DorobekINSIDER: ConnellyWorks the basis of a new government PR team

Editor’s note: Updated at 12:50p to add full press release…

ConnellyWorks, the public relations, marketing communications and events services, is merging with Yes&, a newly formed marketing agency, the DorobekINSIDER has learned.

The formal announcement will come later today.

Yes& is building a new firm that will focus on both public and private sector markets. Yes& was created by the merger of three established communications companies – PCI Communications, LeapFrog Solutions and Carousel30. ConnellyWorks becomes the latest addition to that group.

As part of the agreement, ConnellyWorks will continue to maintain its office in Arlington, VA. Furthermore, Joanne Connelly, who founded ConnellyWorks, will continue to serve as president of ConnellyWorks and will be part of the Yes& executive team

I will add the formal announcement to this post when it is released.

ConnellyWorks, founded some 15 years ago by Joanne Connelly, a former editor of Federal Computer Week, has been one of the cornerstones of the government IT market with business lines including public relations, events, and events management.

UPDATE: The full press release after the break:

DorobekINSIDER poll: What is the government word of the year?

The team at the Oxford American Dictionaries have selected GIF as the 2012 word of the year.

In case you don’t know:

GIF verb to create a GIF file of (an image or video sequence, especially relating to an event): he GIFed the highlights of the debate

The GIF, a compressed file format for images that can be used to create simple, looping animations, turned 25 this year, but like so many other relics of the 80s, it has never been trendier. GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun. The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace.

Read the full blog post on the subject, including the other words that were in competition.

I’m not sure that would be my word of the years, but…

What should be the government word of the year?

03.19.2012 DorobekINSIDER: IT strategic plan; ACT-IAC plans for 2012; and smartphone security

Listen on SoundCloud
Find GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER on iTunes

Happy Monday — I hope you had a good weekend.
And I’ve had a bunch of people ask me about the new iPad. I don’t have it… YET. Yes, it was supposed to be delivered Friday, but… we are putting on an addition at home and there was an electrical issues, so… I wasn’t home on Friday to get it. I’ll get it today and report back, of course.

On today’s program…

• Everybody is thinking mobile. And there will be a plan very soon. We’ll get a preview from the federal Deputy CIO Linda Schlosser.
• The American Council on Technology and the Industry Advisory Council have been bringing government and industry together for decades. We’ll talk to the leaders of both of those organization about what is changing in 2012.
• Do you have a password on your smartphone? We will tell you why you just may want to do that.

All that ahead…

But after the break… we’ll start with the stories that impact your life for Monday the 19 of March, 2012… your government world in 120-seconds…

DorobekINSIDER: AFCEA Bethesda scores $675K for the Children’s Inn at NIH

One of the best events of the year is hosted by AFCEA’s Bethesda, MD chapter — it is the annual gala for The Children’s Inn at NIH, a simply remarkable place where sick children undergoing research at the National Institutes of Health can find a respite at a “place like home.”

The Children's Inn at NIH

AFCEA Bethesda has been a long-time supporter of The Children’s Inn at NIH. And the AFCEA Bethesda team managed to break yet another record for the 13th year of the gala, collecting more than $675,000 — at least as of initial estimates. The tallying was still going on, but… No small feat given the current environment.

I have been to the event for many of the past 13 years — and blogging about it in recent years… 2008… 2009… 2010… For 2011, I was honored to be asked to be a part of the presenting team — they asked me to help goose the silent auctions. (By ‘goosing,’ I can only assume they mean ‘come home with as many items as possible!” On that account — mission accomplished!)

A special thanks to Teresa Bozzelli of Sapient Government Services, who invited me to participate.

Hear Bozzelli and Linda Berdine, the chairwoman of The Children’s Inn at NIH Board, talk about it on The DorobekINSIDER.

AFCEA Bethesda has been a long-time supporter of the Children’s Inn at NIH. For those of you who don’t know about it, the Children’s Inn is similar to the Ronald MacDonald houses — they are a place where families can stay near the hospital and have as normal of a life as is possible. The big difference: The Children’s Inn provides that home to those families at no cost. Remarkable. (And yes — you can contribute… $139 buys a night for a family at the Children’s Inn.)

Donna Appell

See a slide show of photos from the event.

See more photos after the break.

One of the most amazing parts of the Children’s Inn Gala is that the audience gets to hear from the children themselves. This year, we got to meet Ashley Appell, 24, and her boyfriend Mervin Hernandez, 24 — who actually performed at the event… she sang and he played the saxophone. Both suffer from Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, a genetic metabolic disorder which causes albinism, visual impairment, and a platelet dysfunction with prolonged bleeding. Ashley’s mother, Donna, told the audience that they started singing and playing the sax as part of their therapy — to help with their lung capacity. And there therapy has turned into a joy and passion.

Ashley Appell, 24, and Mervin Hernandez, 24

And it was thrilling that Ashley’s mother got to speak because I cannot imagine the torture of watching a child in pain. But the remarkable thing is the Children’s Inn also becomes a place for real information sharing. Donna told me that the Children’s Inn, in addition to providing a home, has also provided her with a network of people who have been there and done it.

Some photos from the event…

The DorobekINSIDER gooses the silent auction (Photo: GTSI's Leslie Barry http://on.fb.me/fRQme5

AFCEA Bethesda raises more than $676,000 for The Children's Inn at NIH

Bozzelli and Berdine at the AFCEA Bethesda Children's Inn Gala

More photos… a slide show… and Children’s Inn at NIH – by the numbers… after the break…

The DorobekINSIDER as a (faux) model

Yes, I am hoping to keep my day job!

This is just one of the photos that my brother-in-law took at Chic2Geek, a fashion show sponsored by Microsoft.

More photos, video and (we hope) a vote for the ‘best’ model to come.

 

The DorobekINSIDER at @Geek2Chic (photo: Jeff Roche)

 

Reaction after walking the runway:

 

DorobekINSIDER: Deltek buys market research firm INPUT for $60 million

There have been all sorts or rumors and speculation flying around about the future of market research firm INPUT, including some rather embarrassing “reporting” where organizations merely quoted — and not completely accurately — somebody else seemingly without any knowledge or even actual reporting.

But the sale, which the DorobekINSIDER told you about earlier this year, is now official — Deltek, which had been in the rumor mill for days, is buying market research firm INPUT for $60 million in an all cash transaction.

Deltek provides government contracting solutions and owns govWin. Washington Technology says that “Deltek focused on the back-office accounting.”

UPDATE: Deltek President and CEO Kevin Parker will join us this afternoon on Federal News Radio 1500 AM’s DorobekINSIDER to talk about the INPUT deal.

The price tag is higher than anybody expected. Some bidders balked at the original $50 million asking price, so this represents a big bet by Deltek that they can create a real market leader offering a suite of services that Washington Management Group’s FedSources cannot. It is going to be interesting to watch.

We hear that Bloomberg was a bidder at one point. Bloomberg is making a big push into the government market with Bloomberg Government, or BGov. They are hiring hundreds of reporters, including the recent hire of Nextgov’s Allan Holmes to lead their technology coverage.  They could also be a competitor for these dollars.

Most of the other INPUT bidders were private equity firms, we hear.

1105 Media, which owns Federal Computer Week and Government Computer News, was not allowed to bid, we hear. 1105’s Neil Vitale has said previously that he was interested in a market research firm, but — my speculation without having spoken to him or anybody from 1105 — I don’t imagine he would have been willing to pay $60 million.

Here is the release from Deltek:

Deltek to Acquire INPUT to Power the Complete Government Contracting Value Chain

Together, Deltek and INPUT offer the only solution that manages and streamlines the entire government contracting value chain – from opportunity identification and capture management, to successful project initiation and execution; combination also creates the industry’s largest government contracting network

HERNDON, VA – September 30, 2010 – Deltek, Inc. (Nasdaq: PROJ), the leading provider of enterprise applications software and solutions for project-focused businesses, today announced that it will acquire INPUT, Inc. for $60 million in an all cash transaction.  The transaction is expected to close on October 1st, 2010.

The addition of INPUT’s industry-leading opportunity intelligence and business development capabilities to Deltek’s comprehensive portfolio of government contracting solutions and its govWin network expands Deltek’s product offerings to manage all facets of the government contracting value chain from opportunity identification to project delivery.

Based in Reston, VA, INPUT has nearly 200 employees and had revenues of $26.2 million for 2009 –an increase of 13% from 2008.  With more than 2,100 customers, INPUT enables companies to successfully identify and develop new business opportunities with federal, state and local government and other public sector organizations.  Many of the largest government contractors and agencies rely on INPUT for the latest and most comprehensive opportunity database and market research information.  INPUT powers an active network of over 30,000 members that collaborate on federal, state and local government opportunities, develop teaming relationships and win new business.

Deltek and INPUT Offer Unmatched Solutions for Government Contractors
With over 60 years of combined experience, Deltek and INPUT will provide the broadest and most comprehensive range of technology solutions, specialized content and services all focused on meeting the unique needs of government contractors including:

·         Delivering comprehensive enterprise software solutions that power the entire government contracting value chain – Deltek is the gold standard solution to manage and streamline the project execution and critical financial management processes of its customers.  By leveraging valuable, time sensitive content from INPUT, Deltek now will offer game-changing business development solutions such as opportunity information and identification, pipeline development, and capture and proposal management that complement Deltek’s project initiation, project execution and delivery, and financial management  capabilities to power the complete government contracting value chain.

·         Creating the largest online business development network in the world exclusively for government contractors, containing more than $500 billion in active government contracting opportunities – By combining the marquee lists of government contractors that are members of INPUT and Deltek’s govWin networks, Deltek creates the world’s largest online government contractor network exclusively dedicated to winning more government business.  The combined networks represent more than 45,000 participating individuals and over $500 billion in active government contracting opportunities.  The massive network delivers all of the tools that participants need to win business – including cutting-edge task order management capabilities – and will empower network members to identify, pursue, and win federal, state and local government contracts.

·         Providing the industry’s broadest and deepest actionable intelligence on the government marketplace – With more than 60 years of combined experience and thousands of customers across the government contracting landscape, both Deltek and INPUT have unparalleled knowledge and expertise about what is happening across this ever-changing industry.  Combining Deltek’s landmark GovCon Clarity reports that analyze financial management, project management and best practices, with INPUT’s comprehensive government market analysis and insight reports, Deltek will offer deep, actionable intelligence that helps government contractors navigate their dynamic industry and develop strategies for continued growth and future success.

“Deltek has a well-earned reputation for consistently delivering innovative, industry-focused solutions to government contractors and professional services firms worldwide,” said Mike Fauscette, Group Vice President of Software Business Solutions for IDC.  “While Deltek has long offered extremely broad and deep enterprise software solutions that have helped contractors streamline the back-office and drive compliance, its strategic move to acquire INPUT to deliver differentiated business development solutions and time sensitive intelligence and content as well sets Deltek apart in the marketplace today.  INPUT’s capabilities are a great complement to Deltek’s existing enterprise applications, and the combination of INPUT and govWin is yet another compelling reason for government contractors to leverage Deltek’s network to grow their businesses.”

“Our entire INPUT team is extremely proud of the great company that we have collectively built over the years,” said Peter Cunningham, Chairman of INPUT.  “Our services provide a unique combination of content and context (software). This is the direction for the information services industry in the 21st century, and we are ahead of the game.  The combination of INPUT with Deltek makes for a perfect match to accelerate our growth and commitment to our members.  Deltek’s enterprise software capability, industry expertise, and customer list are completely synergistic with INPUT’s capabilities and customer base, creating a combined organization that no competitor can match.  Our association with Deltek will provide a wonderful opportunity for our 2,100 member organizations to get increased value from our services and for our staff to have an almost unlimited career growth opportunity.  I cannot imagine us finding a finer and more appropriate partner to carry out our mission.”

“Acquiring a market leader like INPUT is a landmark move for Deltek,” said Kevin Parker, President and CEO of Deltek. “We are fully committed to investing in INPUT to expand its offerings, deliver new capabilities, and ensure that its customers continue to receive tremendous value from its products and services.  We also look forward to combining INPUT’s world-class business development and market research capabilities with our existing solutions.  Together, we are now powering the entire government contracting value chain, while providing our customers with the timely, data-driven market research they need to navigate their way to success.  This move solidifies Deltek’s standing as the premier government contracting solutions provider and thought leader in the market today.”

About INPUT
INPUT is the authority on government business. Established in 1974, INPUT helps companies develop federal, state, and local government business and helps public sector organizations achieve their objectives. More than 2,100 member organizations, including small specialized companies, new entrants to the public sector, and the largest government contractors and agencies, rely on INPUT for the latest and most comprehensive procurement and market information, consulting, a 30,000 strong teaming network, powerful sales management tools, and educational and networking events.  For more information about INPUT, visit www.input.com or call 703-707-3500.

About Deltek
Deltek (Nasdaq: PROJ) is the leading global provider of enterprise applications software and solutions designed specifically for project-focused businesses and professional services firms globally.  For nearly three decades, we have enabled government contractors and professional services firms to automate mission-critical business processes around the engagement, execution and delivery of projects. Over 13,000 customers use our solutions to measure business results, optimize performance, streamline operations and win new business. For more information, visit www.deltek.com.

Deltek also offers govWin, an online community dedicated to solving common business problems for government contractors. The govWin network delivers unique and specialized content, offers innovative matching capabilities to establish and manage teaming opportunities, and provides applications to identify, pursue, and win government contracts. Over 15,000 registered members, prime contractors, and small businesses are part of the govWin community. For more information, visit www.govwin.com.
Follow the conversation at http://govwin.com/deltek-input
Participate in the conversation on Twitter #DeltekInput

DorobekINSIDER: Helping out a Postal employee in a time of need

Those here in DC may have heard the horrible case of Vanessa Pham, a young woman who was murdered. Her body was found on Sunday.

The connection to the federal workforce: Pham’s mother is a postal worker — and family friends let me know that the family is having struggling financially to make ends meet. Friends have established a memorial fund to raise money for the funeral and burial costs.

Contributions may be sent to:
Navy Federal Credit Union
Vanessa Pham Memorial Fund
P.O. Box 3100
Merrifield, VA 22119-3100

More about Pham from the Washington Post:

Pham had just finished her freshman year at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, where she was studying fashion design. She had received a “distinguished senior” award from Madison for her work in fine arts, and her family said she was a talented artist and designer.

Pham’s body was found about 3:30 p.m. Sunday inside her Scion hatchback. The hatchback had been driven into a ditch along Route 50 in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County, near the intersection with Williams Drive just before Gallows Road. Police publicly identified her on Monday.

More on Pham’s murder from the Washington Post:

Vanessa Pham was on her way to realizing her dream of being a fashion designer. Then someone left her to die in her car in a ditch just a few yards from a busy Fairfax County highway.

Fairfax police on Monday identified Pham, a 19-year-old Northern Virginia native, as the woman whose body was found in a white Scion hatchback shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sunday. She had been stabbed multiple times, sources familiar with the investigation said.

Godspeed.

DorobekINSIDER: AFCEA Bethesda’s 12 annual benefit for The Children’s Inn at NIH

The 12th annual AFCEA Bethesda annual charity ball to Benefit the Children’s Inn at NIH. It is often one of the best events of the year — and this year was no exception. (Congratulations to Microsoft’s Teresa Carlson and Mark Hollander, Associate Director for Management at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. They served as the co-chairpeople for the event.)

The NIH Children's Inn Gala

For those of you who don’t know about it, the Children’s Inn is similar to the Ronald MacDonald houses — they are a place where families can stay near the hospital and have as normal of a life as is possible. Over the years, AFCEA Bethesda has raised more than $2 million to benefit The Children’s Inn at NIH.

If you were not able to attend and you want to donate to the Children’s Inn at NIH, it is a wonderful cause… and $93 buys a day at the Inn for somebody. You can make your donation here.

You can see a slideshow of the event here.

AFCEA Bethesda does a great job with this event. There was a new location for the event this year — the JW Marriott, which allowed for more tables.

Each year, the gala features one of the Inn’s families who talks about life at the Inn. It is always one of the highlights of the evening, and this year was no exception. This year, we got to hear from Kaytelan Hoppes, an 8-year-old who has osteogenesis imperfecta – better known as brittle bone disease. It is a condition that causes extremely fragile bones. And Hoppes talked about the impact that the Inn has had on her family — the ability to have a home away from home. (And she even let it be known that it enables her mother to get an occasional massage. Given what these families go through, whatever it takes to survive. Good for Mom!)

The only snag of the evening — a fire alarm right at the start of the live auction. (You could tell the journalists in the room because none of the people at the Federal News Radio table moved.) The immediate concern was that it would scare people away — and, of course, that they wouldn’t return and it would impact the live auction prices. But… the false alarm sure didn’t seem to have an impact. Most of the items — including a Vespa that the DorobekINSIDER was bidding on — all went for more then their estimated values.

Congratulations to those involved. Nice job! Looking forward to 2011!

See a slideshow from the event here.

Meanwhile… more photos…

Best shoes of the night

The Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris

No word on where Jim Williams is going -- yet

1105's Anne Armstrong and Eric Pesachowitz

Team NASA

Team Federal News Radio 1500 AM

DorobekINSIDER: The 2010 Fed 100 Awards Gala: Eagle winners, and I blush

Last night was Federal Computer Week’s 20th annual Federal 100 Awards Gala recognizing the 100 people who have made a difference in government IT in the past year. You can read the profiles of the winners from FCW here… and the full list here — including (blush) the DorobekINSIDER.

In my humble opinion, Federal Computer Week’s annual Federal 100 awards program is one of the most prestigious awards program in the government IT market. That is in part based on the fact that, as the former editor in chief at Federal Computer Week, I got to see how the process works — and it is tough. In fact, it is more competitive then you can imagine. One year, we had a judge who specifically asked to be a judge after winning the award a number of times. (Judges cannot win the Fed 100 award.) And that person, after being a judge, exclaimed, ‘Wow! I have new found respect for this process.’ And he went home and polished his awards, which were all given for well deserved work.

The 2010 Fed 100 winners are a distinguished group. There are people who are almost obvious — federal CIO Vivek Kundra, Roger Baker, the CIO at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Beth Noveck, the deputy chief technology officer who has led the open government initiative. And then there are the less well known yet still equally remarkable — NASA’s Emma Attunes, EPA’s Jeffrey Levy, Craiglist founder Craig Newmark and Sunlight Lab’s Clay Johnson.

Each year, FCW and the 1105 Government Information Group selects two people — one government, one industry — as the firsts among equals. Those two people are given FCW’s Eagle Award. These are the two people who have gone above and beyond among those who have gone above and beyond.

The 2010 government Eagle Award winner is Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency.

An excerpt of why he was recognized:

Alexander has consolidated the cyber mission planning and execution commands that support all 10 combatant commanders, and he helped oversee the development of a comprehensive, integrated and joint specializedcyber technical training course at Naval Air Station Pensacola. In addition, he has been nominated to lead the Defense Department’s newCyber Command.

Read the full write-up here.

The 2010 industry Eagle Award winner is Robert “Bob” Dix, Vice President of Government Affairs for Juniper Networks.

An excerpt from his write up:

Dix is active in a number of collaborative government and industry efforts, including the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security.

He also helped develop the National Cyber Incident Response Plan and assisted in creating scenarios for Cyber Storm III, a national cyber threat exercise scheduled for September.

Read his full write-up here.

Again, you can read all the profiles of the winners here… and the more in-depth profiles of several of the winners here.

I have to just make one note because, in fact, I was also a 2010 Fed 100 winner. In fact, I believe I am the first working journalist to win this prestigious award. (Anne Armstrong, the president of the 1105 Government Information Group and former long-time editor in chief ofFCW, was a Fed 100 winner, but I believe she was recognized for her work at Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology. I know she will correct me if I’m wrong.)

Regardless, getting such an award for a journalist can be seen as double edged sword — it is an enormous respect because, as I say, I have seen the process and I know how tough it is. But it can also raise the question: Does winning this kind of award mean that I’m not being tough enough? I don’t think so — and I was shocked and in awe of the recognition.

Being a journalist in this kind of community — and this is a community — it can be complex because our readers and our listeners are also our sources. And we depend on them. And I think you all depend on us. Yet the role of journalism is, in a way, the quest for The Truth. As the information age has evolved, finding The Truth can be difficult because it really depends on the data you have in front of you. So the role of journalism has evolved — we parse the data to tell you the information you need to help you make your assessment of The Truth. And that has been my goal: To provide you with information that helps you do you job better — that helps government operate better.

I tell the people who I will be covering regularly, I cannot promise they will always like everything I write — or say — but that I will bend into pretzel shapes to treat them fairly. Part of the quest for The Truth is asking questions. Throughout my career, I have sought to do it in a way thatisn ‘t punitive. Generally, I’m not a fan of “got ya'” stories because too often they simply don’t result in the desired change. So I get to talk about things that work — and things that don’t — in a way where we all learn lessons.

So this is very special — coming from people like Evans, the former de facto federal CIO… people like Dave Wennergren, the Defense Department deputy CIO… people like Martha Dorris, the Associate Administrator for GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications… Michael Howell, the deputy CIO at the Office of Management and Budget… HUD CIO Jerry Williams… and the entire team of judges. Honestly, I’m honored and humbled.

All of that being said, this is a community — a community of people who are generally very smart and very passionate about what they do. And I am honored — and humbled… And I’m thrilled get to do what I love to do.

I also want to give a special thanks to two people: Marty Wagner. The way that this community came out in support of Wagner following his Fourth of July 2007 accident is still just remarkable to me. It was such a real demonstration of this community. Wagner has come a long way from the days following the accident. He is a remarkable person — during his government career, he was somebody who was able to disagree without ever being disagreeable. He was able to push people to think “outside the box.” And in many way, he is my model.

The other is Anne Armstrong — the entire team from 1105 Media including FCW Editor in Chief David Rapp… and, of course, John S. Monroe, who, in so many ways, is the heart and soul of Federal Computer Week. But in particular, I want to thank Armstrong because she has been such a mentor for me — she named me to be the editor in chief of Federal Computer Week, but she also is passionate about this market. And in many ways,  my selection in particular has to have been SO difficult. The fact is that the Fed 100 are people really are the decision of a panel of expert judges — and they take the challenge very seriously. FCW editors don’t decide, but they can suggest. But to give such an award to a journalist — and a journalist at another organization — it says volumes about the real objectivity of these awards.

And, of course, thanks to Team Federal News Radio, who give me the opportunity to have so much fun doing this job each and every day.

So… with that… photos from the 2010 Federal 100 Awards Gala from last week.

DorobekINSIDER: Disconnecting from the grid with the Blue Footed Booby

The DorobekINSIDER is taking a break for a few weeks. I am fortunate to be traveling to the Galapagos Islands for a dream trip.

My guess is that I will be pretty much disconnected from the grid — I don’t think there is much Internet connection out there in the Galapagos Islands. That being said, I’ll post my experiences — and photos of Blue Footed Boopys — when I return.

I’m actually guessing that one of the difficult tasks will be unplugging. The great thing about what I do is… I love what I get to do each and every day. So unplugging will be something of a challenge. I’m guessing that going from being hyper-connected to being dis-connected will take a few days. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

I’ll be back briefly for the Federal 100 Awards Gala — I’m beyond honored to be on that list, so I just couldn’t miss the gala. I know the vetting that goes into selecting the 100 people, and the fact that the judges selected a working journalist — I’m just beyond honored. So I’ll be back — and then disappear again for a few days.

On the trip, I’m going to re-read Daniel Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us in preparation for April 2nd’s Federal News Radio Book Club discussion. I posted a discussion forum on GovLoop. As you have thoughts about the book, I hope you’ll share what you think this means for government.

As always, thanks for reading. I’ll be back.