We all know that 2009 will be shaped by significant events — a new administration, the pending drawdown of the Iraq war, and of course the economy. But how will it all play out, and how will it affect the federal marketplace? For the top 2009 predictions, we went straight to some of the area’s leading executives. In our first installment — yes, more predictions to come next week — we got their predictions on everything from how government IT dollars will be spent to which trends in Gov 2.0 technology will see the most traction. So, without further adieu, here are their predictions — tell us if you agree:

“There will be no decrease in contracting of services by the federal government. The government might move some functions in-house, but overall, the need for private-sector support will continue. This will be accompanied by a demand for greater accountability and increased pressure to demonstrate value and reduce costs. I also expect a re-examination of the procurement process to reduce the number of protests and build the capacity and skill of the federal contracting corps.” — Bill Ballhaus, President & CEO, DynCorp International

“Given the unprecedented challenges facing the nation, federal government leaders will accelerate the adoption of innovative and cost-effective technology solutions to drive performance, increase transparency and reduce costs. New security and procurement policies will clear a pathway for creative solutions, streamlining the process for government agencies to use cutting-edge technologies. Government will make more data available to the public in formats that allow easily development of websites and applications that further engage citizens.” — Mike Bradshaw, Head of Federal Enterprise, Google

“This will be a year of optimism and accountability. The new administration, coupled with economic recovery plans, will create new dynamics. Cost effectiveness, avoidance and containment will be required for new initiatives. We expect to see continued growth at DHS, HHS, and federal healthcare programs, including VA, DOD Health, and Medicaid and Medicare. We’re also predicting a renewed focus on alternative energy and healthcare reform, as well as additional expenditures for infrastructure and transportation improvements.”
— B. Chatterjee, President, CNSI

“President Obama’s decision to include health IT in the economic stimulus package will provide a big boost to healthcare reform efforts.  Those companies with the experience and expertise in health IT, healthcare policy and citizen-centric systems will be well-positioned to provide the support needed to make reform a success. Greater collaboration in 2009 between government and the private sector, leading to secure exchange of interoperable health information across the nation, will represent a big step forward to achieving
true reform.” — Mac Curtis, President & CEO, Vangent, Inc.

“Facing reduced revenue, agencies that examine their business processes and engage companies with innovative solutions and proven experience in business change will be rewarded with efficiencies and increased focus on key projects.  Industry will also benefit with sustained business for companies, such as ACS, that offer diversified portfolios. Every government executive I’ve spoken with is open to building a business case for investing limited dollars in improvements to processes and reduced cost of ownership.”
— Joe Doherty, EVP/Group President, ACS Government Solutions Group

“GWACK IDIQ vehicles will continue to gain popularity, especially with GSA, as contract shops struggle to keep up with requirements and growing protests.  SBA will consider and debate modifications to the small business rules and categorization, as well as take a firmer position on the share of work going to small business.  M&A deals will be challenging due to the financial market constraints and valuations of non-specialized organizations will continue to fall.”
— Scott Goss, President & CEO, Preferred Systems Solutions

“2009 will be a year of caution and confidence rebuilding. Economic implications will affect all governments. Industries and individuals ‘campaign promises’ will succumb to ‘governing realities.’ Government services sector will be the nation’s ‘anchor to windward.’ In chaos, there is opportunity.”
— Bill Hoover, President & CEO, AMERICAN SYSTEMS

“I think we could see efforts at modernizing our nation’s air traffic control system included in the stimulus plan the president proposes.  Much like the roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure throughout our country are reaching the end of their useful lifespan, the nation’s air traffic control system is in dire need of an overhaul and modernization.”
— Cheryl Janey, President Civil Programs Business Unit, Harris

“With the change in administration, the influx of private sector leaders into appointed positions, and the continued focus on cutting costs and increasing efficiencies, there will be increased emphasis on overcoming both cultural and policy barriers to allow better information sharing across government.  The ability to securely access, share, and collaborate will become increasingly important across federal, as well as state and local governments, as agencies aim to accomplish mission objectives while being challenged to do
more with less.” — Mark Johnson, Senior Vice President, Oracle Public Sector

“We’ll see a more efficient government in 2009 alongside a dramatically empowered constituency. Even as the federal government tightens budgets, it is simultaneously setting unprecedented goals around performance, transparency and citizen engagement. Technology – and software specifically – is critical to delivering on this vision, which some are calling Gov 2.0. Mission solutions using commercial-off-the-shelf technology along with cloud-based services will gain a foothold, demonstrating the ability to reduce costs yet exceed expectations. Government will also confront its legacy system challenges, using new software capabilities that perform with minimal disruption or expense.” — Curt Kolcun, Microsoft’s Vice President, US Public Sector

You’ve seen the headlines, and you know firsthand: It’s rough out there. Even though the government contracting community will be less hit than other sectors, competition for existing customers will be extra fierce over the coming year. So, what if you could gather the area’s top CFOs in a room and ask their advice for 2009? ExecutiveBiz went looking for the Top 10 CFOs in Government Contracting — CFOs who’ve gone beyond numbers crunching to deliver the best in business and technical strategy to their companies. Hailing from small to medium to large businesses, each CFO shares a record of driving their company to greater heights. Here they share how they did it and offer their top tips to help you do the same in 2009.

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As president of CNSI, a high-technology services company based in Rockville, Md., B. Chatterjee knows all about managing growth. Since his company’s start in 1994, CNSI has grown quickly while developing long-term relationships with key public sector clients. In the following Q&A, Chatterjee debriefs on the infrastructure, processes and procedures needed to deliver value to customers. He also discusses charities close to his heart, and his personal prescription for developing the discipline needed to maintain executive success.

What’s going on with CNSI today?

B. Chatterjee: Corporate growth is the constant. Growth both in profitability and revenue, but more importantly, growth in hiring the right management and technical talent to support our clients.  Now that we have achieved critical mass — and demonstrated success — it has become easier to attract strong performers to be part of our winning team. As a services company, it’s all about having the right management and technical resources, and this has helped fuel our growth.

We continue to have success in the healthcare industry, and the same thing holds true on the federal side.  Having completed several large projects has allowed us to capture addition contracts in these markets.  Our success is all about adding value to the customer.  For instance, with the U.S. Census Bureau, we participated in the last census.  We provided not only our technology skills, but also our subject matter expertise, and this has led to additional opportunities.  Same thing holds true with other clients like the Department of Energy.  We’ve been supporting them for the past seven years, and now we have opportunities to support their enterprise architecture, and other initiatives that cut across their entire enterprise.
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