As an intern at Winvale for the past two months, I have not been delivering coffee around the office. In fact, I have not run any mindless errands! Instead, I have been exposed to the business like an employee; working closely with people in multiple departments to the point where I feel invested in what I am doing. As a result, I understand that Winvale is both a consultant and a contractor that helps businesses expand sales to the government market.

On August 27th, 2013 a new rule will go into effect that states that any contract given to a small business that has misrepresented their size status will suffer a “presumption of loss” of the full amount of that contract. This rule comes in the wake of a report by NASA auditors which found that approximately one third of the woman owned small businesses that were awarded NASA contracts misrepresented their socioeconomic and small business certifications, and were not in-fact woman owned small businesses. With an increase in scrutiny and fiscal consequences, it is important to be fully transparent when representing the size and socioeconomic status of your business.

Windows XP’s days are numbered. Microsoft will be terminating all support for the operating system, as well as support for Microsoft Word 2003, on April 8, 2014. This includes all security updates and fixes, leaving those with Windows XP vulnerable to security threats. Many organizations are now faced with the task of migrating to a modern desktop on Windows 7 or 8. While it may seem daunting, organizations should view migrating as an opportunity, not a burden. For starters, Windows 7 features substantial enhancements over XP and Vista in multiple areas including performance, security, user access PC management and support. Tests have shown that Windows 7 runs JavaScript significantly faster than XP or Vista. Other advantages of migrating lie with the process itself. Migrating will give your organization a chance to correct operating inefficiencies and automate processes and standards.

Providing an exceptional customer service experience is a key element of running any organization, from large corporations to non-profits to government agencies. Government agencies have to deal with issues raised by the public every day and be able to respond to constituents in an efficient manner. While seemingly a straightforward task, customer relations is a constantly evolving field. Many people now expect a personalized experience through whatever channel they prefer, whether it is by phone, email, web or social networks. By using the most current technology to optimize the customer service experience, organizations can not only improve the way they respond to their constituents needs but also improve their own organizational efficiency and reduce costs.

On July 9th, 2013 the General Services Administration (GSA) launched a new website platform for government-managed reverse auctions, reverseauctions.gsa.gov. This program, available through the National Information Technology Commodity Program (NITCP) of GSA’s Federal Acquisition service (FAS) marks the beginning of a change in the way businesses will compete for government contracts.

The use of mobile devices is increasing rapidly and forever changing the way in which we conduct not only our personal lives, but the way government agencies conduct business. In fact, mobile strategies have recently been promoted at the highest levels of government. In May 2012, the Obama Administration launched the Digital Government Strategy. At that point, only 35% of adults owned a mobile device, but today that number is nearly 50%. Additionally, Nielsen reported an 89% increase in mobile data usage between 2010 and 2011. However, only 25% of government agencies have a mobile strategy in place.