DSFederal, a Washington D.C. based 8(a) consulting firm specializing in IT consulting, training and development, management consulting, and organizational development, won their first two HHS contracts as announced in the publication “HHSPulse”. Both contracts were awarded from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Evaluation as well as from FDA.
Sophia J. Parker CEO of the company, has worked for both SAIC and Northrop Grumman. Her past experience is helping to manage the FDA Clarity Program Management Support Project and to handle the management contract for both the HHS Statistical Health Portal and the Minority Health Statistics websites.
The secret to DSFederal’s success is really not secret at all according to the Program Support Center’s Small Business Specialist, Anita Allen. She said “Since DSFederal started out as a sub-contractor, the company has had time to build strong relationships and prove to the people at HHS that the firm could deliver. Parker built a relationship with me over a year’s time. She would get in touch with me every few months and was always prepared.”
Another company L&M Policy Research, a women and minority owned 8(a) was awarded two contracts with CMS. In addition, the company also holds contracts with CDC as well as NCI, and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. The key to success for this company as well is that the company spent time gaining an understanding of HHS and how to provide valuable help to the agency.
L&M’s contract with CMS is going to help prepare for the upcoming transition to fully bundled reimbursement in End Stage Renal Disease services. L&M is developing approaches on how to identify, monitor, and address the unintended consequences that the new system may have on racial/ethnic minority beneficiaries with ESRD.
Additionally L&M is helping CMS with its annual physician practice expense payment rate update and also working on a range of physician practice expense related projects including policy evaluation and impact assessments.
The company founded by Lisa Green, PhD and Myra Tanamor, M.P.P has grown to include researchers, economists, former healthcare administrators, public health specialists, and policy experts.
For more information on DSFederal, go to www.dsfederal.com and for L&M Policy Research, go to www.LMPolicyResearch.com.
