Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Do federal supply schedule contracts still have value?

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Over the past several months, there has been a confluence of congressional and agency actions that will have a significant impact on Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract holders.

These changes are so significant that they will likely cause companies with FSS contracts to question whether having an FSS makes sense.

These changes could also cause companies to restructure the segments of their companies that are responsible for selling to the federal government.

Keep reading this article at: https://governmentcontractsnavigator.com/2018/03/22/do-federal-supply-schedule-contracts-still-have-value/

Webinar: Army’s $37 billion, 10-year intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance contract

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Looking for the latest news on the Army’s RS3 contract opportunity?

That’s the Defense Department’s Responsive Strategic Sourcing for Services (RS3) Contract, a multibillion-dollar-per-year intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance contract vehicle for the Army.

The contract will be of interest to contractors providing services in the areas of C4ISR, Engineering, RDT&E, Logistics, Acquisition and Strategic Planning and Education and Training Services.

On September 20, 2016, from 2 to 3 p.m., there will be a free, live webinar discussion featuring the RS3 Program Manager, Army Lieutenant Colonel Thomas W. Stocks. He will provide the latest information on this potentially $37.4 billion, 10 year contact.

Webinar topics include:

What is the contract?
Col. Stocks will walk through the mission, objectives and requirements of the contract.

Should you submit a proposal?
We’ll look at data from the predecessor contract, R23G, to provide tips as you craft your solicitation.

Who should you partner with?
Bloomberg Government analysts will look at the large contactors who have been on the contract in years past, and suggest ways to team effectively.

Register at: https://platform.cinchcast.com/permalink/#/reg/lmcsQT27zC7PiAaN-gjmUA~~

Fiscal fourth holds prospects for late-game contractors

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Federal BudgetFederal contractors know to wind up their summer vacations early so they can get ready for September. That’s the month ending the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, when by some estimates, the government spends 17 percent of its contracting dollars.

But it can lead to hit or miss situations for contractors trying to get the most out of the fiscal fourth. Where does that leave most this time of year? It depends on how active they’ve been in the market leading up to September.

“Its not too late to get in on that bonanza, so long as you are a company that has some prospects in the pipeline.” said Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners in a Federal Drive interview with Tom Temin, “If you’re just coming into the market and deciding now that you’re gonna be a government contractor for the month of September, that’s gonna be a pretty steep hill to climb indeed.”

Keep reading this article at: http://federalnewsradio.com/acquisition-policy/2016/07/fiscal-fourth-holds-prospects-late-game-contractors/

A future where price is no longer a factor for many RFPs

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The General Services Administration first brought up the concept of having an “unpriced” schedule a year or so ago.

GSA logoThe idea is to evaluate vendors for their capabilities, past performance and overall skillsets, and not on their prices. And then let the price competition happen at the task order level.

This concept would be a huge change in the federal market where price has always been a factor in the evaluations of bids.

But the recent success of governmentwide multiple award contracts such as OASIS, and the acceptance of a similar approach for the recent $11.5 billion Human Capital and Training Solutions (HCaTS) procurement and the soon-to-be released solicitation for Alliant 2, there is a growing recognition that this may be the future of federal contracting for multiple award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity vehicles.

Keep reading this article at: http://federalnewsradio.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2016/06/future-price-no-longer-factor-many-rfps/

OMB tells agencies: No new contracts for desktops, laptops

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The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is prohibiting federal agencies from issuing new awards or solicitations for laptop or desktop computers and directing them to limit those types of purchases to governmentwide contracting vehicles.

OFPPThe new policy was announced Friday (Oct. 16, 2015) by federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott and Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Anne Rung.

For years, agencies have purchased basic IT equipment, such as laptops and desktops, using thousands of contracts and delivery orders “resulting in reduced buying power, duplication of contracts and little transparency into the prices that agencies were paying for similar computers,” Scott and Rung said in a post on the OMB blog. (A recent inspector general review, for instance, reported one agency paid 42 different prices for the same desktop model in 2012.)

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2015/10/omb-agencies-no-new-contracts-desktops-laptops/122891

GSA to push back RFP for Networx replacement

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The General Services Administration won’t make its hoped for July release of the solicitation for the $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract.

GSA NetworxThe contract will replace GSA’s Networx vehicles and is the backbone of the government’s Network Services 2020 strategy for telecommunications services.

A a top agency official managing the effort said more time is likely to be needed as his team gathers input from industry and other interested parties.

Amando Gavino Jr., director of GSA’s Office of Network Services Programs, told FCW in an interview before a Professional Services Council industry forum in Arlington, Va., on May 21 that his team is digesting 1,600 comments from vendors and government agencies interested EIS contract.

The complex RFP, Gavino told FCW, “has to be released by this fiscal year, no later than September.” Last month, Gavino left the door open to pushing back the EIS RFP’s July release date.

Keep reading this article at: http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2015/05/21/ns2020-rfp.aspx

Want to grow your government contracting business? Be ready for what you wish for!

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Federal small business programs are valuable. But they can also inadvertently stunt or even slash the growth of companies that the programs are intended to help.

First, small business owners with big ambitions can capture big wins that pump up their revenue beyond their small business size standards. But without the support of federal small business programs, more than a few can’t win new work to sustain that growth. When the company shrinks again, that slide back into small business status means lost jobs.

Then there’s those that deliberately cap their business growth to hang on to the advantages of small business programs. Their plan is either to hold steady, or get acquired. That holding pattern represents lost opportunity.

But stagnation and backsliding aren’t inevitable. Practical tactics can help in the short term.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/fedbiz_daily/2014/06/want-to-grow-your-government-contracting-business.html?page=all

GSA awards 125 small businesses OASIS contracts

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On Monday (Feb. 24, 2014), the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced it has awarded 125 contracts to small businesses for its One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) Small Business (SB) contract to companies that will provide customers with best value services for complex professional service requirements.

OASIS SB, a 100-percent small business set-aside contract, was developed in response to the Government’s need for a hybrid, government-wide acquisition vehicle.  OASIS SB will provide a streamlined solution for both commercial and non-commercial needs. OASIS SB is designed to reduce duplication of contracting efforts across the government and provide federal agencies with comprehensive, integrated professional services contract options.  The list of the 125 companies awarded contracts is available by clicking here.  

“We created OASIS SB to meet the growing demand for a hybrid, government-wide acquisition vehicle that maximizes opportunities for small businesses, stated Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Commissioner Tom Sharpe.  “We believe that the large pool of awardees will provide government with access to highly skilled small businesses through a contract that is not only cost effective, but also efficient and streamlined for easier use by federal agencies looking to purchase complex professional services.”

OASIS SB will compliment GSA’s Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) program and provide agencies with more flexible full-service options. Notable features and benefits of OASIS and OASIS Small Business include:

  • Government-wide use
  • Access to best in class solution providers
  • On-ramp/off-ramp procedures to ensure a flexible, vibrant vendor pool
  • Integrated support for key government initiatives

GSA predicts OASIS SB will drive down costs for federal agencies, and increase efficiency by reducing the time spent on developing complex contractual instruments. OASIS SB will include a vast array of professional services contractors for agencies to choose from. In fact it  has already become the solution of choice for some government agencies. In December,  the United States Air Force committed to use OASIS SB in lieu of creating several of its own multiple-award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) acquisition vehicles. These efforts are estimated to be worth approximately $1.4 billion per year and use of OASIS SB is projected to save the Air Force and taxpayers significant dollars and resources.

For more information visit www.gsa.gov/oasis and OASIS Industry Group on GSA Interact.

5 things you need to know to close deals as fiscal year ends

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Just a few weeks remain in the most turbulent federal fourth quarter in memory. On Oct. 1, a new fiscal year will launch without a budget of its own. In the meantime, you’ve still got fiscal 2011 to close out.

At this point, your sales group must swerve into expediting mode in order to close as much business as possible in the remaining month until the end of the fiscal year.

While marketing and business development really can’t do much for the current fiscal year, you still have time to close sales.

Here’s how: Concentrate your expediting activities on making sure contracting officers receive complete, signable packages they’ll be willing to move on. Keep in mind, they are in a mode of only signing and moving packages entailing the least friction for them.

To ensure closure, make sure you can affirm the following statements.

1. My customer has completed its market survey.

Program people — those with the mission and budget — must identify best value options for the contracting officer, so your proposals must explain your value, and not just your technical chops.

2. My customer is solid on its requirements and has justified use of my product by name.

Government buyers are taught to state requirements without naming a brand. To make sure your brand gets procured, it must uniquely fill a requirement. That information must make its way into the requirements document that accompanies the purchase request.

3. The money is there.

Agency comptrollers decide whether or not expenditures map to the congressional intent for the money about to be spent. But the documentation must be transmitted to the contracting officer.

4. The contracting officer has identified a preferred vehicle against which to execute the purchase.

That’s the fastest way for a contracting officer to obligate funds, placing an order against an existing vehicle. Make sure the contracting officer has everything needed to comply with ordering procedures of that particular vehicle. Keep in mind, managers of the big government-wide acquisition contracts are themselves doing what they can to help ordering contracting officers to max out year-end sales, but they can’t cut corners.

5. I’m tuned into fair-notice/fair-opportunity notices for my contract vehicles.

Each vehicle has its own process. The closer you get to Sept. 30, your sales team must be ready to respond as cycle times compress.

Remember, a sale in the federal market isn’t a sale until a contracting officer signs an order or awards a contract. That makes federal sales different from commercial sales, where you can pretty much count on an order once it’s in the purchasing department. Federal contracting officers don’t report to program managers who manage the money, write the requirements and send purchase requests to the contracting officers.

Yet, even now, hundreds of millions of dollars remain uncommitted. Contracting officers don’t want to be deliberately obstructionist. But like the program and technology managers they serve (and you are selling to), they are looking at future uncertainty, the current time crunch and more oversight. Sellers who can help federal customers tie orders to authorized requirements and smooth the last-minute speed bumps will be able to maximize their fiscal 2011 revenue.

And here’s a bonus: By expediting last minute sales in this way, you’ll be able to deliver more accurate sales forecasts to headquarters. That’ll help maintain their faith in the federal market even as they look at the national headlines.

— by Steve Charles in Washington Technology.  Published Sept. 14, 2011 at http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2011/09/14/end-fiscal-year-sales-tips.aspx?s=wtdaily_150911

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