Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Attend Augusta Government Contracting Day on April 22nd

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Are you interested in doing business with the government?  Would you like to learn about federal contracting assistance programs, such as the Women-Owned Small Business program, the Service-disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program, the 8(a) Business Development program, the All Small Mentor-Protégé program, and the HUBZone program?  Are you interested in learning about how to find, bid on and win government contracting opportunities at the federal, state and local level?  If so, please join us at the Augusta Government Contracting Day, on April 22nd at the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library, 823 Telfair Street in Augusta, GA.  GTPAC Counselors will provide a general overview of how the government buys goods and services and will take questions from the audience on all aspects of government contracting.  We will also provide information on free resources that are available to help your business win government contracts.

Date:  4/22/2019

Time:  9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (EDT)

Location:  Augusta-Richmond County Public Library, 823 Telfair Street, Augusta GA 30901

Presenters:  To be determined.

Admission is free, but pre-registration is required as seating is limited.

Registration:  Go to https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events/8684 and click “Sign Up”

If you have any questions, reach out to Andrew Smith at andrew.smith@innovate.gatech.edu 

The Big R: Relationships remain the key to GovCon success

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It is impossible to overstate the role of relationships in GovCon.

They are needed with customers and prospects, primes and subs, OEMs to channel, media, internal relationships within your company, and more.

Read Mark Amtower’s Washington Technology column here where he reminds himself that it is relationships that drive the government contracting marketplace: https://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2018/12/21/insights-amtower-power-of-r.aspx

Interest in GTPAC continued to grow in 2018 – What did you miss?

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If you’re a regular visitor to the GTPAC web site, you know that our content consists of a very comprehensive collection of news articles, resources and advice — all designed to help your business succeed in the government marketplace.

To keep our web site fresh and relevant, we update it each weekday.  We also pay attention to what interests you most. During 2018, for instance, we tracked the articles that visitors to our site read most often.  You’ll see the 15 most popular articles listed below.

Did you miss these Top 15 most important news developments last year?
  1. Georgia companies won federal contracts throughout 2018
  2. SAM.gov registration is free, and help with SAM is free, too
  3. Schemes targeting small business contractors proliferate
  4. Cybersecurity training video launched by GTPAC
  5. Management of DoD contractor pleads guilty to ‘Made in the USA’ contract fraud
  6. GTPAC to host ‘Defense Innovation Conference’ on Jan. 14th
  7. Multiple defendants charged with 22 counts of fraud and money laundering involving $200 million in small business contracts
  8. DoD awards more than $230 billion to minority- and women-owned businesses from 2010-2016
  9. Quick guide to product and service codes in government contracting
  10. Judge imposes maximum sentences in Fort Gordon bid-rigging conspiracy
  11. You must be registered in SAM before you submit a federal bid, proposal or quote
  12. SBA sneaks in rule on small business recertification
  13. Scam Alert: Malicious e-mail spoofs being sent to vendors
  14. Two companies and individuals indicted for exploiting disadvantaged business program
  15. What to expect during a government shutdown: Submitting bids, getting paid, and more
Who’s Watching Us

You’ll be interested to know that 95,491 visitors came to the GTPAC web site 126,160 times in calendar year 2018, viewing individual pages 181,097 times.  These numbers represent 52% growth in web visitors, 39% growth in visits, and 38% growth in page views compared to 2017.  

As can be seen from the map above, business people from all parts of Georgia found useful information on the GTPAC web site in 2018.

During 2018, the top 50 locations in Georgia where folks visited the GTPAC web site were: Atlanta, Marietta, Warner Robins, Augusta, Union City, Sandy Springs, Redan, Stockbridge, McDonough, Smyrna, Lawrenceville, Douglasville, Roswell, Savannah, Albany, Columbus, Macon, Woodstock, Fayetteville, Mableton, Johns Creek, Conyers, Cumming, Tucker, Chamblee, Snellville, Duluth, Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Acworth, Athens, Milton, Suwanee, Kennesaw, Riverdale, Decatur, Dacula, Gainesville, Peachtree City, Lilburn, Vinings, Brookhaven, East Point, Evans, Powder Springs, Panthersville, Norcross, Newnan, and Buford.

Visitors to the GTPAC web site during 2018 came from all parts of Georgia — 266 cities and towns in all.  This includes lots of smaller communities where business people pay attention to the GTPAC website, too.  Those include more rural communities like: Appling, Bogart, Cave Spring, Dawson, Experiment, Folkston, Guyton, Hahira, Helen, Hiawassee, Ludowici, McRae, Newington, Oxford, Pine Mountain, Reynolds, Roopville, Riceboro, Skidaway Island, Senoia, Swainsboro, Tallapoosa, Temple, Trion, Vienna, Warm Springs, Watkinsville, Waynesville, Young Harris and Zebulon.

There’s no question about it, in-state visitors to our web site reflect the fact that GTPAC currently serves 6,300 business people working for 2,300 businesses located in 150 of the 159 counties in Georgia.

Topics of Interest

So, what topics did visitors to GTPAC’s web site search for most in 2018?  Below is a list of the top 15 and, again, each one is hyperlinked so you can check it out:

  1. SAM (System for Award Management — the federal government’s vendor database)
  2. Useful Links (to government contracting resources)
  3. iSearch (a guide to using GTPAC’s powerful tool to identify contract opportunities)
  4. Tips for Attending a Government Expo or Trade Show (what you should do before, during, and after)
  5. Tips for Researching Contract Awardees and Probable Bidders (how to be effective at market research)
  6. Elevator Speech (what it is and why you need one)
  7. Discussions vs. Clarifications vs. Communications (these words have special meanings in federal contracting)
  8. Why Your Contracting Officer Is Hard to Reach (this could explain why)
  9. Rules for Doing Business with the State of Georgia (updates to the State’s purchasing manual)
  10. Crucial Details You Need to Know Before You Bid on a Government Contract (5 critical things can help you prepare)
  11. Sources Sought (how government agencies identify vendors)
  12. Capabilities Statement (marketing to government agencies)
  13. Responding to Government Solicitations (tips for responding to an RFP)
  14. Money Laundering, Bribery and Fraud (reports of government contracting fraud)
  15. Contracting Tips (government contracting advice)
Interest in GTPAC Outside Georgia’s Boundaries

Significantly, even though the GTPAC web site is designed for Georgia businesses, 80 percent of our U.S. visitors during 2018 came from the other 49 states, and 6 percent of our visitors came from 184 other countries.

This table shows the top 10 states where visitors to the GTPAC web site during 2018 are located. For the first year ever, there were more visitors from Virginia than from Georgia.
Our Recommendation To You for 2018

With what amounts to both nationwide and worldwide interest in the content on GTPAC’s web site, maybe you should be visiting more often!

Be sure to visit the GTPAC web site regularly for all the latest news and information about doing business with the government.  Remember, new information and resources are posted every weekday at www.gtpac.org!

 

 

 

 

 

Is there something that Virginia businesses know that Georgia businesses don’t?

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Okay, Georgia businesses, pay attention to this:
Companies in Virginia visit the GTPAC website more frequently than you do.

Is there something they know that you don’t know?

There’s probably a lot more Virginia businesses know about government contracting than Georgia firms know — especially since Virginia companies read information on the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center’s website 25 percent more often than Georgia businesses do.

That’s right: Even though the GTPAC program is designed to assist Georgia firms succeed in the government marketplace — and the GTPAC website is customized to the interests of Georgia businesses — Virginia firms are paying more attention to our content than you are.

Year to date, there have been 21,236 visitors from Virginia to our site versus only 15,949 from Georgia.

Of course, the very nature of the World Wide Web is that it’s open to all.  There are no restrictions on who can view — and benefit from — the GTPAC website.  That’s why, each week, GTPAC’s website accommodates visitors from all 50 states.  But this is the first year that there are more visitors from another state than from Georgia.

So, it’s time to take action, Georgia!   You should make it a point to visit www.gtpac.org on a regular basis.  New content is posted on our site every day.  You also can follow GTPAC on Twitter at twitter.com/gtpac_org.

Let’s close-out calendar year 2018 with more visitors to the GTPAC website from Georgia than any other state!

Before you bid on a government contract: The crucial details you need to know

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Bidding on government contracts can seem overwhelming, but asking yourself five critical questions can help you prepare.

The U.S. government may be known as the “world’s largest customer,” but selling to them is anything but simple. There are complex and detailed processes necessary for bidding on contracts, and rightly so. In fiscal year 2013, small businesses received 23 percent of government contracts, valued at around $83 billion. With that amount of funding at stake, straight-from-the-source advice for competing can be invaluable.

The American Express OPEN for Government Contracting: Success Series conference in Atlanta brought together entrepreneurs and speakers from government agencies to share first-hand stories, tips and advice to help small businesses pursue federal contracts.

During the session Where to Begin: Government Contracting 101, speakers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Small Business Administration shared a detailed synopsis of how small businesses could gain initial traction.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/bid-government-contracts-crucial-details-need-know/

How ‘useful links’ can help you navigate the government contracting process

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Clients of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) will tell you how helpful GTPAC’s “Introduction to Government Contracting” seminar is.  Hundreds and hundreds of Georgia businesses have used the “Intro” seminar as their first stepping stone into the government contracting arena.

What these businesses may forget is that GTPAC has a web page containing all of the resources featured in the seminar.

GTPAC’s “Intro” class outlines of seven steps that are essential to achieving success in the government marketplace.  The seven steps are:

  1. Registration in Government Databases
  2. Creating a Marketing Plan
  3. Knowing the Right People
  4. Developing a Reference Library
  5. Searching for Opportunities
  6. Bidding and Performing
  7. Marketing to State and Local Governments

Internet resources supporting the seven steps are valuable to businesses who have attended GTPAC’s “Intro” seminar as well as those who have not.

By reviewing the seven steps on-line — available here — businesses can familiarize themselves with all of the things they should do to prepare themselves before pursuing government contracts.  The resources listed on GTPAC’s “useful links” webpage inform newcomers to government contracting — and remind experienced government contractors — of each essential step that must be taken to achieve success in the government contracting marketplace.

Why not visit GTPAC’s Useful Links today to see what steps you may have neglected to take?  There are more than 160 government contracting resources posted there!

To register to attend GTPAC’s next “Introduction to Government Contracting” seminar — either in-classroom or via a webinar — check GTPAC’s training calendar at https://gtpac.ecenterdirect.com/events.  All of GTPAC’s training seminars are free of charge.

 

Interest in GTPAC’s on-line content continued to grow in 2017

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If you’re a regular visitor to the GTPAC web site, you know that the content consists of a very comprehensive collection of news articles, resources and advice — all designed to help your business succeed in the government marketplace.

To keep our web site fresh and relevant, we update it every weekday.  We also pay attention to what interests you most.  During 2017, for instance, we tracked the articles that visitors to our site read most often.  You’ll see the dozen most popular articles listed below.

Did you miss these important news developments last year?
  1. Georgia companies won federal contracts throughout 2017
  2. SBA issues new rules affecting small business affiliation — and lots more
  3. Owner of fraudulent Florida FEMA registration firm faces 20 years
  4. Register — free — if you want to provide debris removal, supplies, reconstruction, and other disaster or emergency relief
  5. The top 10 reasons people are denied a security clearance
  6. DBE contracting opportunities under the Trump Administration
  7. Officer of construction company sentenced for illegally obtaining federal contracts meant for small disadvantaged businesses
  8. The top 10 government contracting compliance headaches in 2017
  9. SBA launches new HUBZone maps
  10. Update on government contracts ramifications of the Trump administration
  11. Owner of fraudulent government contract registration firm sentenced to prison for tricking 1,200 vendors
  12. 2018 forecast of state and local contracting released
Who’s Watching Us

You’ll be interested to know that 62,968 visitors came to the GTPAC web site 86,885 times in calendar year 2017, viewing individual pages 130,993 times.  Those numbers represent 18% growth in web traffic to our site compared to activity in 2016.

As can be seen from the map above, business people from all parts of Georgia found useful information on the GTPAC web site in 2017.

During 2017, the top 25 locations in Georgia where folks visited the GTPAC web site were: Atlanta, Warner Robins, Marietta, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Stockbridge, Flowery Branch, Augusta, Redan, Albany, Lawrenceville, Cumming, Tucker, Conyers, Savannah, Smyrna, Mableton, Douglasville, Carrollton, Columbus, Gainesville, Woodstock,  Cartersville, and McDonough.

Visitors to the GTPAC web site during 2017 came from all parts of Georgia — 266 cities and towns in all.  This includes lots of smaller communities where business people pay attention to the GTPAC website, too.  Those include more rural communities like: Appling, Bogart, Cave Spring, Dawson, Experiment, Folkston, Guyton, Hahira, Helen, Hiawassee, Ludowici, McRae, Newington, Oxford, Pine Mountain, Reynolds, Roopville, Riceboro, Skidaway Island, Senoia, Swainsboro, Tallapoosa, Temple, Trion, Vienna, Warm Springs, Watkinsville, Waynesville, Young Harris and Zebulon.

There’s no question about it, in-state visitors to our web site reflect the fact that GTPAC currently serves 2,700 business people working for 2,300 businesses located in nearly all 159 counties in Georgia.

Topics of Interest

So, what topics did visitors to GTPAC’s web site search for most in 2017?  Below is a list of the top dozen and, again, each one is hyperlinked so you can check it out:

  1. SAM (System for Award Management — the federal government’s vendor database)
  2. Useful Links (to government contracting resources)
  3. Sources Sought (how government agencies identify vendors)
  4. Capabilities Statement (marketing to government agencies)
  5. Responding to Government Solicitations (tips for responding to an RFP)
  6. Small Business Specialists (and how they can help you)
  7. Contracting News (always the latest developments)
  8. Elevator Speech (what it is and why you need one)
  9. Tips for Attending a Government Expo or Trade Show  (what you should do before, during, and after)
  10. Tips for Researching Contract Awardees and Probable Bidders (how to be effective at market research)
  11. Money Laundering and Bribery (reports of government contract fraud)
  12. Contracting Tips (government contracting advice)
Interest in GTPAC Outside Georgia’s Boundaries

Significantly, even though the GTPAC web site is designed for Georgia businesses, 61 percent of our U.S. visitors during 2017 came from the other 49 states, and almost 6 percent of our visitors came from 172 other countries.

This table shows the top 10 states where visitors to the GTPAC web site during 2017 are located.
Our Recommendation To You for 2018

With what amounts to worldwide interest in the content on GTPAC’s web site, maybe you should be visiting more often!

Be sure to visit the GTPAC web site regularly for all the latest news and information about doing business with the government.  Remember, new information and resources are posted every weekday at www.gtpac.org!

Find Davis-Bacon in federal construction contracts, not in a supermarket

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There is hickory bacon.  There is turkey bacon.  And then there is Davis Bacon.

The first two can be found in the meat department of your local supermarket.

The last one — Davis Bacon — is found in federally-funded construction contracts.  If you’re bidding on a federal contract or subcontract, you’d better educate yourself about this requirement.

The federal Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) applies minimum prevailing wage classifications for all federally-funded or assisted construction projects.  (Note that the Federal Acquisition Regulation – the FAR – now refers to the Davis Bacon Act as “Wage Rate Requirements – Construction.”)

The U.S. Department of Labor creates wage classifications by the type of project for a specific type of worker.   (Although not the case in Georgia, also be aware of the fact that some state governments have adopted “little DBAs” requiring prevailing wages on state-funded public works projects.)

The worker classifications are crafted with broad job scopes, in order to be over-inclusive.  These classifications have drawn the ire of many private construction firms, who complain about what they consider over-payment for non-specialized labor (i.e., paying a wire runner as a journeyman electrician).  So, while many favor the DBA’s heavy wages – it can be crippling to an unprepared private firm’s profit margin.

In order to prepare, a construction professional must read and absorb the federal wage classifications that apply on their project – before bidding.  Wage classifications are prepared by state and by project, and are included in all federally-funded construction work.

If you are bidding a contract in the State of Georgia, you’ll need to check out the Georgia classifications.  For example, if you were building a non-residential structure, such as a government building, in Bibb County, you can see the applicable wage rates here.

If your Bibb County bid needs to include ironworkers to install your structural steel, you would need to bid them per hour at $24.04, plus $9.86 in fringe benefits (insurance, fringe, or even cash).  There are no real boundaries here – if a worker is involved in structural steel work, that worker is to be paid as an ironworker. If a contractor does not plan for this broad application, you’ll be facing penalties that are spelled-out under the Wage & Hour Act or Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act.  The penalties are stiff, providing for up to two times the amount of the unpaid or underpaid wages, plus interest.

The lesson here?  Like with all things involving government contracting, do your homework before jumping in with both feet.  To obtain assistance, check with a representative of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) nearest you.  With proper preparation, you’ll be able to bid correctly, win a contract or subcontract, and then be able to bring home the real bacon.

© 2010-2017 –  Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center – All Rights Reserved.

Six negotiation strategies that can help get to yes fast

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Negotiations can be a critical part of business.

A successful negotiation can help convince indecisive clients to take deals that benefit both them and your company; however, negotiations can also intimidate potential customers and cause them to back out of deals, even when they are in their best interest.

With this in mind, here are six negotiation strategies that can help put customers at ease and win their business.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/6-negotiation-strategies-that-can-help-get-to-yes-fast/

For detailed professional advice on government contract negotiations, see: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/2011/02/01/con-120-lession-6-negotiation-rules-bargaining-process/

For more interesting reading on the subject of contract negotiation, visit: http://gtpac.org/tag/negotiation/

 

A two-way street: The duty of good faith and fair dealing

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The contractual duty of “good faith and fair dealing” is well established in private contracts.  Depending on your jurisdiction, there is very likely either a formal or an informal rule that parties to a contract must deal with each other honestly and in good faith.  This is (usually) not a written contract term – rather, the duty is implied automatically in order to reinforce the parties’ intent when entering into the agreement.

But, did you know that the same kind of duty exists in public contracts – and runs as a two-way street between contractors and the Federal government?  It is true.  And it can help your business in the pursuit of time or damages from the government as part of an REA or Claim.

Implicit in every government contract is the duty for the government to treat the contractor fairly and act in good faith.  Courts discussing this duty place both affirmative and negative obligations on the government.  In other words, the government: 1) must take active steps to enable the contractor’s performance, and 2) must not willfully or negligently interfere with said performance.

Keep reading this article at: https://governmentcontracts.foxrothschild.com/2017/04/articles/government-contracting-101/government-contracting-101-duty-of-good-faith-and-fair-dealing/

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