Board Brief 2015-XX
Operations Report
Date:
March 23, 2016
Memo to:
NCMA Board of Directors
From:
Michael P. Fischetti, CPCM, Fellow, Executive Director
Subject:
Operations Report
This written report, 2 attachments, is submitted for the July Board meeting.
Attachment 1 – Summer Chapter Leadership Summit 2014 Agenda
Attachment 2 – Staff Directory
Executive Summary
1. Finance
2. Membership
3. Chapter Relations
4. Conferences
5. Education
6. Certification
8. Advertising Sales and Creative
Services
9. Core: Marketing, Staff,
Facilities and IT
Fischetti, Michael
Unfavorable YTD variances against budget in
revenues (1.0%), favorable variances in expenses
(5.4%). Favorable net gain from operations ($247k);
Transfer to unrestricted reserves in June 2014 ($130k).
19,119 current members
Virtual Chapter has 456 members; president, vice
president, secretary, communications chair, and
membership chair were elected.
781 paid attendees for WC; confirmed 90% of keynote
and plenary sessions for GCMS
New book and NES “Subcontract Management from
A to Z” will be introduced at WC; e-learning will
exceed FY 14 budget numbers
Total applications up 13% over previous year; increase
in passing rates after OPC for CPCM and CFCM were
introduced
Annual Review of Government Contracting produced
in conjunction with Bloomberg went out to all
members with June issue of CM – lots of positive
feedback. GW Law School scored Macfarlan
submissions and sent their recommendations to
NCMA.
Three new FT employees and one intern hired.
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Board Brief 2015-XX
Operations Report
Executive Director
This past fiscal year began under very gloomy circumstances. The Federal government did not
have a budget, following the furloughs and sequester environment of FY 13. Our budget reflects
that environment. However we have experienced continued business improvement despite this
external environment, which has largely remained unchanged. Staff is analyzing this
phenomenon to determine specific reasons for success. Our largest area of concern remains
membership. We are performing a “deep-dive” into our membership recruitment and retention
statistics to better understand what is happening. We are initating a recruitment incentive for
chapter membership efforts, developed packages allowing companies and government agencies
to combine various learning and member benefits into total one discounted, educational rate for
set continuous learning hours, bypassing the membership decision by incorporating those
benefits. The Executive Director continues engaging senior leaders in the contract management
field including government, industry, academia, corporate/educational sponsors, and the media.
These efforts improve collaboration across the wider acquisition arena and we believe this raised
public profile has increased participation across NCMA programs. In the latest 3 month period,
that includes:
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National Property Managers Association Seminar (Keynote Speaker)
University of Virginia (UVA) Student Symposium: Acquisition Careers (speaker)
Federal Acquisition Institute (Jeffrey Birch)
Roy Wood, Dean, Defense Systems Management College, DAU
Defense Logistics Agency, Supply Center staff, Richmond, VA
Interview with Katrina McFarland, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition)
Joseph Jordan, FedBid
Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) contracting staff, Washington, DC
Katrina McFarland, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition), DoD
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB)
Professional Services Council
Aaron Wasserman, Military Legislative Assistant to Representative Derek Kilmer,
discussion on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act
SourceAmerica Government Advocacy Conference
Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (Becky Peterson), Interim
Executive Director and Chuck Schadl, Education Committee Chair
Government Accountability Office Public Private Partnership (P3)Task Force
Government Accountability Office “Best Practices Review Team
Rob Bayliss, Acquisition Attaché, and Les Mosco, Director, Commercial, United
Kingdom Ministry of Defense
“Showcase for Commerce” in Johnstown, PA, co-sponsored by NCMA’s Greater
Johnstown Chapter
Fischetti, Michael
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Board Brief 2015-XX
Operations Report
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Harry Hallock, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Army (Procurement), David Gragan,
Senior Procurement Executive, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
National Defense University, Eisenhower School 2014 graduation, presenting NCMA’s
Award for Excellence in Research and Writing
International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association (ICEAA) Workshop
John Meeker, Director of Contracting, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S.
Department of Energy
ASI’s Acquisition of the Future Summit “Yellow Team”
Panel Participant with OFPP and FAI, ACT-IAC “Partner’s Breakfast”
Integrity Consulting, meeting with senior executive staff
Jeff Koses, Director of Acquisition Operations, GSA/Office of Acquisition Operations
Tony Boccanfuso, Executive Director, National Academies University Industry
Demonstration Partnership
AOC Key Solutions – Jim McCarthy and Richard Nathan (ongoing input to Government
Contract Weekly)
Continuous vendor and business development
 Chapter Meetings: see Chapter Relations
Finance
As of May 31, 2014 year-to-date (YTD) revenues from operations are $5,652,797, an
unfavorable variance of $57,220, or 1.0% against the budget of $5,710,017. YTD expenses are
$5,322,353, a favorable variance of $304,487 or 5.4% against the budget of $5,626,840. YTD net
gain from operations is $330,444, a favorable variance of $247,267 against the budgeted net gain
of $83,177.
As reported in the commentary accompanying monthly financial reports, there were unfavorable
revenue variances in Memberships (Individual and New Professional), Education (Webinars and
Books), Advertising (Career Programs and CM Magazine), and Meetings (World Congress,
Small Business Training Forum – cancelled, SMTF and Career Fairs). These unfavorable
variances were partially offset by favorable variances in Membership (Group and Pro Vita),
Education (NES, e-Learning and Virtual Conferences), Advertising (Website, Corporate
Sponsorships and Educational Partners), Certification (CPCM, CFCM, CCCM and Exam Fees),
and Meetings (GCMS).
The favorable variance in expenses is a result of lower than budgeted expenses in Governance
(BOD and Committees), Component Relations (Chapter Support, BOA, Council of Fellows, and
Chapter Leadership Summits), Administration (Professional Services, Tuition, Equipment Lease
Costs, Depreciation, Dues, Supplies, Postage and Telephone), Finance (Credit Card processing
charges), Marketing and Communications (Lower World Congress, GCMS, Small Business and
SMTF costs), Customer Service (Lower postage and printing costs), (Education (NES and Books
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Board Brief 2015-XX
Operations Report
variable, and amortization delay), Creative Services (Resource Directory and CM Magazine –
variable and Career Programs), and Meetings (GCMS and Career Fair).
This favorable variance is partially offset by higher than budgeted expenses in Component
Relations (Awards), Education (Virtual conferences), Creative Services (G & A – temporary
editor, Website and Educational Partners - variable), Certification (Exam Expenses – variable),
and Meetings (World Congress, SMTF, and Small Business Training Forum – cancellation
penalty).
YTD actual Salaries and Benefits costs are $2,017,820 compared to budget of $2,033,153. This
favorable variance results from the Director of Education being on unpaid maternity leave,
Directors of Marketing and Publications on maternity leave and using already accrued PTO, and
Chapter Relations Specialist and Education Program Specialist positions unfilled for several
months. These reductions have been partially offset by an increase in the aggregate PTO
accrual.
YTD net investment gains are $371,206 against budgeted gains of $379. YTD income tax
expense is $32,500 against budgeted expense of $45,000. In summary, YTD net gain after
investments and taxes is $669,151, a favorable variance of $630,593 against budget. The
Statement of Activities for the period ended May 31, 2014 and the Balance Sheet as of May 31,
2014, posted online for inspection, are incorporated by reference.
The Audit Committee determined that as Rubino & McGeehin had served as auditors for six
years it was appropriate and best business practice to change auditors for FY 14. Accordingly
RFP’s have been sent to four audit firms and the selection process is ongoing. In accordance with
Association Policy, the Audit Committee will meet with the new auditors to review the audit and
their findings. Audited financials and the management comment letter will be distributed to the
Board prior to the September 30, 2014 deadline.
Periodic financial review teleconferences have taken place with the Finance and Budget
Committee.
Financial reports have been distributed on a timely basis each month to the Finance and Budget
Committee and posted for Board review shortly thereafter. Investment reports have also been
provided to the Finance and Budget Committee by the 15th of each month.
An estimate at completion, based on actual results through April 2014 was provided to the
Finance and Budget Committee on June 3, 2014 and discussed at a Finance and Budget
teleconference call on June 20, 2014.
Membership
As of June 10, 2014, we have 19,119 current members. This is a net loss of 1,225 from the
beginning of this program year (20,344 members on July 1, 2013). The decrease of total
members from July 1, 2013 is just over 6%.
Fischetti, Michael
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Board Brief 2015-XX
Operations Report
We are monitoring the numbers. We know that we have an aging membership, with the average
member age being around 59 years old. According to our lapsed member survey for PY2013,
15% of the respondents have retired in the last 12 months. Looking at additional responses in the
lapsed member survey, 7.4% of the respondents have indicated their companies no longer pay for
their membership; and therefore, they are not renewing. Further researched revealed that since
July 2013, 11.6% of the respondents have changed professions.
July 2013
20,344 members
December 2013
19,412 members
February 2014
20,084 members
June 2014
19,119 members
We continue to look at ways to increase member value. Last quarter, we determined that our
members most wanted training and education. We had already added the two professional
development webinars at no cost to our members. We decided to add another series called
Acquisition Leader Perspectives (ALP). The ALP is planned for at least quarterly presentation
and, possibly, as often as bi-monthly. While the call itself is limited to 200 callers, we also post
the link to the recorded call in our Members Only section of the website. These calls will
highlight the views of high-level government and industry professionals to capture their
perspectives on acquisition. Karen Secker, NCMA Secretary, is currently reaching out to
potential speakers.
As a thank-you to our new members, we have been sending them a one-time gift with their
magazine. Packaged with their sixth Contract Management Magazine will be a gift from us
along with a flyer talking about building something together. The gift for this 6-month period is a
magnetic photo frame, marketed with the idea of “sticking together” with NCMA. We continue
to send the “gift reminder” to our group contacts by sending them the NCMA calendar mouse
pad with the date of their renewal circled. It is something we hope they will keep on their desk,
since it reminds them of their renewal date and promotes NCMA.
Group Memberships
As of June 10, 2014, we have 6,492 organizational members. This number is up just a bit.
This number will fluctuate as budgets affect current groups and as new groups join. The
organizational membership revenue from December 2013 through June 24, 2014, is $305,204.
Although some large groups have not renewed, there have been new groups that make up some
of the difference in membership numbers.
July 2013
December 2013
February 2014
June 2014
Fischetti, Michael
6,479
6,433
6,567
6,492
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Board Brief 2015-XX
Operations Report
Chapter Relations
Chapter Relations Specialist Bennie Harrison left NCMA in early May, and Tammy Lewis was
hired to replace him. Tammy has since taken an extended leave without pay until the end of
June to take care of a family emergency. She has since decided to leave NCMA to devote time to
her family. Mary Beth is currently handling chapter support on her own with help from NCMA
employees as required.
The Spring Chapter Leadership Summit held Friday, March 28, 2014, at the conclusion of the
Subcontract Management Training Forum, garnered 89 attendees. The theme of the summit was
“Spring into Leadership: Membership Keeps Your Chapter Growing.” An awards reception
followed the Summit and the Graalman awards and Fellows plaques were presented.
Summer Chapter Leadership Summit will start on Saturday, July 26, 2014 followed by a
networking reception. The Sunday session will start with breakfast with the Board of Directors
and will include breakout sessions. Andrew Obermeyer, CPCM, Fellow, and current president of
the Central Virginia Chapter will moderate the event. Experienced chapter leaders and NCMA
staff will give presentations.
Monthly webinars for chapter leaders continue with positive feedback and excellent participation
rates. The webinars are recorded and available for download via the Chapter Resources website.
Recent speakers include Po Collins and Tom Robinson discussing the new CMLDP process.
NCMA CFO Sam Smith presented a special webinar on the Annual Chapter Financial Reporting
requirements on June 25. Jessica Grant from the Women’s Forum provided an EBS on June 20.
Larry Trowel spoke in May about NCMA initiatives.
The Executive Director visited the Greater Johnstown, Greater Pittsburgh, Bethesda Medical,
Dahlgren, Central Virginia, Norfolk Area, Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay,
Frederick, Battlefield Dulles, NOVA, Blue Ridge, and Denver Chapters this spring. Staff from
the membership and certification team visited with the Greater Baltimore Chapter in early April
and Tyson’s Corner in June, 2014. Russ Blaine visited the Greater Iowa, Chesapeake Bay, and
Los Angeles/South Bay Chapters.
The Virtual Chapter is currently comprised of 456 members in 35 countries including the United
Sates. The Virtual Chapter bylaws were presented to the chapter membership and the
Governance committee for approval. Chapter elections for PY15 were held, and the new officers
are Marion Matrazzo as president, Rick Catignani as vice president, Ronald Grant as secretary,
Laura Kim as communications chair, and Dr. Joan Harmer as membership chair. Mary Beth
Lech is currently serving as chapter advisor. The Virtual Chapter is embracing social media and
added a LinkedIn page as a subpage of the NCMA page. This will allow them to promote the
chapter more and create a way for those who aren’t Virtual Chapter members to view/participate
with the chapter. The Executive Director and President-Elect spoke at the Virtual Chapter
meeting in May.
The Virtual Chapter is looking into other modes of hosting an EBS. They would like to change
the name of the series, and incorporate a video feed. Another Virtual Chapter meet-up is planned
for World Congress and they would like to incorporate an offsite dinner as well.
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Operations Report
Meetings/Events
World Congress
World Congress 2013 was held July 21-24 in Nashville, TN at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and
Conference Center.
WC2013 actuals:
•
598 Paid attendees (vs. budget of 665)
•
Registration Revenue: $598,856 (vs. budget $660,525)
•
Exhibitor/Sponsor Revenue: $385,475 (vs. budget $395,000)
•
Virtual Conference Revenue: $7,901 (vs. budget of $13,450 which assumed 50 attendees
at $269)
•
Gala: $17,915 (vs. budget $16,000)
In an attempt to minimize costs at World Congress 2013, the meetings department took action in
several areas. We will continue to perform this exercise for our in-person meetings.
WC2014 will be in Washington, DC July 27 – 30 at the Gaylord National Harbor. The
conference chair for the program will be Elliott Branch. In the future, the President of the
association will chair World Congress, however given the proximity of Russ’s year as the chair
of World Congress (and subsequently Larry’s) this new policy will have to wait until 2015 most
likely.
WC2014 budget/goals:
•
680 Paid attendees
•
Registration Revenue: $697,750
•
Exhibitor/Sponsor Revenue: $400,000
•
Virtual Conference Revenue: $20,660 (assumes 100 at $99 rate and 40 at $269)
•
Gala: $18,000
WC2014 as of July 11, 2014
•
781 Paid attendees
•
Registration Revenue: $762,875
•
Exhibitor/Sponsor Revenue: $450,000
•
Virtual Conference Revenue: $2,475
•
Gala: $8,870
Future dates and locations for World Congress are as follows:
• 2015 – Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, TX July 26-29, 2015
• 2016 – Gaylord Palms, Orlando, FL July 24-27, 2016
• 2017 – Sheraton Chicago Navy Pier, Chicago, IL July 23-July 26, 2017
• 2018 –Cleveland, OH (contract pending)
• 2019 – Sheraton Boston and Hynes Convention Center, Boston MA July 28 – July 31, 2019
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Operations Report
•
•
•
•
2020 – Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, TX July 26-July 29, 2020
2021 – Sheraton Denver, Denver, CO July 11-July 14, 2021
2022 – Sheraton Chicago Navy Pier, Chicago, IL July 11-14, 2022
2023 – Gaylord Opryland, Nashville, TN, July 2023
Government Contract Management Symposium (GCMS)
GCMS 2013 took place at the Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, D.C. November 18-19,
2013.
Actuals for 2013 are:
•
475 Paid attendees
•
Exhibitor/Sponsor Revenue: $190,415
•
Registration Revenue: $312,765
•
Net Income: $161,790
This year, 2014, we continue our four-year agreement with the Marriott Wardman Park located
in Washington DC for GCMS 2014, 2015 and 2016. We have identified a chair of the
conference earlier this year. Nick Nayak helped to develop the program and confirm 90% of our
keynote and plenary sessions. With Nick’s retirement we’ve asked Jeff Koses to fill in as the
chair. We issued a call for proposals for breakout speakers for the first time this year. We didn’t
get as many proposals as we’d hoped but it was the first year. We are lining the breakouts up
with the CMBOK competencies. The lineup looks great.
Goals for 2014 are:
•
525 Paid attendees
•
Exhibitor/Sponsor Revenue: $190,000
•
Registration Revenue: $338,250
•
Net Income: $177,450
Subcontract Management Training Forum (SMTF)
We will hold the Subcontract Management Training Forum March 12-13 at the Sheraton Tysons
Premier.
Goals for the SMTF15 are:
•
125 Paid Attendees
•
Registration Revenue: $60,600
•
Exhibitor Revenue: $20,000
•
Net Income: $4,850
Education
The FY 14 YTD actual numbers represent the eleven months of the program year ending May
31, 2014.
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Board Brief 2015-XX
Operations Report
As of May FY 14, Education revenues are up 5.7% as compared to the same period in FY 13.
This is due to an increase in NES, eLearning, and virtual conference revenues. Expenses are
down as a result of variable costs with respect to hosting webinars, e-course development, and
change in the mix of books sold.
Education
FY 14 YTD
Actual
FY 14 YTD
Budget
FY 13 YTD
Actual
Revenues
Expenses
795,070
423,409
749,793
516,515
752,171
468,057
Contribution
371,661
233,278
284,114
National Education Seminar (NES) Program
A total of forty (40) NESs were budgeted for FY 14 YTD. Thus far thirty-nine (39) NESs have
been hosted through the month of May. Four (4) remaining seminars are scheduled for June,
totaling forty-three (43) NESs this program year. Revenues are up 33% over FY 13 due to higher
seminar attendance. This year’s Developing Winning Proposals NES accounted for eighteen (18)
seminars, followed by 100 Worst Mistakes in Government Contracting with nine (9), the
remaining were older seminars and resulted in higher than average attendance and revenues.
NES
Seminars
Revenues
Expenses
FY 14 YTD
Actual
39
169,835
85,851
FY 14 YTD
Budget
40
159,050
100,826
FY 13 YTD
Actual
37
127,110
65,477
Contribution
83,984
58,224
61,633
The FY 15 NES will be “Subcontract Management From A to Z” and will debut at World
Congress 2014.
Webinar Program
A total of eighteen (18) webinars were hosted through May in FY 14 and total of twenty (20) are
scheduled for the entire program year, exceeding FY 14 Budget. Revenues reflect a decrease in
the average number of registered sites per event as compared to FY 13 Actual and FY 13 Budget.
The FY 14 costs are lower due to fewer registered sites.
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Operations Report
Webinars
FY 14 YTD
Actual
FY 14 YTD
Budget
FY 13 YTD
Actual
Seminars
Revenues
Expenses
18
122,491
9,219
18
131,840
11,573
15
127,750
3,782
Contribution
113,272
120,267
123,968
e-Learning Program
E-Learning revenues will exceed FY 14 Budget numbers. This is a result of higher participation
in both the CFCM and CPCM Online Preparatory Courses (OPC). The FY 14 Budget accounted
for an average of sixty (63) students per course, but averages totaled approximately seventy-four
(74) students. Course registrations also consist of enrollment in the suite of asynchronous CM ecourses. The certification preparatory courses are produced in-house with consequently low
production costs. However, instructor costs increased as a result of the increased enrollment,
which were partially offset by the deferral of the development of e-courses.
e-Learning
FY 14 YTD
Actual
FY 14 YTD
Budget
FY 13 YTD
Actual
Course Registrations
Revenues
Expenses
745
291,528
62,946
885
249,975
80,225
799
290,659
60,218
Contribution
228,582
169,750
230,441
Books
Book revenues are down 5% over the similar period in FY 13. This is a result of decreased
customer demand. However, titles recommended for NCMA certification preparation continue to
be high sellers. The expense line includes costs related to re-prints to support general and NES
sales.
FY 14 YTD
FY 14 YTD
FY 13 YTD
Books
Actual
Budget
Actual
Revenues
Expenses
176,566
53,655
197,728
75,545
185,629
62,747
Contribution
122,911
122,183
122,882
Virtual Conferences
Virtual Conference revenues will exceed FY 13 numbers. This is due to hosting an additional
virtual conference and higher than average site participation over FY 14 Budget averages
(twenty (20)/event). A total of three (3) events were hosted through May, the remaining virtual
conference scheduled for June on Cost and Pricing totaled 122 sites. Revenues for this event are
not reflected in YTD actuals.
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Virtual
Conferences
FY 14 YTD
Actual
FY 14 YTD
Budget
FY 13 YTD
Actual
Events
Revenues
Expenses
3
34,650
1,966
2
11,200
1,179
3
15,023
216
Contribution
32,684
10,021
14,807
Certification
Total applications increased by 13% over the same period last year (990 vs. 873). Demand for
the Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) (315 new applications, 4% increase) and
interest in the Certified Commercial Contracts Manager (CCCM) (76 applicants, 3% increase)
remain strong. The Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM) is NCMA’s most popular
certification with 567 applicants; which is an increase of 17% (567 vs. 482).
We released our newest certifications, the Industry Certification in Contract Management –
Defense (ICCM-D) and Industry Certification in Contract Management – Federal (ICCM-F) on
January 31, 2013. Both programs continue to grow slowly but steadily with 30 application
submissions in FY14 (12 for the ICCM-D and 18 for the ICCM-F) compared to a total of 13 in
FY13.
The total number of new certificants (699) is up 19% over the same period in FY13 (588).
NCMA continues to offer the CPCM and CFCM Online Preparatory Courses and the popularity
shows no signs of decreasing. Passing rates for the CPCM and CFCM examinations improved
when we introduced the Online Preparatory Courses and have remained steady. Additionally, the
success rate on the CCCM improved and has remained steady since we began providing
enhanced practice exams and copies of the World Congress CCCM Track presentations to
candidates.
We made improvements to the CPCM program in 2013 – 2014. The updates started on
November 2013 with the release of the CMBOK, 4th Edition. Then in January 2014, NCMA
released the CPCM Study Guide, 3rd Edition. In April and May, we increased the number of
questions in the CPCM exam question pool which allowed us to add a ‘B’ version. In FY15 we
will be expanding the CFCM question pool as well.
Revenue and Expense: (as of May 31, 2014)
Revenue
Fischetti, Michael
FY14 YTD Actual
FY14 YTD Budget
FY13 Actual
$310,895
$228,645
$254,092
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Expense
Net Income/(Loss)
$183,176
$127,719
$151,608
$ 77,037
FY14 YTD
$161,751
$ 92,341
FY 13 YTD
Actual
CFCM applications
CCCM applications
CPCM applications
ICCM-D applications
ICCM-F applications
Total Cert Applications
567
78
315
12
18
990
482
76
302
3
10
873
CFCM Exam
Attempt
Pass
Pass Rate
563
400
71%
492
341
69%
CCCM Exam
Attempt
Pass
Pass Rate
72
55
76%
55
45
82%
CPCM Exam
Attempt
Pass
Pass Rate
325
215
66%
280
192
69%
New CPCMs
New CFCMs
New CCCMs
New ICCM-D’s
New ICCM-F’s
Total New Certificants
215
400
55
12
17
699
192
341
45
2
8
588
Advertising and Creative Services
Advertising Revenue and Creative Services expenses are for the eleven months ended May 31,
2014.
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FY15 YTD
Actual
Revenue
Expense
Net Income/ (Loss)
$991,821
$853,730
$138,091
FY 15 YTD
Budget
$1,061,580
$900,980
$160,600
FY14 YTD
Actual
$1,120,749
$1,076,431
$44,318
Contract Management Magazine: Print Edition
The magazine continues to be the #1 NCMA member benefit, as rated by our members in the
annual membership survey. We’ve added several new columns this year, such as the Q&A
Series, interviews with high-level executives from government and industry; and the Member
Spotlight column, where we get to know an NCMA member and how their membership has
benefited their career. Network Media Partners (who sells our advertising) has encouraged us to
try quarterly spotlight issues, where we focus on a particular area, like software or consulting.
Those issues are more attractive to certain advertisers who want targeted exposure to certain
readers. We tried it for the first time with the March issue spotlight section on software and
technology and saw an increase in ad sales for that issue. This is definitely something we’ll
continue in the future. Network sees the print magazine as a conservative area for revenue
growth. They’re a little more optimistic this year than in years past.
Journal of Contract Management
NCMA partnered with George Washington University Law School to co-publish the journal this
year. GW scored Macfarlan submissions and sent their recommendations to NCMA. GW has
formed a student editorial board to begin the editing process and coordinating the edits with the
authors in preparation for publishing. They’ll produce the printed books at their own expense,
while we will continue to produce a digital version that we provide as a member benefit. Not
only will this save us money on the print production costs, but partnering with GW lends a
certain academic gravitas to the journal.
Contract Management Resource Directory
Historically, the print edition was published in the fall and mailed in plastic along with the
November issue of Contract Management Magazine. In recent years, Network Media Partners
had been losing confidence that the guide’s ad sales could sustain continued production as a print
piece. Last year, NCMA decided to no longer produce the printed Resource Guide. We instead
moved to an online platform that we renamed the Contract Management Resource Directory.
Network Media Partners predicts healthy revenue for the Resource Directory in the coming year
based on the growing number of unique site visits and page views that we’re seeing. For a
product that just launched last fall, the numbers are very strong. Usually a new initiative such as
this takes some time to catch on, but this has already proven very popular.
2014 Salary Survey
The 2014 Salary Survey email was sent to NCMA members in February, inviting them to
participate in the survey by volunteering their salary and compensation information. The
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statistical analysis was performed by Readex. NCMA designed the report and published it as an
interactive pdf and sold for $50 (NCMA members) and $250 (nonmembers), as in year’s past.
New this year, we’re offering the survey results as an NCMA member benefit to those members
who completed the survey and provided their email addresses. It was released on June 30.
Annual Review of Government Contracting
NCMA partnered with Bloomberg Government on this new annual publication. Bloomberg
supplied us with compiled data (45 data points) along with analysis of the previous year’s trends
in government contracting, as well as predictions for the year to come. This type of report was
actually a strategic planning item from last year. We feel it will really establish NCMA as a
credible resource for information about government contracting. We provided this to members as
a member benefit by packaging and mailing it with the June issue of CM magazine, and will
continue to do so every spring. It will also be available for purchase to nonmembers for $25.
Marketing
Jessica Friedman, Director of Marketing, took leave in April 2014 and Kelly Higginbotham has
taken over as Acting Director.
External events:
2014 DAU Symposium 4/8/2014
Many of our closest partners and sponsors were there including ASI Government, ESI
International, Management Concepts, American Public University, and Villanova University.
Approximately 15 tables were in the room, and traffic flow was great. Stan Soloway, Lenn
Vincent, and Kim McCabe were among the recognizable NCMA supporters.
Government Procurement Conference (OSDBU) 4/16/2014
Approximately 400-500 booths were present many of which small businesses, women-owned, or
government agencies – truly a great event for us to exhibit. Many people who visited the booth
were NCMA members and almost all of our materials were gone before lunch time.
1105 Media Group Event 4/26/2014
Our relatively new partnership with 1105 Media continues to introduce NCMA to a new
audience. This session was “Buying Into the Cloud – Acquisition Approaches”.
National Property Management Association (NPMA)
The event was a great success! We had a free table, courtesy of NPMA, which was next to
registration, providing lots of new foot traffic. Many people show a great deal of interest in
NCMA. NPMA’s staff and volunteers were friendly and welcoming. NCMA’s Executive
Director also made a huge splash with his keynote presentation. We will do more with NPMA in
the future!
Conference Marketing:
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The World Congress 2014 marketing campaign was similar to the one we used for the 2013
event, but with a larger focus on online advertising. A strategic Google Ad words campaign was
implemented and generated over 1,000 new clicks to the NCMAHQ website/World Congress
event website. Ads were also placed on LinkedIn, GovExec (homepage and in three of their
newsletters), and Wifcon during peak registration times which accounted for over 3,000
campaign clicks.
A welcome addition to the 2014 campaign was external advertising. Since much of our target
demographic lives and works in Washington, DC, we decided to place promotions in metro
stations throughout the DC area. This reached not only our members but those in the profession
who may not have attended the event when it was outside the DC metro area and required travel.
Our partnership with Federal News Radio proved extremely beneficial. They provided 30 second
radio spots during peak traffic time, website banners on their homepage, and inclusion in ten of
their e-mails. In exchange, we allowed them to broadcast live from the event Monday morning,
which is also beneficial to us, attracting more buzz and press to our association and highlighting
the caliber of our events.
In line with other NCMA event campaigns, all aspects of World Congress were promoted
throughout the months of November – July. There were targeted e-mails, ads in CM magazine,
direct mail pieces, a press release, staff signature lines, and social media posts. Through all of
these different channels we were able to drive traffic to the event website and accumulate over
8,000 campaign clicks. The most successful piece of the campaign was the Employer
Justification Packet, which outlined the fiscal value of World Congress and overall benefits in
order for attendees to create a proposal for their employers.
As a result of a collaborative relationship with AOC Key Solutions, members of NCMA’s Board
of Directors and Board of Advisor have been featured on several programs. This has also
resulted in commercial air time for NCMA and our live events.
Education Marketing:
NESs email campaign varied from a 15% to 58% open rate, which is up from last year. The
average open rate was 23%, up again slightly from last year
Upcoming: Highlighting the new Subcontract Management From A to Z book and NES. We also
plan to redesign our webinar email layout.
NCMA Communities:
NCMA Communities continue to do well. NCMA Women’s Forum, Advancing Professionals,
and CMLDP Alumni Communities have monthly calls as well as meet ups at live events. The
Women’s Forum has hosted panels as well as their first book discussion at the Subcontract
Management Training Forum. The Advancing Professionals have continued to stay active and
are looking for ways to reach more members. The CMLDP Alumni Community has become
more active and will start hosting a book club at every live event starting with World Congress.
The CMLDP Alumni have also volunteered to support the current CMLDP program in any way
Fischetti, Michael
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Operations Report
possible. We hope to ramp up the Small Business Contracting Community at communities night
at World Congress.
Membership Survey:
The 2014 Membership survey had 1,184 participants which is up 16% from last year.
NCMA in the News:
NCMA has been featured in a slew of media outlets.
Federal News Radio interviews:
DoD budget
Revised FAC-C guidance
Past Performance Database
NCMA Press Releases:
NCMA Announces Board of Directors for 2014-2015
OPM Approves Attendance to NCMA’s World Congress 2014
Bloomberg Annual Review of Government Contracting
Executive Directors weekly Federal Times Blog posts:
“A Focus on Best Contracting Practices” April 8, 2014
“Today’s Contracting Environment: Separating Fact from Hype” April 29, 2014
“Looking at the Bright Side of Government Contracting” May 5, 2014
“The Right Types of Training” May 14, 2014
“Separating Contracting Fact from Fiction” June 1, 2014
“Technology and Contracting: What’s the Future?” June 21, 2014
“The Right Skill Sets for Contracting” July 2, 2014
Education Partners:
Education Partners:
ASI Government
American Graduate University
American Public University
Bottomline Concepts, LLC
Centre Consulting
Chicago Training and Consultancy, LLC
ESI International
FEDBID
Federal Market Group
Federal Publications Seminars
George Washington University
Government Contracting Institute
Government Contracts Training Institute, INC
Management Concepts
NPI, Inc.
Public Contracting Institute, LLC
Fischetti, Michael
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Operations Report
Saint Louis University
Training Resource Consultants INC
University of California, Irvine
Villanova University
tHInc, LLC
Corporate Sponsors:
Deltek
Department of VA
ESRI
FedBid
Fluor
Government Service Administrators
Integrity Consulting
IRS
NASA SEWP
NITAAC
Nixon Peabody LLC
PROPRICER
SourceAmerica
TAPE
The Boeing Company
Wolters Kluwer Law & Business
Job Site Data:
Revenue: $66,207
March
April
May
June
Fischetti, Michael
2014
2014
2014
2014
12,444.00
12,368.00
17,523.00
23,872.00
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Operations Report
Revenue
30000
25000
20000
15000
Revenue
10000
5000
0
Mar-14
Apr-14
May-14
Jun-14
New Job Seekers:
March 2014
April 2014
May 2014
June 2014
312
264
234
272
New Job Seekers
350
300
250
200
150
100
Mar-14
Fischetti, Michael
Apr-14
May-14
Jun-14
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Operations Report
Core: Staff
Current staffing is at 25 full time permanent employees, 1 part time permanent employee and 3
interns.
 Tammy Lewis, Member Services Coordinator & Chapter Support left June 30.
o Currently searching for replacement
 Vida Carroll hired as Education Program Administrator May 5.
 Michael Windsor hired as Member Services Coordinator May 27.
 April Southward, Meetings Planner, leaving on August 1. She will continue to assist the
Meetings Department from August 4 – September 12.
o Naida Caton hired to replace April Southward June 23.
 Jessica Friedman, Director of Marketing, went on leave in spring and will return in early
fall.
o Kelly Higginbotham has taken over the role of Acting Director for the Marketing
Department.
 Kerry Hansen, Director of Publications and Editor in Chief, returns from maternity leave
July 9.
 Travis Pietsch hired as Graphic Design Intern March 25.
Core: Facilities
No changes.
Core: Governance
Board survey data managed by the Governance Committee.
Fischetti, Michael
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