The Peel

Latest Episodes:

Army AOS, SEWP VI & OASIS+: Hot Takes from the GovCon Front Lines with Eric Nusbaum Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Eric Nusbaum, CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group, to cut through the noise and deliver a fast-paced, insight-packed breakdown of what’s happening right now across major GWAC and IDIQ programs.

They delve into the Army’s new AOS model, a streamlined approach to accessing innovative solutions, and provide key updates on ITES-4H, which is finally moving toward awarding contracts. They also tackle NASA SEWP VI’s current limbo, with NASA still leading the charge despite a possible GSA takeover, and unpack the ongoing delays and protests around CIOSP4.

Not all the news is good: DHS has officially canceled FirstSource III and PACS III, marking a major shift in how future contracts will be handled. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, OASIS+ is rolling out new award waves, expanding into five new domains, and preparing for on-ramping opportunities later this year.

To connect with Eric, visit him on LinkedIn ⁠here⁠. To learn more about ENcompass Consulting Group, visit their website ⁠here⁠.

If you liked listening to this episode, ⁠click here⁠ to view more in this series. To view all of our podcast series, visit our ⁠podcast page⁠.

Leading with Code: Flatter’s Brittany Chiang Bold Approach to GovCon Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, David speaks with Brittany Chiang, CEO of Flatter Inc., a fast-growing federal contractor deeply committed to innovation and national security. Brittany shares how Flatter is leveraging AI and automation across its enterprise, training over 20 custom GPTs to enhance capture and proposal development, enabling less experienced team members to contribute meaningfully to data calls and opportunity analysis.

With a unique edge as a CEO who codes, Brittany explains how Flatter's technical capabilities allow them to bid faster and more frequently, even extending support to their mentor-protégé partners by provisioning internal tools to help them succeed on smaller contracts. The company is actively piloting AI tools in federal training environments and is fully committed to remaining in the federal market despite prior exploration of commercial applications.

She also highlights the opportunity for small businesses to thrive through speed, innovation, and responsiveness, especially given the lack of unsolicited proposals seen by agencies. Flatter Inc. sees this evolving environment as a moment of transformation, not hesitation, and Brittany offers a compelling, optimistic perspective on what’s next for government contracting.

To connect with Brittany, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Flatter Inc., visit their website here.

Built by a Seller, for Sellers: The Story Behind Subhoo with Mark Flournoy Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Mark Flournoy, a Marine Corps veteran and the founder of Subhoo, which is redefining how federal sales and BD teams uncover teaming relationships across the government contracting landscape. Drawing from two decades of experience, both as a government insider and a commercial seller with companies like Amazon, Red Hat, and F5, Mark created Subhoo to solve a very personal pain point: the frustrating lack of clear, actionable insight into prime-subcontractor dynamics.

Mark shares how he’s personally building and refining the tool based on real-world feedback, what’s next on his roadmap (think: better search, burn rate insights, and smarter filters), and why honest critique is the key to creating something genuinely useful in the GovCon space.

Whether you’re a federal seller trying to break into a new agency, a BD leader managing up and across, or just someone tired of paying big bucks for complex tools you rarely use, this conversation might just change how you approach the market.

To connect with Mark, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Subhoo, visit their website here.

How RELI Group is poised to take next BIG steps at CMS with Ken Hofgesang Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

n the latest episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Ken Hofgesang, VP of Health at RELI Group, to talk about growth, partnerships, and what it really takes to move from small business status to mid-tier success in the federal space, specifically within CMS.

Ken shares stories from his 25+ year journey in health IT, from being employee #1 at a startup to helping steer RELI Group through its “adolescent” growth phase. He reflects on what’s driven RELI’s recent success, including a major CMS contract win, and the importance of building deep, mission-aligned relationships within a single agency.

If you’re a small business eyeing your next stage or graduating from 8(a), Ken offers clear, honest advice. It’s about planning early, adjusting your internal infrastructure, and evolving your partnership strategy with both smalls and larges as your business matures.

To connect with Ken, follow him on LinkedIn here.
Learn more about RELI Group by visiting their website here.

Dr. Bob Frey Talks Project 2025, DoD Transformation, and Strategic Pivots for CEOs Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Dr. Bob Frey, renowned author, educator, and Co-Owner of Successful Proposal Strategies, to connect the dots between what’s happening inside today’s federal acquisition landscape and what GovCon leaders need to be doing right now to align. Dr. Bob, whose clients have won over $8B in federal contracts, brings a rare depth of expertise shaped by nearly two decades of proposal strategy, six editions of his seminal book Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Businesses, and experience training more than 4,000 professionals across industry and government. Fresh off the DoD Vanguard 250 event featuring insights from the Air Force, Navy, and the Chief Digital and AI Office, David and Dr. Bob unpack the striking alignment between current DoD priorities and the directional cues outlined in Project 2025, recent Executive Orders, and Cabinet-level policy signals. You’ll hear how companies can and should interpret the acquisition keywords embedded in Project 2025, but not without also understanding how those map to Section M of a FAR-based RFP. This isn’t about theory. It’s about how CEOs and proposal teams pivot with precision and meet the moment. For those navigating the changing tides of Federal acquisition, this conversation offers a timely and pragmatic lens into how to stay relevant, smart, and competitive. Listen in for:

A recap of the DoD Vanguard 250’s most telling signals
How Project 2025 and recent Executive Orders are reshaping proposal strategy
Tactical tips for aligning your capture and proposal approach in 2025
What GovCon CEOs should be doing right now to future-proof their strategy

This is a must-listen for leaders who want to move from reactive to ready.

Reach out to Dr. Bob directly via email to receive PDF files of his analyses of Project 2025, signed Executive Orders (EOs) from 2025 thus far, and updated websites for Federal Cabinet-levels agencies. Email: rfrey@proposal23.com

Forum attendees and participants may purchase his latest proposal book, Successful Proposal Strategies On-the-Go! at Amazon: Successful Proposal Strategies On-the-go!: Frey, Robert: 9781685690137: Amazon.com: Books

Companies may also purchase this book directly through the publisher, Artech House, Inc., in Boston and London here. The price is lower at Artech House compared to Amazon.

Chasing Program Integrity: Inside Healthcare Audits with Advize Health’s CEO Jeanmarie Loria Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire welcomes Jeanmarie Loria, CEO of Advize Health LLC, a trailblazer in healthcare audit and compliance. With over a decade of leadership and a background at KPMG, Jeanmarie has built a powerhouse firm that just landed its first prime contract with CMS—a major milestone in the commercial healthcare space.

Jeanmarie dives into the biggest challenges facing program integrity, from fragmented vendor oversight to the growing influence of AI in fraud detection, and the need for human expertise to keep systems in check. She also unpacks the complex relationships between plans and providers, debunks common myths about healthcare fraud, and shares how her team brings federal-level audit standards to the commercial sector. Listen in and take a look behind the curtain of healthcare audits.

To connect with Jeanmarie, follow her on LinkedIn here.
Learn more about Advize Health by visiting their website here.

If you liked listening to this episode, click here to view more in this series. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

Find. Match. Win. The Arctas AI platform (built for Government) Is Fueling Billions in Teaming Opportunities Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Luke Nascimento, the CEO and founder of Arctas, as they dive into a bold new platform purpose-built to help government leaders tackle one of the toughest parts of their job: market research.

Only 90 days since launch, Arctas is already reshaping how government and industry connect - offering access to thousands of verified contractor profiles, real performance insights, and crowd-sourced industry research to support smarter partner selection.

In this episode, we talk about:
✅ Why market research remains one of the most time-consuming and complex challenges in Federal acquisition
✅ How Arctas is streamlining discovery and evaluation with AI-driven insights
✅ The rollout of their new teaming component, which has already surfaced billions in subcontracting opportunities
✅ The February acquisition of the OrangeSlices listings platform and what it means for the future of the GovCon ecosystem

Teaming matches are already happening - and this is just the beginning.

To connect with Luke, visit his LinkedIn page here.

To learn more about Arctas, visit their website here.

If you liked listening to this episode, click here to view more in this series. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

From the Court to the C-Suite: Matt Raydo’s Journey from Maryland Hoops to a Major GovCon Exit Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

Just months after the successful sale of HUBZone and Cybersecurity leader Valiant Solutions — a leading Cybersecurity firm he founded and led for nearly two decades — Matt Raydo isn’t slowing down. A former Maryland Terrapin under legendary coach Gary Williams, Matt brings the same grit and determination that earned him a spot on the court at the highest collegiate level to everything he touches. His story of building a GovCon business from scratch, weathering years of uncertainty, and ultimately driving toward acquisition is one that resonates with CEOs and entrepreneurs alike.

In this episode, we sit down with Matt to talk about the challenges of leadership, the reality of long-haul growth, and what’s next. From launching the Shell Shock TBT team that unites Maryland basketball alumni, to building a state-of-the-art basketball facility in Raleigh, to continuing his work as Executive Director of the HUBZone Technology Initiative, Matt remains focused on mission, community, and impact.

Whether you're in the boardroom, on the court, or looking for inspiration to push through tough seasons — this conversation delivers.

Listen now.

Links to items discussed during the episode:

🏀 Raydo Basketball Lab (RBL): https://www.raydobasketball.org/
💰 TBT - The Basketball Tournament: https://tbthoops.com/
🐢 Shell Shock - Maryland's TBT Team: https://www.shellshocktbt.com/
🌐 HTI - HubZone Technology Initiative: https://www.hubzonetech.org/

To connect with Matt, visit his LinkedIn page here.

If you liked listening to this episode, click here to view more in this series. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

New AI Tool from Turingon Promises Proposal Relief - and Summer Vacations Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn has a conversation with Arthur Runno, a Navy veteran and 20-year GovCon proposal expert turned tech founder. Arthur is the CEO of Turingon, the company behind Proposal Pilot, an AI-native platform purpose-built for government contractors.

Unlike generic tools wrapped around ChatGPT, Proposal Pilot is fine-tuned for federal acquisition regulations, real RFPs, and customer proposal libraries, offering real intelligence and automation, not just language generation. Backed by a team with serious Silicon Valley and AI credentials, Turingon isn’t just creating another GovCon platform - they’re building a future where proposal managers finally get their summers back.

Hear how Arthur’s battle-tested experience is reshaping proposal development and what makes Turingon’s this first compliance-first AI platform for automating federal RFP responses so different.

To connect with Arthur, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Turingon by visiting their website here.

If you liked listening to this episode, click here to view more in this series. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

Rewriting the Rules: What the FAR Overhaul Really Means with Eric Nusbaum Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

Federal contractors and acquisition pros, get ready. In this episode of The Peel Podcast, Shelley McGuire sits down with Eric Nusbaum, CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group, to break down the historic FAR overhaul—its goals, challenges, and rollout strategy.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is undergoing a major rewrite aimed at modernizing and streamlining the federal procurement process. This effort is being led by the FAR Council and involves input from across government and industry to simplify language, improve usability, and remove outdated content.

Why it matters: This is a rare and significant opportunity to shape the future of federal contracting. Industry voices are encouraged to get involved early and often.

How to engage:

Explore the FAR Rewrite: Review background materials, FAQs, and the timeline at acquisition.gov/far-overhaul.
Submit Comments: Industry stakeholders can provide feedback and submit public comments through the same site.
Stay Informed: Sign up for updates from the Regulatory Secretariat Division at GSA.gov.

This is a key moment for contractors, legal experts, and acquisition professionals to help influence more efficient, accessible federal procurement rules for the next generation.

To connect with Eric, visit him on LinkedIn here.
To learn more about ENcompass Consulting Group, visit their website here.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected