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Army’s Huntsville Engineering and Support Center holding virtual industry day Oct. 23rd

October 20, 2018 By Andrew Smith

The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville has scheduled a Virtual Industry Day for its Range and Training Land program. The event coincides with the Small Business Forum 2018, set for Oct. 23, 2018 at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration located on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center campus at 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, Alabama.

The Huntsville Center’s objective is to select architectural and engineering firms for design services to support various Army, Army Reserve, National Guard and Marine Corps installations and design projects for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District offices; and other Federal and State agencies.

The hour-long event begins at 10 a.m. in the auditorium. During the event, Huntsville Center staff will provide information and answer questions concerning the acquisition requirement.

The agenda consists of an overview of the scope of work; planned acquisition strategy approach; small business tips and best practices. The event will also provide networking opportunities and increase small business participation.

While registration for the Small Business Forum 2018 is closed, you can attend virtually.  The event will be available live via the Huntsville Center’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HuntsvilleCenter.

To learn more about how your firm’s capabilities may fit, please see the fact sheets about programs and doing business with the Huntsville Center at https://www.hnc.usace.army.mil/Media/Fact-Sheets.

Filed Under: GTPAC News Tagged With: A&E, architectural and engineering design services, architecture, Army Corps of Engineers, engineering, Huntsville, industry day, Small Business Forum 2018, U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, USACE, virtual industry day

Learn about architectural, engineering services needed by the Forest Service

December 22, 2010 By ei2admin

If you’re an architectural or engineering (A&E) firm that’s interested in doing business with the U.S. Forest Service, you’ll be interested in a conference being held on this subject on February 9, 2011.

The Southern Region office of USDA’s Forest Service contracts for architectural and engineering services throughout the year. In January, the agency is expected to make an announcement about their A&E contracting plans, and this will be the focus of the conference. 

If your firm provides services under any of these NAICS codes — 541310, 541320, 541330, 541340, 541350, 541360, or 541370 — then you should make plans to attend.

The conference — co-hosted by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) — is being held at the GTRI Conference Center in Atlanta on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm. 

Advance registration is required.  Click here to register for this free conference; directions and a map are on the registration website.

Representatives of the Forest Service’s Contracting, Engineering, and Small Business staffs will be in attendance to explain upcoming contract opportunities and answer questions.  

A flyer announcing the conference can be seen here, and a draft agenda for the conference can be seen here.

Filed Under: GTPAC News Tagged With: A&E, federal contracting, Forest Service, government contract assistance, government contract training, small business, USDA

Federal Acquisition Regulation change issued on “retainage”

April 6, 2010 By ei2admin

The Federal Acquisition Regulation Council (FAR Council) has published a final rule revising a clause applied to federal contracts for architecture and engineering (A&E) services that mandated that 10 percent of fees be withheld or retained from a firm, regardless of the quality of the firm’s performance.

In publishing the final rule, the regulations body said, “FAR Case 2008-015 amends the clause at FAR 52.232-10 “Payments Under Fixed-Price Architect-Engineer Contracts”, to revise and clarify the retainage requirements. The contracting officer can (but is not mandated to) withhold up to 10 percent of the payment due in any billing period when the contracting officer determines that such a withholding is necessary to protect the Government’s interest and ensure satisfactory completion of the contract. However, withholding the entire 10 percent is not required, and no withholding is required if the contractor’s performance has been satisfactory. The changes clarify that retainage is optional and any amounts retained should not be held over beyond the satisfactory completion of the instant contract.”

“This rule was an unbearable burden for the A&E community,” according to Patrick Olson, P.E., L.S., (AERO-METRIC, Inc., Sheboygan, WI), president of The Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services (COFPAES).  “The 10 percent retainage meant A&E firms were bankers to the government, providing interest free loans that often exceed a firm’s profit margin on a contract.  We had reports from member firms of millions of dollars in retainage, held for several years, on contracts where the firm receive the highest possible performance ratings.  We are delighted this regulation has been changed.”

COFPAES Administrator John Palatiello noted, “Given that architect-engineer contracts, including surveying and mapping contracts, are awarded on a qualifications based selection process, and a firm’s experience and past performance are paramount factors in winning a contract, the retainage provision has little value to the government.  Moreover, it was a severe cash flow burden on our member firms, particularly small businesses.”

The retainage rule was identified by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Chief Counsel for Advocacy as one of the most burdensome for small business in the office’s 2008 Regulatory Review and Reform (R3) initiative (http://www.sba.gov/advo/r3/r3_services08.html).  The revision to the FAR on A&E retainage is the first regulation to have gone through the entire R3 process, from nomination, through Advocacy endorsement, and to final regulatory revision.

To view the final rule, go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-5991.htm

Filed Under: Contracting Tips Tagged With: A&E, contractor performance, FAR, government contract assistance, retainage, SBA

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