Fred Dandes ⋅ West Orange, NJ TekMark Global Services ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi John,

You picked a lucrative and in-demand service area in Project Management .

From my experience a study for PM Certification is very important . It not only gets your foot in the door of the majority of companies, and the interview process is less stressful, because of this known certification value in the industry .

I have the "Guide to the Project Management Body of KNowledge (PMBOK Guide) fifth edition. It's worth having this reference . It provides guidelines for managing individual projects and defines project management concepts. It also describes PM life cycle and its related processes, as well as the project life cycle.

Also check out this URL ..... https://www.pmi.org/ ...... Might be helpful ...... Their is a ton of work for Project Managers , so if committed to that , you surely will be successful ..... Good Luck ......

Regards.
Fred Dandes

Sarah Bass Blanco ⋅ Annapolis, MD boodleAI ⋅ 7 years experience

Hi John,

Thank you for your service and for using ACP AdvisorNet! I wanted to ask if you have you gone to the Community page on our website? On this page, you can search for Advisors within specific industries, experience levels and by proximity to your zip-code. You could then reach out and personally message them to ask for their advice. I did a quick search for Program Management Advisors near Fuquay Varina and there are many in the NC area in general! Some work within or own a Project Management consulting firm and could be great contacts.

This may already be a step you are undertaking, but you could also look into the top LinkedIn profiles or organizations dedicated to Project Management consulting. From there, you could connect with other business owners or Project Management consultants, particularly those that contract with the government, to discuss best practices and what you will need to have in place to become one yourself.

Thank you again and I hope this was helpful!

All the best,

Sarah Bass
ACP AdvisorNet Staff

Deb Yeagle ⋅ Tampa, FL Plan To Win, Inc. ⋅ 39 years experience

Hi John-
Thanks for your service!
Most Federal Government contracts that involve project management services are referred to as "SETA" (Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance) or "A&AS" (Advisory and Assistance Services) contracts. I'd recommend you research the top SETA/A&AS contractors in your targeted geographic area of performance and seek partnerships with them (after careful vetting of course) to obtain positions on their contract. After building up your past performance as a subcontractor, then you can pursue future SETA/A&AS bids as a prime.

To be able to support these contracts, you will need government acquisition expertise. Below is an excerpt from a recent Army SETA contract that details the requirements of the Acquisition and Project Management task, to give you an idea of the scope of work involved in these contracts.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
Deb

The contractor shall assist in the preparation and revision of a project management strategy including timelines, milestones, and strategic planning techniques for both near and long-term support for acquisition management. The contractor shall utilize the total systems approach in making decisions, which shall consider; supportability, life cycle costs, performance, and schedule. The contractor shall prepare and revise acquisition documents in accordance with DoD, Department of the Army (DA), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance and requirements. In addition, documentation shall be prepared in compliance with applicable policies and regulations from Federal, DoD, and DA levels to include, but not limited to: DoD 5000, 7000, and 8000 Series; Army Regulations (ARs) 1-1 and 70-1; and OMB A-11.
The contractor shall support the following program planning and analysis acquisition activities:
 Prepare and assist in the development of policy and procedures for program-level management;
 Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of all relevant plans and projects (products) and assess how effectively they meet organizational priorities;
 Prepare and assist in the development, staffing, implementation, and maintenance of agreements with external organizations and system owners (e.g., external interfaces);
 Prepare and assist in the development of comprehensive plans, programs, special reports (including acquisition documentation), briefing support studies, analysis, and plans;
 Review and assess the impact in terms of cost, schedule and/or performance of revised or new policy guidance and regulations;
 Assist in the drafting, revising, maintaining, and coordinating of acquisition documentation required by DoD, DA and OMB;
 Ensure consistency across acquisition documentation in the project office;
 Prepare, document, and coordinate with internal and external organizations for regulatory certifications;
 Schedule, coordinate, and facilitate Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) and Working IPTs (WIPTs) in support of Milestone Decision Reviews or other acquisition related reviews;
 Provide input for Project/Product Monthly Status Review (MSR) meetings and briefings; and
 Develop responses to DoD Inspector General, Army Audit Agency, and other external audits