A: The U.S. Government is an extremely complicated system of organizations. If
you want to do business with the government, if you want to advocate for or
against certain policies that Congress is considering, or if you are seeking
funding for your organization’s programs, it is enormously helpful to have
people guiding you who understand the government, its people, and its
processes. You provide the “what” and “why”, and we help you decide the “who,
when, and how”.
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A: The Charles Group, LLC has generated outstanding results for our clients since our
founding in 1999. While nothing in Washington can be guaranteed, we have helped
our clients achieve millions of dollars in appropriations earmarks and product
sales, and have secured legislative victories each year. Our growth has been
based on referrals from other clients – a testament to the confidence our
current clients have in our work.
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A: Some of our clients are required to work with outside consultants only on an
hourly basis. While we normally work on a monthly retainer, we are willing to
work with the client to establish a payment schedule that works for all parties
and have the administrative structures in place to accommodate a wide range of
client requirements.
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A: Outside consulting and lobbying firms can provide your organization
individualized strategy in line with the activity you’re already pursuing. We
can provide greater opportunity for direct communication and influence on the
policy process, and we can enlist new advocates on your behalf. Plus, an
outside perspective on your issues will likely provide helpful insights and
improve your overall strategy.
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A: You drive the project: based on your objectives we work with you to set
ambitious – yet realistic – goals. Depending on the complexity of the
engagement, you can expect to have phone conversations daily or several times
per week and travel to Washington a few times per year to meet with key
officials. Certain projects may demand more personal involvement, but we will
always keep you abreast of our activities on your behalf here in Washington.
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A: The United States Government operates on a fiscal year beginning October 1
and ending September 30. For example, Fiscal Year 2007 begins on October 1,
2006 and ends on September 30, 2007. Each year the Congress must pass
appropriations bills that spell out exactly how federal dollars will be spent
by every department and agency beginning on October 1. These bills direct
spending on everything from salaries of government employees, to major
equipment acquisition programs, to federal grant programs. Most appropriations
bills present opportunities for members of Congress to direct spending to
particular projects. We can help your organization determine which federal
programs are the most suitable for your objectives and execute a strategy –
based on well-established timelines – to secure funding for worthy projects in
the next fiscal year.
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A: The party in power in Congress sets the legislative agenda; the person in
the White House sets policy priorities through an annual budget request and
through the dozens of executive agencies. In these ways, the party in power
in each institution does matter. But our efforts to advance our clients’
issues and concerns do not change, since our efforts are merit-based and
provided to government on the basis of subject matter expertise. As much
as Washington is about people and relationships, the one constant is process.
We are experts in the process, and we maintain and create new relationships on
both sides of the aisle constantly. Our ability to reach out to, inform, and
connect with the right people at the right time – regardless of their party
affiliation – is one of the reasons we have been methodically producing
merit-based results for our clients amid eight years of continual change