Convergint Federal Securing the Nation

Convergint Federal focuses on both federal government entities and contractors who provide services and solutions to federal end-users. In accordance with our motto, “concept to completion”, we provide consultancy, survey, design, engineering, installation, integration, cybersecurity, testing, training, maintenance, and sustainment for integrated security systems as well as other synergetic systems such as life safety and building automation.

Convergint Federal begins with a comprehensive review of applicable federal regulations and historical data in support of our due diligence for the pre-positioning phase of capture. From there, projects are categorized as either ‘transactional’ or ‘programmatic’. Transactional opportunities are those we design and price in collaboration with Convergint Technology Centers (CTC’s) who subsequently procure and install the solutions for the federal end-user. These usually have a fairly quick turnaround time. Programmatic opportunities on the other hand are almost exclusively contract vehicles which tend to have a longer capture cycle.

Contracts spearheaded by the Convergint Federal team may involve a single award or multiple awards—both of which usually require bidders to be short-listed under a blanket contract vehicle. Shortlisting ultimately facilitates permission to bid on individual task orders or projects under that blanket contract. Once secured, those projects may be routed to the CTC. In doing so, however, Convergint Federal maintains responsibility for generating system designs and pricing in accordance with the specific federal rules and regulations that apply.

When dealing with the federal government, all bidders are bound by the same rules. As a result, Convergint Federal is compelled to be strategic in its approach, leverage its strengths, and communicate its capabilities well via RFP and RFQ response. Optics are critical. The team works diligently to stay within the guidelines of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and collaborates to ensure our ability to deliver the best solutions to federal end-users.

Convergint Federal is more than just a vertical market for Convergint—it’s a wholly-owned subsidiary. This adds a whole other level of management complexity to the business. Ultimately, the Convergint Federal team must ensure that all project collaborations with Convergint colleagues/CTCs are executed in accordance with government statutes and federal agency requirements. This begins with clear communication of scopes of work. All efforts support compliance and optimize our successes.

The federal government is challenged when it comes to modernizing, centralizing, and integrating its systems. Its ability to optimize is hindered by two key issues:

• Research is not always as complete as it should be prior to issuing RFPs and RFQs. Limitations on time and internal resources may lead to requests that don’t fully capture government needs. As a result, buyers don’t always go into the decision-making process fully understanding what they want and how much they should budget.
• Unrealistic timelines and incomplete scopes of work in RFPs and RFQs can limit the bidders’ ability to price solutions properly. Educated guesses too often become the norm, and expectations are subsequently mismatched between the government agency and federal contractor.

The federal government has several real opportunities to improve results in security including:

• Increased accountability. Government rules and guidelines should not only be upheld by contractors but by the government itself. As such, systems need to be kept up-to-date and upgraded in accordance with certain specified regulations and requirements.
• Managed costs. The federal government must also seize the opportunity to recognize that the lowest bidder is not always the best provider and can cost more in the long run.
• Better communication. The government has the opportunity to invest in putting out better RFP’s and RFQ’s that allow for better responses from system integrators like Convergint Federal.

Convergint Federal is ISO 9001:2015 certified. As such, we strive for quality optimization. Our success is measured by:

• Our Rate of Growth: Our rate of growth is a solid reflection of customer satisfaction.
• CPARS (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System) Assessments: CPARS is a past performance information retrieval system in which the federal government can rate every project that we do for them. CPARS is reviewed by all federal agencies before they award like projects to any federal contractor. Our past performance is indeed assessed as a predictor of future success.
• On-Time/On Budget: Keeping our clients satisfied is contingent on our ability to deliver solutions on schedule and within cost projections. Satisfied customers provide invaluable references.

The Convergint Federal team strives to do the job right and to do it right the first time. This is where quality meets culture. As part of Convergint, we aspire to be our federal customers’ best service provider and make a daily difference. We are a true security systems integrator rather than a generalist. We understand security requirements and know how the federal procurement process works. And we are known for staying true to our word. If we say it, we can do it.