FP&C Consulting

Throwback Thursday to when we were doing consultant bios! Some things have definitely changed, but our fearless leader is still the same Charles Hargett who comes in every day empathizing, sharing knowledge, and working hard. And he's still great at hiring incredible people! If you see job postings from us and are looking for a fantastic company to join, FP&C Consulting is definitely one you should consider! We take care of our own and we're a wonderful, knowledgeable group! #throwbackthursday #fpacconsulting #yourmissionisourvision #sdvosb #vosb #govcon #governmentcontracting

I have had a talent and some luck the past few months for picking the most relevant books and this one was probably the most relevant to current events! Both within our company and outside of it. This also turned into one of my favorite books of the ones I’ve read for these book reviews. A lot of these books have had wonderful ideas, but no concrete way to begin using them. This book was the exception. The book is laid out into two parts. In Part 1, he starts by laying out the Four Workarounds with data and accompanying stories for each. I found it very interesting that he not only used individuals and causes that were very honorable, but ones that were.. not as morally sound. The workarounds themselves are likely words you’ve heard of: Piggyback, Loophole, Roundabout, and the Next Best. The example that stood out to me the most was a Next Best one from Brazil, where some computer geeks developed and deployed artificial intelligence (that they named Rosie, after a particular robotic maid) that investigated suspicious public spending by their politicians through automatically “reading” congresspeople’s reimbursement receipts. Six months after deployment, Rosie had identified over 40% of the Congress members utilizing public funds improperly! Hearing how people have specifically used each one (in many stories, in order to enact great or meaningful change) gives you some insight into how each one might be applicable to you. But he doesn’t leave it up to you to parse out exactly how to do so. In Part 2, he shows you how to use each of the workarounds in your own situation. A quote that caught my eye when talking about the attitude of workarounds was “Though changes in rules (and their interpretation) may reflect the climate of an era, if you’re concerned about today’s rain and don’t want to get drenched, you may want to work around these rules instead.” As things change quickly, we need to continue to figure out ways around issues. You can do this by “turning our unknown unknowns into known unknowns” and finding ways to put fragments together that we may not have realized could work with each other. Utilize outsiders AND insiders to find the knowledge you may be missing. Outsiders like consultants and insiders like employees who’ve worked in multiple departments and can see what you may not be able to. Be knowledgeable about who you can work with, work around, and work towards. Encourage leaders in your organization who “manage messes well”, rather than someone who just has “vision”. As GovCon is seeing some upheaval, this book was a good example of and reminder that working together and being clever can help organizations grow and succeed. I highly recommend giving this book a read. The whole package is a good one. But even if you just focused on Part 2, I think you’d find some tidbits of worthwhile knowledge that may help your situation, whatever it is. And if you're as busy as OUR CEO tends to be, brush up on at least Chapter 8. Happy reading!

Happy President's Day! We hope you're able to enjoy your day off and take full advantage of it. While doing some research, I found out that Presidents Day has evolved a lot since the 1800s. It was originally Washington's birthday, but with Lincoln's birthday and a few others so close, it's morphed over time into the Presidents Day we're familiar with. DID YOU KNOW? It was in 1968 that the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed, with Washington's birthday, Columbus Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day all being moved to specific Mondays so that workers would get more 3 day weekends in a year. This was hoped to discourage absenteeism. The more you know! Interesting stuff! 🎉 🏛️ ❤️ 🤍 💙 🏛️ 🎉

Roses are Red. Violets are Blue. Sending love today is easy because of USPS, Sending appreciation is too! Give your favorite federal workers and GovCon friends some love today! While the day is generally for celebrating romantic love, celebrating friendships, partnerships, family, and co-workers is something we should all do too. Who doesn't love a a little thank you note and some chocolate? #fpacconsulting #yourmissionisourvision #notprocurement #illbehonestijustreallyenjoyreasonstocelebrate

To piggyback off of last week's tip, this week is a continuation of the subscriptions idea. This time, do a little research on what the government already uses and relies on. And then start using it yourself! While it's good to stay ahead of the curve on subscriptions and applications on the industry side, the government is a slow-moving beast that prefers the tried-and-true. If you can find a good balance of both, you'll be set! And as a bonus, the government will know they can trust you since you can tie into their existing systems efficiently. And you can potentially introduce your government customers to new systems that might be worth their time too. #fpacconsulting #yourmissionisourvision #tuesdaytip #govcon #governmentcontracting #procurement #sdvosb #vosb #smallbusiness

With Sunday coming up quickly, make your voice heard! Who are you rooting for? #fpacconsulting #notgovconthistime #letshavesomefriendlyfun #makeyourpreferencesheard #itwouldbesofunnyifneitherwon

As a business, you likely use a fair number of subscriptions. We have a variety of needs and utilizing subscriptions can help us all stay organized and even automated. However, we're all guilty of chasing new shiny objects and paying for things that don't become well used or even useful anymore. It's good during a consistent time of year to review what you use (and what you don't!) and adjust accordingly. #fpacconsulting #yourmissionisourvision #tuesdaytip #govcon #governmentcontracting #procurement #sdvosb #vosb

Sometimes we need permission to take a breather. 5 minutes, 15 minutes. A block of time purposefully set aside this weekend. Whatever you need. This is your permission! 🧘 🧘♂️ 🧘♀️ 🧘 🧘♂️ 🧘♀️

✨ Thursday January 23rd, FP&C was pleased to attend the annual Colorado version of The Building People's holiday party, along with representatives from a couple of other companies as well! ✨ A wonderful time was had by all and it was really fantastic getting to know some people in person! 🎉 👏 Both CEOs gave inspiring speeches that really hit home on how much hard work we've all done in the last year and how special our partnership is. Thank you, TBP, for hosting! We can't wait to see you all again next year! 🎆

This month's book was "Your Brain on Art" by Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross. This book is not one you’d normally consider for a GovCon or Business perspective, but I caught it on a business books list and it piqued my curiosity. It was a recent and good reminder that we – as business people, proposal writers, proposal readers, or decision makers – all need to give ourselves time to refresh our brains. While I’ll still encourage you to read this book, I’ll sum up some of the more poignant parts for those of us who are busy in the new year. Firstly, this book is a wealth of interesting data about the how and the why. Lots of wonderful examples of individuals who’ve found their art that allows them to heal and nurture their brains. You see people connecting with many different arts that maybe you’d never considered trying before. Some people were reconnecting with things they’d learned at a young age and others had stories of stumbling onto a new as a seasoned adult. You just have to give yourself the time and grace to try things. While ritual and routine are good for you, new experiences are too! As a numbers nerd, I loved the varied and relevant statistics throughout. Statistics like “People who engage in the arts every few months… have a 31 percent lower risk of dying early when compared with those who don’t” really resonated with me. Brain breaks are a real thing that’s needed in this gig. We do a LOT of reading and writing and focused thinking. You need breaks for your brain! One of my favorite paragraphs in the book explained this well: “Engaging in the arts is one way to activate these systems and to spur creativity. Taking a break from a task at hand, for instance, and allowing your mind to wander as you engage in the act of art-making can spark seemingly spontaneous solutions (especially needed in the GovCon work we do!)…. Mind wandering in this way has been shown to increase our creativity.” Finally, as for the business aspect of it, there are plenty of things to consider. A quote from Keith Yamashita caught my attention as well. “I wish in the realm of business that we spent as much time on creative skills as we do technical skills…. The creative skills are where the ingenuity comes from.” Ideas I pulled from this for current company events would be to visit a museum before sitting down for a particular proposal hashing out. Or to have some doodle time before or after (or maybe even during!) a meeting. To encourage each other’s hobbies and make time to participate in our own. A company celebration involving a night at the Symphony. Art doesn’t just have to be a personal endeavor. It’s good for all of us and benefits us both in our jobs and in our lives. Next time you think about art you enjoy, do it! Then purposefully set aside time for it every week. Don't be afraid to share it with others either. I think you’ll be surprised by the results. #fpacconsulting #bookreview