more than 70 federal agencies and components. June’s Acquisition Conference was the setting for the release of PSC’s 2024 Federal Business Scorecard. Find out more about the scorecard on page 30.

Other advocacy efforts include the official comments PSC submits on rules and regulations affecting our industry. In the past three months, PSC has submitted comments on:

• “Incident Response and Cyber Risk Management” (to the National Institute of Standards and Technology) 
• “International Traffic in Arms Regulations Exemption” (to the State Department) 
• “Export Control Revisions for the AUKUS Partnership” (to the Commerce Department)
• “FAR Part 40: Information Security and Supply Chain Security” (to the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council)
• “Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) Reporting Requirements” (to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)
• “Eliminating Self-Certification for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses” (to the Small Business Administration)

This edition of Service Contractor includes additional updates from PSC. First, the article on page 6 covers July’s PSC testimony before Congress on the importance of the government-contractor partnership in supporting technology and innovation for U.S. border security. 
 
Next, page 38 introduces a new regular feature of Service Contractor, “What to Watch in Washington,” which lists key dates to watch in the coming months, from the start of Fiscal Year 2025 on October 1 through congressional action early next year.  

Three articles in this issue offer insight and commentary from PSC member companies on issues important to our industry. 

First, on page 19, Doug Horn of Clairvest Group explores growth investments in U.S. defense companies amidst fiscal austerity and high interest rates. Next, on page 23, Bruce Feldman of Lohfeld Consulting Group examines options for companies to invest in generative AI. 

Good news in government contracting is sometimes overshadowed, so to help counter that, we feature on page 28 Lana Ramer of DAI highlighting work to help protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure from cyber threats. Finally, don’t miss the PSC Bill Tracker with updates on major bills in the current session of Congress. 

As always, we welcome your input, feedback, and engagement in our efforts. Thank you for your continued support of PSC and our collective mission to help the government be a smarter customer and better buyer.