If only I could be a fly on the wall at the DSCP, Natick, and other hubs of Department of Defense procurement. For reasons that are unclear to me and plenty of others in the industry, there have been several delays in awards of contracts. I know of several companies that have had an excruciating wait to hear on these contracts.
I don’t expect that the contracting officers care, but there is a lot of cost and pain for those companies in wait. How do I hold capacity in my plant for an indefinite time? While other work slows down, can I afford to keep my staff at high levels waiting for a contract? Can I afford to let them go and not have them when I do get the award? How will I deal with an expedited delivery that will inevitably be demanded because the government has waited so long? These are the questions that business owners and managers struggle with. With the slow down in the consumer and commercial markets, now would be a great time for a steady stream of government work in our factories. But many people are waiting. You have to wonder if some of them will be able to hang on long enough?