Formed in December of 1999, Alutiiq provides professional services and technical solutions to the Federal government – everything from information technology and facility services to physical security and engineering. Alutiiq is a subsidiary of Afognak Native Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) that is wholly owned by its shareholders, who are descendants of the Indigenous people of Afognak Island.

“This means that Alutiiq is the source of funding for things like scholarships, traditional subsistence land services, wellness services, and more for the families we represent,” said Allen Hines, Chief Operating Officer, Strategic Operations at Alutiiq. “We keep a culture thriving and traditions intact, and we take great pride in that. Especially because we are in a rather untraditional scenario compared to other privately owned companies.”

Alutiiq plays in a market that is becoming increasingly dynamic as federal agencies are looking to become increasingly digital. Recent events, such as the passage of the Modernizing Government Technology Act, have ushered in a perspective that sees IT as an investment in the mission instead of an investment in upkeep. Evident in headlines like Army eyes enterprise-as-a-service model and DHS looks to overhaul data centers, move to cloud, the ripple effect has inspired the larger industry.

Alutiiq applies this same philosophy to its customers. “We recognized the need to invest in new technologies. We recognized how a robust technical solution could simplify mission-critical processes, advance our capabilities, and position the company as an innovator when bidding in the market,” said Hines.

“We also recognized that in this search, security and stability of our data was still paramount. Server based storage was not optimal with respect to ensuring our data was readily available during, say, power outages or in situations where employees were without server access. To make sure there was no lost time or critical data was not lost, we set out to find a cloud-based solution.”

Hines and team deployed a bid and capture application on the FedRAMP-authorized Salesforce Government Cloud. It is a CRM on Sales Cloud that stores information about a given contract in a single view to facilitate every discussion, decision, approval, and action. The resulting 360-degree view gives the team a clear way to track opportunities, develop winning proposals, and turn it all into successful contract bids – without compromising data security or Alutiiq’s solution criteria:

• Simplification: The CRM makes it easy for the right employee to enter and access the right data at the right time. This empowers stakeholders to deliver the kind of timely and relevant communications that move a proposal forward, faster.
• Capability enhancement: This model has lent itself to a more collaborative environment. “The depth and breadth of our communication is not limited to a few individuals who are entering data, but rather to a larger group of stakeholders corporate wide,” said Hines. “This helps us pull in the most knowledgeable subject matter experts and work as a team to bid on a contract.”
• Differentiation: Integrated reports and dashboards enable Alutiiq employees to analyze data in real time, serve up relevant information to all levels of management, and make more actionable, data-driven decisions as a result. “Teams use these reports and dashboards to quickly assess the big picture surrounding a contract, helping us to better understand things like ‘what was the true strength that helped us win X contract that mirrors this opportunity, now?’ and ‘Do we have examples of us winning Y types of contracts,’ or ‘Should we not bid on this because it may not align to our competitive advantages?’ It helps us focus our efforts on the customer opportunities where we can be of the most help.”

“Alutiiq instills an ever-changing environment and has a genuine willingness to innovate through efficiencies; invest in new technologies; and employ motivated, high-caliber individuals. This strategy embodies those values, and brought the best of those qualities to our day-to-day, customer-related activities,” said Hines.