The Peel

Winning a major government contract has never been just about what you put on paper. Increasingly, teams have to walk into the room, own the solution, work together, and perform under pressure. And as Vericol’s Kate Parkinson knows firsthand, there may be more in common between building a winning orals team and running a high-performing kitchen than you might think.   OrangeSlices CEO David Blackb...

Forget the traditional panel discussion. The Digital Services Coalition (DSC) is putting government and industry on opposite sides of the conversation—and asking them to debate some of the biggest questions facing digital services and procurement today. On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Nico Ojeda , President of the Digital Services Coalition, for a preview of The Great D...

A new federal fiscal year is underway, and GWACs could play an even bigger role in how agencies buy in FY27. But which vehicles should government contractors be watching—and what can companies do if they don’t already have a seat at the table? On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire welcomes back Eric Nusbaum , Founder and CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group, for his monthly GovCon check-in and...

AI can answer a question. But what happens when AI starts making decisions and taking action on your behalf? On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Jason Balser , Senior Director of AI and Data Strategy at RELI Group, to break down one of the hottest topics in technology today: agentic AI. Jason explains the concept through a simple travel analogy—traditional AI can help with...

What if crossing a finish line could mean more than completing a race? For Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA), it’s about creating community, belonging, friendship, and the opportunity for athletes with limited mobility to experience the excitement of accomplishing something together. On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Julia Kardian, Chief Operating Officer of Athletes Servin...

On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Wagish Bhartiya , Chief Growth Officer at REI Systems, to explore what federal agencies need to get right before AI can truly transform how they operate. At the center of the challenge is data. Agencies often have enormous amounts of information spread across disconnected systems—and AI can confidently deliver an answer even when it’s wor...

The end of the federal fiscal year is here—and in GovCon, that can feel a lot like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. The opportunities are moving fast, but simply chasing everything that hits the market isn't a winning strategy. In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire and ENcompass Consulting Group's CEO, Eric Nusbaum, talk about how contractors can finish FY26 strong while positioning themselv...

Cybersecurity can’t be something added at the end of a project. In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Kevin Spease , President and Co-Founder of ISSE Services, to talk about why security requirements need to be integrated much earlier in the systems development lifecycle. Kevin breaks down where friction often appears when teams try to translate frameworks like NIST and RMF i...

AI is moving fast. Federal acquisition isn’t always built to. So what happens when the two collide? David recently connected with Matt Colantonio , Product Manager for Quantify at AlphaSix and a former senior Federal acquisition leader who brings more than 15 years of firsthand experience navigating the very challenges agencies are now looking to technology to help solve. Matt’s perspective matter...

Breaking into government contracting takes more than a great capability and a desire to win federal work. It takes an understanding of how the acquisition process actually works. On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with acquisition professional Reggie Mitchell for a candid conversation about what small businesses need to know before pursuing the federal market. Reggie shares why...

OrangeSlices was recently invited to support a session with the GSA OASIS+ Special Interest Group, a community bringing together industry leaders around how companies can better understand the vehicle, position for opportunities and ultimately succeed on OASIS+.   When we were invited to participate, we brought along a few people we trust when it comes to understanding OASIS+, GovCon growth and th...

On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Colton Christensen , co-founder of CloudSpark, to talk about the company’s journey from startup to newly awarded NASA SEWP VI Category A prime contract holder. The win gives CloudSpark the opportunity to prime on one of the federal government’s most widely used technology acquisition vehicles and marks what Colton describes as the beginni...

David Blackburn recently connected with Brittany Winkler of GovDash to discuss the trends, data, and competitive shifts that are reshaping the federal contracting landscape. GovDash continues to advance as an autonomous AI platform purpose-built for government contractors, bringing opportunity identification, capture, proposal development, and contract management together in a single end-to-end pl...

On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Brenda Blunt , Senior Director at ORAU and former CMS Division Director, for a conversation about the future of healthcare and what it will take to build healthier, more resilient communities. Drawing on her experience in both the clinical and federal sectors, Brenda explores why prevention is finally taking center stage, how nutrition an...

Is the CMMC program really on pause—or is that just one of the biggest misconceptions circulating through the defense contracting community? In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire and ENcompass Consulting Group's CEO, Eric Nusbaum , separate fact from fiction following the Department of Defense's announcement to pause Phase 2 of the CMMC rollout. Together, they break down what the pause actu...

David Blackburn recently connected with Adam Furtado , Vice President of Enablement at Rise8, for a conversation about one of the biggest shifts underway in federal technology. Adam's career spans the U.S. Air Force, the Department of the Navy, Kessel Run, startup leadership, and now Rise8, where he helps organizations transform how they build and deliver software for critical missions. Rise8 has...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Monica Randall , founder and CEO of the Randall Group and a former SBA leader, to challenge the misconceptions surrounding 8(a), Woman-Owned, HUBZone, SDVOSB, and GSA Schedule programs. Together, they unpack what these certifications actually provide, why they should be viewed as contracting vehicles—not revenue generators—and how today's...

If you think AI is still just about writing proposals faster, you're missing where this market is headed. Every once in a while, a deal comes along that tells you something much bigger than who acquired whom. It tells you where an entire industry is going. GovSignals' acquisition of Turingon is one of those moments. For years, GovCon has been a collection of disconnected tools. One platform for ma...

The GovCon market has no shortage of data. The real challenge is turning all of that information into decisions. Every day, thousands of new opportunities, contract actions, and procurement documents are published. The companies that win aren't necessarily the ones with the most data. They're the ones that can find the right information, connect the dots, and act on it faster. David Blackburn rece...

What separates highly successful small businesses from those that struggle to grow in the federal marketplace?   In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire and ENcompass Consulting Group's CEO, Eric Nusbaum break down the seven habits that help GovCon small businesses thrive, and the bad habits that can hold them back. From relying too heavily on socioeconomic status and setting unrealistic grow...

Are teaming agreements really protecting your business—or just taking you off the street? On this episode of The Peel Podcast, Shelley McGuire sits down with government contracting expert Monica Randall , founder and CEO of the Randall Group and a former SBA leader, to separate fact from fiction when it comes to teaming agreements, joint ventures, workshare, exclusivity clauses, and subcontract ne...

At VETS26, we turned the mic around and put conference attendees in the hot seat! In this special episode, veterans, advocates, employers, and industry leaders share a mix of personal stories, fun rapid-fire answers, and their biggest takeaways from the conference. From favorite hobbies and unexpected talents to meaningful conversations about career growth, networking, and supporting the veteran c...

On this episode of The Peel Podcast, Shelley McGuire sits down with Dom Cussatt , CEO of Vault Cloud and a former federal IT leader with experience spanning the VA, State Department, DOD, NATO, and private sector healthcare. With more than 30 years at the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and mission delivery, Dom shares his perspective on how IT can truly empower organizations rather tha...

“Everybody in government is talking about AI. Very few are actually talking about what happens when these systems start making decisions, taking actions, and operating inside real mission environments.” In this episode, David Blackburn sits down with Alex Santantonio of  Nava  and Allison DiPietro of  Aquia  for a timely discussion on where federal AI adoption is actually heading as agencies move...

“Growth is getting harder across GovCon. The companies pulling ahead are not just chasing opportunities, they are building smarter, more scalable businesses from the inside out.” In this episode, David Blackburn sits down with Miriam Briskin , Manager of GovCon Small Business at Unanet, to discuss what she is hearing directly from small government contractors navigating today’s increasingly compet...