Reflections on 2021: Surviving and Thriving, the Macro Way

December 28, 2021 in Blog by

Looking back at 2021 and what it has meant for Macro Solutions and our community of clients, partners, and employees, evokes a range of thoughts and sentiments.

As CEO, I am proud of the work that Macro has done to help the federal government solve its toughest challenges. I celebrate the employees and incredible workplace culture that underpins these successes. And even though we’re still riding a rollercoaster of COVID, I am optimistic about the year ahead – because, collectively, we’ve overcome so much, survived and thrived, and helped agencies drive their missions forward.

With that, I wanted to share some of the significant developments that happened in the Macro ecosystem this year.

Helping the federal government harness the power of intelligent automation

In the early summer, a long-held goal of Macro’s came to fruition when we formally launched our Intelligent Solutions practice.

Macro has a deep history of helping agencies like GSA, USDA, and federal financial regulatory agencies get the most out of their financial, human capital, acquisition, and ERP applications – all systems ripe for intelligent automation. But by formalizing intelligent solutions as a practice area, we are extending these capabilities to federal agencies who are looking to connect and scale the potential of automation to strategic, enterprise-wide initiatives – solving big challenges and reimagining how work is done across functions, and the tools and techniques needed to attain it.

The initiative was spearheaded by the talented Brian Jacobs who led the U.S. Army Financial Management and Comptroller’s “Bot Squad” and oversaw its first use of bots; building the governance, infrastructure model, and teams that are still in use today.

Brian has also produced a series of helpful guides that help agencies on their automation journey. Check them out below:

New partnerships! Macro is Workday’s first Federal Advisory Partner and a proud ServiceNow Partner

We are all incredibly proud to announce that Macro Solutions has been selected as Workday’s first Federal Advisory Partner.

Workday is a true enterprise-grade software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that streamlines financial processes, manages federal HR needs, and supports better decision-making. It’s a discipline that we know inside out, and we’re excited to work with Workday as we help guide our federal clients on their digital acceleration journey.

Workday is different because it breaks down data silos and fragmented systems, is easily configurable to accommodate changing needs, automates workflows and tasks, and just works! Workday also has federal-grade security baked in and is now available via Macro’s ITES-3S contract vehicle.

In 2021, Macro also became a proud ServiceNow Partner, adding to our portfolio of capabilities that help federal agencies streamline their IT service management strategies, plans, and operations, with modern digital workflows that create great customer experiences and unlock productivity!

Helping HHS and DHS execute their pandemic responses

To prepare for a possible pandemic, the government has long lobbied the airline industry to collect passenger data. It didn’t happen. But as the coronavirus spread across the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) turned to one of our corporate partners to expeditiously develop a mobile application that captures and reports airline passenger COVID vaccination and testing status, and our partner immediately turned to Macro to assist with the solution.

Macro is also providing strategic advisory support to the pandemic team at HHS (“Protect”) as they work to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats.

Macro named “Best Places to Work” for fourth year!

Once more, Macro was named one of The Washington Post’s Top Workplaces in the D.C. area.

This is the fourth year in a row that we’ve won the award (which is based on an anonymous Post survey) and I’m incredibly proud of our amazing employees and the incredible work they perform each day for our clients.

To give you a flavor of what it’s like to work at Macro and the opportunities we provide, read on:

New contract wins

This year, Macro also solidified its position as a key strategic partner to a federal banking regulatory and insurance agency with the award of not one, but two, IDIQ contracts:

The award of the FDIC Information Technology Application Services Next Generation (ITAS NG) and FDIC Strategy and Business Solutions Support (FDIC SBSS) contract vehicles is testament to the agency’s continued confidence in our ability to deliver services that support the entire IT application lifecycle and tap into new approaches to securing modern technologies using DevSecOps.

Our own Todd Hager named to the Fed 100!

In more awards news, Todd Hager, our Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, was named a 2021 Federal 100 Award winner – the most prestigious award in federal IT. Hundreds of nominations were submitted, and only a select few from the contracting space were honored.

Here’s a write-up by FCW detailing Todd’s contributions to the federal IT space, and let me tell you (because he’s too modest to) they are extensive. Congratulations again to Todd!

Pictured is Todd (left) at the 32nd Annual Fed 100 awards in August.

Maintaining standards of excellence

Achieving alignment and compliance with the many standards and frameworks that ensure federal systems and data are protected is a best practice for any successful contractor. Yet, many prime and sub-contractors find that once they’ve implemented these frameworks and achieved certifications, they are not easy to maintain. Consequently, these companies let their certifications lapse. Not Macro.

We work tirelessly to maintain rigorous standards of quality, security, and service as evidenced by the following re-certifications gained in 2021:

We are also actively pursuing Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Maturity Level 1. More news to come.

Mentoring a fast-growing 8(a) IT solutions and services provider

At Macro, we believe mentoring and development are key to improving overall company performance and employee satisfaction – a philosophy that extends to our partners. To this end, in 2021 we solidified a formal mentor-protégé relationship with Ennoble First under the SBA Mentor Protégé Program.

Based in Columbia, Maryland, Ennoble First is an 8(a) minority-owned premier management consulting and IT firm offering enterprise-wide capabilities and services to government and system integrator clients for more than five years.

Through this joint venture, Macro will support Ennoble First in their goal of expanding and diversifying their capabilities while helping our mutual federal clients achieve mission success.

2022: The momentum will continue

As you can see, 2021 was a busy year. Despite challenging and uncertain times, the entire Macro team pushed onward and upward. Like everyone, we pivoted and adjusted, maintained our team status (thanks to Microsoft Teams), came together again when we could, and kept pushing balls down the field.

As a new year approaches, we will continue to build on these new partnerships, practices, and the momentum we’ve strived so hard to maintain.

Happy holidays from the Macro family to yours. We hope to see you all in person very soon.