Government Consulting at Booz Allen Hamilton
Kristin Reisinger
Associate
Booz | Allen | Hamilton
4692 Millennium Dr. #200
Belcamp, MD 21017 USA
Tel: +1 610-915-8388
reisinger_kristin@bah.com
1
Agenda
 Introduction
 Government Consulting
– Industry Overview
– Federal Proposal Process
 Working at Booz Allen
– Human Capital Consulting Practice
– Example Projects
– Required Skills
 Q&A
2
Introduction
3
My Path
Loyola
College
BA 2001
Manchester,
Inc.
2002- 2003
Consulting
Intern
University of
Baltimore
MS 2003
Grad
AssistantshipDean’s Office
Human
Performance
Systems, Inc.
2003 – 2004
Intern,
Research
Assistant
Booz Allen Hamilton
2004-Present
Consultant
Senior Consultant
Associate
• McLean, VA 2004- 2006
• Philadelphia, 2006-2010
• Aberdeen /Telecommute
2010-present
4
Government Consulting
5
What is Management Consulting?
 Consulting: Work done by a consulting firm, which focuses on advising organizations
on the best ways to manage and operate their business
 Management Consulting: The practice of creating value for organizations through
improved performance, achieved by providing objective advice and implementing
business solutions
 Booz Allen Hamilton is a leading provider of management consulting, technology, and
engineering services to the US Government in defense, intelligence, and civil markets
– Trusted long-term partner to our clients
– Seek our expertise and objective advice to address their most important and
complex problems
6
Commercial vs. Government Consulting
Commercial Consulting
Federal Consulting
Example
Organizations
“Big 4” Consulting Firms
Ernst & Young
Deloitte
Price Waterhouse Coopers
KPMG
McKinsey
Bain
Boston Consulting Group
Strategy& (BAH commercial spin-off)
“Beltway Bandits”
Booz Allen Hamilton
Bearing Point
Accenture
Deloitte
Lockheed Martin
SAIC International
CSC
Employee
Stereotypes
Top-tier MBA Graduates
Focus on doing cutting edge, interesting work
Ex-military and/or smart/driven functional experts
Focus on serving important government
missions, providing excellent client service
Relationship to
Clients
Trusted advisors
Staff Augmentation (“Butts in Seats”)
Strategy and implementation work done in direct
collaboration with clients
Assignment
Length
Short-term (3-6 months)
Multi-year, long-term strategic partnerships
Culture
“Up or Out,” “Road Warriors”
Common to stop at “Associate” level
Long-term onsite work, risk of “Going Native”
Environmental
Impacts
Economy
Elections
7
Federal Contracting
 The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) guides how we work with our government
clients
– Complex set of rules governing the federal government’s purchasing process
– Ensures consistency and fairness of purchasing procedures
– www.acquisition.gov/far
 Booz Allen solicits work from the federal government through a structured procurement
process
8
The Standard Federal RFP Format has 13 Sections
RFP
Description
Typical Content
A
Solicitation/Contract form
RFP table of contents, contact information, due date, submittal location, serves as contact when signed
by offeror and government
B
Supplies or services and
prices
Contract Line Items (CLINs) listing what is to be priced and how
C
Statement of Work
Describes work required, i.e., specification
D
Packaging and marketing
Product packaging and marketing requirements
E
Inspection and acceptance
Product/service inspection and acceptance criteria
F
Deliveries or performance
When products are services are required
G
Contract administration data
Contract requirements not on solicitation form
H
Special contract requirements
Items not in Section I or other sections of the contract
I
List of attachments
Data requirements and organization, anything that did not fit elsewhere, and occasionally
organizational instructions not included in L to permit using an otherwise “standard” RFP
J
List of Instructions
K
Representations, certifications
Acknowledgement forms that must be signed and submitted with the proposal
L
Instructions, conditions,
notices
Instructions for proposal preparation, format, organization, content, length
M
Evaluation factors for award Process, evaluation factors, and relative importance of the factors used to evaluate offers
Sections we write
to, and ensure
compliance
9
Proposals
 What is a proposal?
– A response to a client’s RFP
– A sales document that is intended to convince the client of our ability to successfully
perform the work at the lowest risk.
– If awarded, our proposal is a binding agreement to perform.
 Most government proposals include:
– Technical/Management Volume
 Approach
 Staffing
 Assumptions
– Cost Volume
– Past Performance Volume
 All Booz Allen client-facing staff support proposal development
10
Procurement Process Example
Social Security Administration Office of Information Technology
Human Capital Strategic Plan Development
Requirements
Definition
•Existing BAH client, SSA IT, needed support developing a human capital strategic plan for their IT workforce
•Supporting BAH IT team reached to HC leadership for support
•I took the marketing call to understand their need and discuss our human capital capability.
•Client requested a white paper outlining general approach
•BAH IT and HC staff collaborated on the white paper
Acquisition
Strategy
•Client turned white paper content into an RFP
Request for
Proposals
•BAH IT and HC staff collaborated on the proposal, responding to specific requirements
Evaluation
Contract
Award
•SSA IT evaluated two offers based on approach, cost, and qualifications. Cost was the most critical factor.
•Offeror was notified of win
•OUTCOME: BAH lost on price
11
Consulting vs. Industry
12
Working at Booz Allen
13
Our Operating Model
Focus of Work in
Central Maryland and
Aberdeen
14
Booz Allen’s Human Capital Bench Strength
 Approximately 1,800 human capital and learning professionals with advanced degrees
and certifications in:
– Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
– Human Capital Strategist (HCS)
– Change Management Advanced Practitioner
 Professionals with functional expertise in:
– Workforce planning and assessments
– Competency development
– Organizational development and transformation
– Performance management
– Human Resource (HR) process redesign
– HR program support
 Breadth allows us to staff projects with specialized experts and rapidly surge to meet
client needs
15
Example Booz Allen Human Capital Capabilities
16
Example Projects Along My Path
 Competency Model Development and Analysis
– Veterans Affairs, Office of Information Technology/ Human Resources Academy
– Department of Homeland Security
– National Science Foundation
– Joint Special Operations University
 Employee Opinion Survey Programs
– National Reconnaissance Office
– Office of the Director of National Intelligence
– NASA
17
Case Study: VA IT Workforce Development
 Challenge Faced:
– Need for data-driven process for identifying training
needs
– Need for common language for newly centralized IT staff
performing similar roles in different ways
 Actions Taken:
– Identified workforce competencies for all IT and IT
support occupations, with behavioral indicators for five
levels of proficiency
Lessons Learned
Best Practices
Active SME Working Groups
Used one occupation as an initial pilot to
agree on definitions/outcomes and
improve the process
Implemented competency-based learning
– Aligned 8000 staff against appropriate profile
– Assessed individual gaps for custom training plans
– Assessed aggregate gaps to drive training development
and acquisition
 Results Achieved:
– Competency models for 22 occupations
– 3000 learning events mapped to the models in a Talent
Management System
Pitfalls
Lack of senior stakeholder engagement
from the outset caused leadership
commitment to wane in some
organizations
Competency models are voluminous and
some reflect functions not competencies
– 96% assessment completion
18
Career Progression at Booz Allen
Principals,
Partners
Senior Associates
Lead Associates
Associates
Senior Consultants
Consultants
Admins,
Researchers
19
The Way We Work
 Virtual work is accepted
– Many staff on client site
– Move to ‘hoteling’/staff alignment to closest office
– Matrixed teams
 Virtual Collaboration is expected
– Most meetings include Lync/ LiveMeeting screen sharing
– Outlook invites include iPhone direct access
 Work/Life balance is a mantra
– 40-50 hour work week
– Travel outside DC is minimal
– Flex hours are common
20
Required Skills
 Consulting
– Listening actively and asking pertinent and relevant questions
– Thinking critically to properly evaluate information
– Project management
– Communicating solutions effectively
 PowerPoint
 Executive writing
 Human Capital
– Job Analysis
– Focus group facilitation
– Analysis
– “Best practice” theories and approaches
– Credible sources to cite
21
Questions?
22