Meet Luca Moukheiber. A rising college sophomore, he is a member of the 2023 Karsun Innovation Center Internship Program. He worked alongside artificial intelligence (AI), federal acquisitions and data solutions experts as part of a project team developing a federal contracts management proof of concept. In the interview below, we learn more about Luca, his project using a Large Language Model to generate code and his favorite parts about working with our Innovation Center.
First please tell us about yourself. Where are you going to school? What are you studying? What do you like to do in your free time?
I am an Echols Scholar about to start my second year at the University of Virginia, where I am majoring in computer science. I enjoy hiking, biking, paddle boarding, and playing the guitar in my free time.
Could you share a little bit about the project you worked on as part of this internship? What challenge does it solve? What technologies and tools are you using?
As part of the Karsun initiative to explore the integration of generative AI into application development, I developed a file attachment feature used in a proof of concept application using Large Language Model (LLM) technology to generate code for certain parts of my project. I created a custom interface for users to upload, view, or delete documents as part of a reporting system. My project solves the challenge of improving efficiencies and reducing costs associated with federal contract management. This task involved working on both the front and back end to store documents in a database and the cloud. Leveraging AI to reduce manual code writing reduces development time and improves efficiency. The technologies that I used in this project were GPT-4, Angular, Spring Boot, Postgres, AWS S3, LocalStack, Jest, Nx, Flyway, and Podman.
What is your favorite part about working with the Karsun Innovation Center? Is there a weekly meeting or ritual you enjoy? The opportunity to learn more or get a new certification?
My favorite part of working in the Innovation Center is having the opportunity to develop cutting-edge solutions to novel problems. The projects evolve rapidly, with ample space for creative thinking and problem-solving. I appreciate Karsun’s emphasis on intern learning. I am currently studying to become certified as an AWS Developer Associate.
What is the biggest takeaway from your experience as an intern at Karsun?
My biggest takeaway is that keeping an open mind, being adaptable, and continuously learning are core software development skills. I came in with no Angular experience, and understanding how everything worked together in the codebase was difficult at first. However, by taking courses, I saw how the material I learned applied to the real project I was working on, enabling me to build my own feature. There were also situations where I had to change my approach because I ran into blockers, which took me extra time to figure out but strengthened my problem-solving abilities.
Luca’s internship was supported by the Karsun Solutions Innovation Center Practice Areas. Learn more about Karsun’s Acquisitions Management Modernization solutions. Connect with Luca on LinkedIn.
HERNDON, VA – Karsun Solutions, the Enterprise Modernization Experts transforming government, received the Fast 50 award at the 2022 USPAACC CelebrASIAN Business and Procurement Conference awards gala. The Fast 50 awards spotlight the fastest-growing Asian American-owned businesses nationwide. The USPAACC is the most established and largest non-profit organization representing Pan Asian Americans and their related groups in business, sciences, the arts, sports, education, public and community services. The conference is the United States’ largest and longest-running business development conference convened by Pan Asian Americans.
This was Karsun’s second award for growth from the USPAACC. The award recognizes both Co-Founders, CEO Sundar Vaidyanathan and Chief Architect Kartik Mecheri. Vaidyanathan is scheduled to appear at a panel later in the conference.
The company is also a seven-time Inc. 5000 honoree. Based in the Washington, D.C. metro area, previous recognition includes awards from the Washington Business Journal, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and other publications for growth, leadership and innovation.
Throughout its decade-plus expansion, Karsun continued investment in its people and teams. It is a previous Top Workplaces USA Technology Top Workplace awardee and was ranked one of the 2021 Top 100 Best Company Culture organizations on the employee rating site Comparably.com. To support its ongoing growth it is rapidly hiring development, DevSecOps and data professionals nationwide. Many positions offer remote/flexible work arrangements. Apply at KarsunCareers.com to grow with Karsun.
Embracing the conference’s Synergy Now theme Karsun’s Vaidyanathan is scheduled to appear at the Procurement Opportunity Center on May 27th at 10:45 AM. This session will cover how information technology contractors are preparing themselves to respond to ongoing and future procurement solutions including GSA 8(a) STARS III and the Polaris Small Business GWAC. In the panel Vaidyanathan will share his experience in federal contracting, graduating the company out of the small business category and forming joint venture 8(a) mentor-protege small businesses. As a thought leader in the acquisitions and procurement innovations, Karsun experts have past conference appearances at IvaluaNOW and ACT-IAC’s Imagination ELC annual conference.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.
Join Ben Marglin, Senior Vice President of Client Solutions at Karsun Solutions, Benjamin McMartin, Managing Partner at Public Spend Forum, and Bonnie Evangelista, Procurement Analyst at the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), for the Innovation in Federal Procurement panel at Ivalua Now. Hundreds of procurement and acquisitions professionals will attend the conference at locations in Washington D.C. Ben and his fellow panelists come together during the conference’s Innovation Day on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at 2:35pm. A hybrid conference, attendees may join in person or online.
The Innovation in Federal Procurement panel examines the complex relationship between people, process, and technology in procurement. Focusing on the federal market, this panel examines approaches such as Other Transaction Authorities (OTA’s), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cloud-based solutions. Leading the Client Solutions team at Karsun, Ben Marglin heads the delivery portfolios utilizing these innovative tools to modernize acquisitions applications.
The Enterprise Modernization Experts, Karsun Solutions combines best practices and methodologies with cutting-edge technology to address emerging challenges in the procurement and acquisition space. This includes applying AI/ML, cloud, and data solutions to these challenges. Backed by in-house research and development from the Karsun Innovation Center, recent customer successes include complex cloud migration and analytics platform modernization projects. Karsun currently performs acquisitions modernization work under the GSA COMET contract vehicle. Learn more by downloading the COMET Fact Sheet here.
About Ben Marglin
Ben Marglin builds trusted relationships with senior federal clients and leads Karsun delivery teams to achieve high-quality results. He previously worked as a Principal/Director at Booz Allen Hamilton for over 17 years within the Strategic Innovation Group and the Civil/FED market. He successfully led teams of over 200 staff and agency portfolios with ~$100M in annual revenue for clients such as the General Services Administration and the National Science Foundation. He served as a corporate representative to the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council and led collaborative projects with the Partnership for Public Service.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.
Karsun experts and innovators took the stage at Imagine Nation Executive Leadership Conference (ELC) 2021. The annual conference for the American Council for Technology – Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) is the organization’s marquee event. In addition to graduating Karsun’s 11th ACT-IAC Fellow, Raminder Saluja, Karsun Senior Vice President Ben Marglin joined a panel on Exploring the Next Generation of Acquisition Innovation. Also an event sponsor, Karsun is a longtime supporter of ACT-IAC. Its leadership acts as mentors, experts and participants in its industry programs.
Raminder Saluja Graduates from the Partners Program
In a recognition ceremony held at ImagineNation ELC, Karsun Solutions Senior Director Raminder Saluja graduated from the prestigious Partners Program. Over the last two decades, the Partners Program has been ACT-IAC’s premier professional development program. Participants are selected among rising senior executives. Karsun boasts one of the largest cohorts of Partners alumni in the industry.
At Karsun, Saluja leads the modernization strategy for its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) portfolio. He internally steers technical delivery teams to leverage AWS and Azure infrastructure and DevSecOps frameworks. With over two decades of technology experience, he is also well versed in working with agencies within NATO, the Intelligence Community, and Immigration services. His core belief is that innovation and technology are tools to solve business problems and not constraints around which processes are reorganized. This often resonates with customers seeking modernization and upkeep of their legacy systems.
Ben Marglin Explores Next Generation Acquisition Innovation
Earlier at the conference, Karsun Solutions Senior Vice President of Client Solutions Ben Marglin spoke during the panel discussion on Exploring Next Generation Acquisition Innovation. Adopting the overall theme Adventures in Change, the conference examined the impact of innovation on the federal IT industry. This talk was included as part of the Changing the Way We Work track. The collaborative session examined if accelerating IT modernization and innovative acquisition practices supported agencies’ goals to meet mission critical needs faster, cheaper and more efficiently.
During the panel, Marglin briefly described Karsun’s novel approach to enterprise modernization with its acquisitions customers. Karsun’s Acquisitions Modernization domain is not only one of its most innovative, it is one of its original offerings. Past solutions include analytics platform modernization, cloud migration and legacy application modernization from an on-premise database. Karsun currently performs work acquisition innovation under the GSA COMET BPA.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.
HERNDON, VA – The General Services Administration awarded Karsun Solutions, LLC the FLEET Modernization Advanced Fleet Platform (AFP) Task Order. This is a five-year award with a ceiling value of $75 million. Karsun Solutions is an enterprise modernization firm with multiple engagements at GSA.
GSA strives to provide the right vehicle at the right price with great service to its customers and emphasizes a focus on the data required to effectively and efficiently manage its Fleet. GSA offers purchasing programs, leasing programs, short-term rentals, and ancillary services such as telematics and tolling. GSA’s modernization goal is to create an intuitive, agile, and integrated systems environment that facilitates and streamlines all aspects of Fleet Management functions from the customer, supplier, and GSA Fleet employee perspectives.
GSA awarded the task order under the CIO Modernization and Enterprise Transformation (COMET) blanket purchase agreement (BPA). Supporting the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), the COMET task orders modify and simplify the governmentwide acquisition of $50 billion in goods and services from private-sector partners. Among those is the fleet management platform through the FLEET AFP task order. The GSA Fleet award is one of the first major modernization efforts to be awarded under the COMET BPA.
“We recognize this is a major modernization initiative for the government,” said Kartik Mecheri, Karsun Solutions Co-Founder and Chief Architect. “Backed by a strong team and innovative spirit we will advance the Fleet platform through our modern software development practices and technologies.”
This is the organization’s second award under the COMET BPA. In June it announced it was awarded the GSA Enhanced Checkout (GECO) Task Order. At the time, it was among the first companies to receive a task order under the vehicle awarded last year. In total, twelve companies were awarded a spot on the multiple award COMET BPA. Download the complete Karsun COMET Fact Sheet at karsun-llc.com/comet-fact-sheet.
In addition to the task orders under the COMET BPA, the modernization firm supports GSA through two other contracts. In the first half of 2020, the GSA awarded it a spot on the Enterprise Data Information Management (EDIM) blanket purchase agreement (BPA). It also currently executes the Database and Middleware Systems Task Order awarded by GSA in 2018. That task order is a five-year contract with a ceiling of $35 million.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.
HERNDON, VA – The United States General Services Administration (GSA) awarded Karsun Solutions LLC a spot on the CIO Modernization and Enterprise Transformation (COMET) blanket purchase agreement (BPA). COMET is intended to create a multiple award BPA on GSA’s IT Schedule 70. BPA awards were made to twelve companies.
COMET modernizes mission critical applications at GSA. It is the IT services vehicle for the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). COMET replaces the CIO Application, Maintenance, Enhancements and Operations (CAMEO) contract which GSA awarded in 2014.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to continue our transformational work at GSA,” said Chief Executive Officer Sundar Vaidyanathan. “Innovative solutions are part of our DNA and have been our hallmark since our founding.”
“Enterprise transformation at GSA is integral to the government modernization practice at Karsun Solutions and we are very happy to be able to continue our more than 15-year history of helping drive innovative IT modernization practices within GSA FAS,” said Chief Architect, Kartik Mecheri.
In 2018, Karsun Solutions was awarded the $35 million GSA Database and Middleware Systems (DMS) task order through the Alliant Solutions Partner LLC JV. Under that single award contract, Karsun supports the GSA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (GSA IT) through services to manage, support and modernize its database and application middleware server infrastructure. This same JV was the prime on the $121 million CAMEO SB contract which was one of the predecessor contracts to COMET.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions modernizes enterprise systems enabling agencies to make the next technological advancement their next opportunity to elevate mission capability. IT solutions from Karsun are tailored to meet agencies’ unique needs and optimize operations. These solutions adapt and stay relevant to current trends while using secure, digital architecture built to last. It is a proven modernization partner whose expertise elevates agency capabilities and ensures every next opportunity is within reach.
Corporate Contact: marketing@karsun-llc.com
HERNDON, VA – The General Services Administration awarded Alliant Solutions Partner (ASP) the Database and Middleware Systems (DMS) Task Order under the Alliant Small Business contract vehicle. Karsun Solutions is the managing partner of this Joint Venture, and will be the only JV member executing on this contract. This is a single-award contract with a ceiling value of $35 million that spans more than five years. Under this contract, Karsun will be supporting the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of the Chief Information Officer (GSA IT) by providing IT services to manage, support, and modernize its database and application middleware server infrastructure.
“We are excited to expand our support of GSA by providing database and middleware modernization services. This will be key to GSA’s mission going forward,” stated Kartik Mecheri, Karsun’s co-founder and Chief Architect.
About ASP’s Managing Partner – Karsun Solutions LLC
Established in 2009, Karsun Solutions is a premier consulting firm delivering a portfolio of enterprise modernization services to its federal and commercial customers. Its core competencies include Modern Software Development, Cloud Solutions, and Advanced Analytics. Its GoLean.io® software development methodology combines Agile, Lean, Kanban, and DevOps practices throughout the software development lifecycle. The recently released GoLean.io Software-as-a-Service provides a lean management tool-kit combining the best of these practices. Karsun Solutions, supports multiple $100 million+ contracts as a prime. This includes the GSA CAMEO Small Business contract which includes initiatives supporting acquisition planning, solicitation writing, contract award and contract administration functions. It also includes the Federal Aviation Administration’s $145 million Software Solutions Delivery contract. In this capacity, Karsun supports the FAA’s Office of Information Technology (FAA AIT). Other Karsun Federal government customers include the Department of Homeland Security, Smithsonian, and Government Accountability Office.
Beginning in 2015, Karsun has ranked yearly among the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing US Companies. Karsun Solutions’ quality, development, and information security practices include CMMI Level 3, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 20000:2011 and ISO 27001:2013 certifications.
Update: In 2022, Karsun Solutions announced it was awarded, as part of a team led by Softrams, work under the General Services Administration (GSA) Business Intelligence (BI) FUSION Support Services Task Order. The contract supports the GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), Office of Customer and Stakeholder Engagement (CASE) with enabling the internal GSA Business Development Community to eliminate redundancies, increase efficiency, and deliver better value.
Karsun Solutions was awarded a $4 Million prime contract with the General Services Administration (GSA) providing support to the Business Intelligence Professional Support Services (BIPSS) Program.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.
Karsun Solutions was awarded a five-year prime contract with a ceiling value of $110 million by the General Services Agency (GSA), Federal Acquisition Systems (FAS), under the CIO Application Maintenance, Enhancements, and Operations Small Business (CAMEO SB) contract. Karsun Solutions provides comprehensive transformation management support to General Services Administration (GSA) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to modernize and streamline the GSA Federal Acquisition Services (FAS) portfolio, reduce the dependencies where possible of systems and environments, and to improve efficiencies and align the application portfolio with the business needs of the organization. The transformation focus includes operationalizing adaptive and agile development to increase efficiency and reduce O&M costs over the period of performance, achieving cost savings through a more efficient portfolio of applications, and architecting solutions which maximize the reuse of GSA’s software assets & platforms and develop “Cloud-Ready” applications.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.
HERNDON, VA – Karsun Solutions was awarded a $75M five year subcontract by Lockheed Martin in support of the General Services Agency (GSA), Federal Acquisition Systems (FAS), under the CIO Application Maintenance, Enhancements, and Operations Large Business (CAMEO LB) contract. Under this contract, Karsun provides services for application modernization, cloud migration, application development, enhancements, maintenance, DevOps services and database management services. The scope also includes strategic consulting services to realize GSA’s vision of Common Acquisition Platform (CAP) that seeks to provide Government-wide transactional data and reduce the costs of operating redundant acquisition systems.
About Karsun Solutions
Karsun Solutions is a fast-growing, innovative enterprise modernization firm. Recently awarded Best Company Culture by Comparably.com, its teams deliver modern software development, cloud, and data solutions to customers at government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and General Services Administration. Leveraging GoLean, Karsun teams drive digital transformation and help its government customers Do Extraordinary. Learn more at Karsun-LLC.com.