“What is happening with stimulus programs?”

Welcome to the first official post of Voices for Innovation’s new feature, “Ask the NTO.” I’m Stuart McKee, Microsoft’s National Technology Officer—or NTO—for the United States.

This new feature gives VFI members the chance to ask questions about doing business in the public sector—with local, state, and federal government agencies. Depending on interest, we may also enlist other NTOs to bring a more global perspective to the discussion.

I thought I would kick off “Ask the NTO” by raising the question that I’ve heard most often from partners in the last few months, namely: “What is happening with stimulus programs?” More to the point, partners want to know how IT is being funded by stimulus spending, what is being funded, is funding now available, and how does my company bid for public sector business.

The answers to these questions are multiple and complex—just as the stimulus program— officially the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)—is complex.

Under ARRA, some funds have been earmarked specifically for IT-related projects, such as $19 billion for health IT and $650 million for educational technology. There will also be technology components to other projects (e.g., improving public transportation), as well as IT needs for program tracking and administration. States receiving federal stimulus money, for instance, must meet stringent and still-developing tracking and reporting requirements. As many of you know, Microsoft’s Stimulus360 was designed to help government agencies meet these requirements.

Just last week, states, school districts, housing agencies, and others had to submit reports detailing how stimulus dollars will be spent. In other words, planning is still taking place and requests for proposals (RFPs) for most IT projects have not been issued. This means you haven’t missed opportunities, but you still have to wait.

And what should I do while waiting for stimulus programs to roll out?

Following from the discussion above, the next logical question is, “What should partners do now to prepare for opportunities that will emerge from stimulus-funded programs?”

My answers to this question are both general and specific. Much of what you might do now should be similar to steps you would take in advance of any operational or marketing initiative. You should identify your company’s core strengths and determine how these can be deployed in public sector markets. You may want to invest in additional training, acquire new skills, or add personnel. Microsoft offers partners a number of programs that can help in these areas.

You should also deepen your networking in the public sector, extend your market research, and access more government information.

For instance, federal contract information can be found on the Recovery.gov website or at FedBizOpps.gov. State and municipal government websites also often provide contracting information. For instance, California’s eProcurement site is a good place to start for partners in the Golden State. Some government agencies offer RSS feeds, maintain Facebook pages, or Tweet with updates. Sign up for all of it. And expand your research… with Bing of course.

Ultimately, there is no single or simple way to compete in the marketplace for government contracts. Just leap in, be persistent, be professional, and keep offering the latest innovations to improve government efficiency and effectiveness.

And if you have a question, hit a roadblock, or want to bounce an idea off me, just “Ask the NTO” by emailing info@voicesforinnovation.org or using the form below. I’ll be back next month with more answers.

Ask the NTO Form

We look forward to your participation in Voices for Innovation Ask the NTO series.  While we may not have the opportunity to address all of the questions we will try to answer as many as we can.