Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Can a small business take over DISA’s $1 billion perimeter security contract?

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The Defense Information Systems Agency’s perimeter cybersecurity has been managed by a large contractor for almost 10 years and now the agency wants to know if a small or underutilized business can take over.

The agency released two requests for information June 20 for its Gateway Security Engineering program: one looking for responses from small businesses, including 8(a), service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned; and another soliciting information from vendors in historically underutilized business zones, or HUBZones.

The Gateway Security program manages security at the intersection of the Defense Department’s non-classified network, known as NIPRNet, and the public internet. “It provides support by developing, testing, implementing, and maintaining secure interoperable solutions at the Gateways,” according to the RFIs.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2018/06/can-small-business-take-over-disas-1b-perimeter-security-contract/149152/

Small businesses should respond to ‘sources sought’ and RFIs

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The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) reminds our clients — and especially small businesses — that it’s very important for you to respond to what are known as “Sources Sought” and “Requests for Information” published by federal agencies periodically in FedBizOpps.

FBO

When an agency issues a Sources Sought or an RFI, they are trying to identify sources that can fulfill their buying needs and determine whether there is potential for a small business set-aside and obtain other marketplace information for acquisition planning purposes. 

“Some vendors may not take the time to respond to a Sources Sought/RFI.  Instead, they may focus their efforts on preparation for a bid when the solicitation comes out,” explains Sherry Savage, Program Manager for the Defense Logistics Agency’s Procurement Technical Assistance Program.  “For the vendor, however, the Sources Sought/RFI is their chance to influence the acquisition strategy.  If capable companies do not respond, the opportunity for a set-aside may be lost.”

Sources Sought and RFIs can be found using the “Advanced Search” function in FedBizOpps.  More than 6,400 of this type of procurement opportunity were published in calendar year 2016.

When responding to a Sources Sought or an RFI, it’s important to pay attention to the detail specified as needed by the federal agency.  “Provide thoughtful input — don’t just send a capabilities statement,” advises Ms. Savage.  “The vendor should put together a personalized package that concisely answers the questions asked in the Sources Sought/RFI.”

If you have questions regarding a particular Sources Sought or RFI, you should contact the government agency’s point of contact (POC) provided in the notice.

And, of course, for assistance with or advice about responding to a particular Sources Sought or RFI, feel free to contact your nearest GTPAC procurement counselor found here: http://gtpac.org/team-directory.  (Outside the State of Georgia?  Find a PTAC located near you here: http://www.aptac-us.org/find-a-ptac)

For more details about how to respond to a Sources Sought or an RFI, please consult our earlier article on this subject at: http://gtpac.org/2010/09/what-is-a-sources-sought-heres-the-answer

‘Sources Sought’ notices are on the rise

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The number of federal agency Sources Sought Notices for small businesses appears to have increased dramatically in recent years.

Sources Sought notices for small businesses referenced on the Federal Business Opportunities website FBO.gov rose to 2,610 in fiscal 2014, more than quadruple the 565 counted in fiscal 2004, according to an analysis by Set-Aside Alert.

FBO

That is good news for small business owners, because they are often advised to search for, and respond to, Sources Sought Notices that match their capabilities in order to get a foot in the door early in the process as opportunities are developing.

“We are seeing an explosion in Sources Sought Notices,” Gloria Larkin, government contracting consultant and president of TargetGov, said at a recent industry conference for small business federal contractors.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.setasidealertnews.com/leading-stories.html

For more information about “Sources Sought,” see: http://gtpac.org/2010/09/16/what-is-a-sources-sought-heres-the-answer/

Army seeks sources for advertising contract, to hold industry day

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Army contracting officials are seeking responses to a sources sought synopsis for evaluation of capabilities by advertising and marketing agencies to provide a full range of advertising services for the Army.  In addition, an industry day forum is planned for Dec. 3, 2014, in San Antonio, TX.

Officials from the Mission and Installation Contracting Command posted a sources sought synopsis for Solicitation W9124J-15-R-0001 on Nov. 4 on the Federal Business Opportunities website seeking responses from interested large and small business representatives through Dec. 19.  This may be viewed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=e1981aa070b37a75c069f6fbe3ac07f2&_cview=0

In conjunction with the sources sought period, contracting officials are holding an industry day forum for the Army advertising and marketing program Dec. 3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fort Sam Houston Golf Course located at 1050 Harry Wurzbach Road in San Antonio. The forum serves as a market research tool for assessing capabilities and provides an opportunity for interested industry representatives to network, according to LaTischa Castro, a contracting officer with the MICC-Fort Sam Houston contracting office.  Registration instructions for the industry day appear at: http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/c/images/2014/11/13/372014/original.jpg

The industry day forum will allow industry partners a chance to meet with MICC contracting professionals during one-on-one sessions as well as learn about the Army Marketing and Research Group mission. AMRG is a field operating agency of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Alexandria, Virginia.

MICC officials plan to award a contract to a full-service advertising agency by March 2016. Those services include planning, designing, creating, producing, placing and executing marketing, special events and advertising campaigns.

All inquiries regarding the market research for this contract should be directed to the MICC via email at usarmy.jbsa.acc-micc.mbx.micc-fsh-amp@mail.mil or by calling (210) 466-2147.

Defense department’s ‘sources sought’ for IT services underscores importance of an effective capabilities statement

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Market research undertaken last week by a unit of the Department of Defense places significant importance on small businesses having a written capabilities statement.

In fact, as the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) puts it, “It is vitally important that Small Businesses responding to this Sources Sought Notice do so with highly effective Capability Statements.”

The call for submittal of capabilities statements comes in DISA’s posting of a sources sought notice on FedBizOpps on September 11, 2014.  The purpose of the sources sought is to determine the availability and technical capability of small businesses to provide a wide range of information technology services to the U.S. Cyber Command, including assistance for offensive and defensive cyber operations.

The sources sought notice is a precursor to an anticipated indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity IT contract which will be open only to small businesses.  Small businesses are being sought to provide support for cyber planning, training knowledge, records management, science and technology research and development, and more than 30 cyber exercises a year.

The small businesses that DISA is seeking to identify include Small Disadvantaged Businesses, HUBZone Firms; Certified 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, and Woman Owned Small Business.

The primary place of performance will be at USCYBERCOM Government facilities within the Ft. George G. Meade, MD local area. Local area is any facility within a 50 mile radius of Ft. Meade, Maryland.

Responses to the sources sough are due not later than 4:00 pm Eastern Time on September 29, 2014.

DISA’s sources sought notice may be seen at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=63a08d1386b0426debf21c53cd8572db&tab=core&_cview=0.

For background information on the “sources sought” process, read: http://gtpac.org/2010/09/what-is-a-sources-sought-heres-the-answer

For general information on putting together a capabilities statement, read: http://gtpac.org/2010/05/what-is-a-capabilities-statement-and-why-should-i-have-one/

Clients of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center may ask their assigned counselor for a sample capabilities statement as well as for a review of their capabilities statement before submitting it in response to any sources sought notice.

 

GSA wants contractors to sign on the digital line

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While most documents generated by the government have made the transition from paper to digital, there are still a few hiccups in the process, notably contracts and other documents that require signatures.

The General Services Administration is looking for an agency-wide service that can obviate the need for pen-and-ink signatures and move the contracting process entirely online, according to documents posted on April 28, 2014. GSA now uses a variety of procedures to obtain signatures, some of which include a mix of electronic and pen-and-ink, or what the agency calls “wet” signatures. Transitioning fully to digital signatures would raise GSA’s efficiency and reduce costs, the agency said.

The document, posted on the Federal Business Opportunities Contracting site, is a sources sought notice, which means GSA wants to gather feedback from industry about possible products but isn’t seeking bids yet. The agency expects to issue a formal solicitation and award a contract before the end of 2015, the notice said.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2014/04/gsa-wants-contractors-sign-digital-line/83236

Hoping to sell to the government? Then start being a P.E.S.T.

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When my business entered into government contracting in 2005, it did not take long for me to realize that we had entered a whole new world after years in the private sector. Certifications and set-asides were unfamiliar concepts; ones that frankly made me a bit uncomfortable, as I wondered whether I wanted my company to get “special” consideration because of my gender or the size of our operation.

What I have learned is that there really is no “special consideration” but just an opportunity to level the playing field. While certifications can get your business noticed by government agencies, being a woman-owned, veteran-owned, small business, HUB Zone and/or 8(a) organization guarantees you nothing.

This may seem intuitive to some, but it is a barrier to success for many more.

So how can a small business best leverage the power of the set-aside?  By becoming a P.E.S.T. — that is, by being persistent, educated, specific and transparent.

Keep reading this article by Lisa Firestone at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/small-business-advice-hoping-to-sell-to-the-government-then-start-being-a-pest/2013/12/19/3f12d3b6-68f4-11e3-a0b9-249bbb34602c_story.html 

 

What is a “Sources Sought”? Here’s the answer!

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This is a frequently-asked question by both new and established clients of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC).  The label “Sources Sought” may be seen on many contract opportunities posted on FedBizOpps (FBO), the place federal agencies advertise their upcoming contracts.  (You can search for Sources Sought using the “Advanced Search” link on the FBO home page.)

A Sources Sought is not an actual bid or proposal solicitation; instead, it’s a solicitation of interest.  Think of a Sources Sought as market research being conducted by a government agency to determine what the capabilities and interests of the marketplace are. 

GTPAC’s advice to our clients is to always respond to a Sources Sought if it appears to be of interest to you.  Contracting officials frequently complain about the few responses they often receive in response to Sources Sought announcements.  Responding, therefore, can distinguish yourself in a positive way from your competitors, and may lead to an inside track on an eventual contract.   It’s also wise to be realistic: A Sources Sought notice may — or may not — be followed-up by the agency with the issuance of an actual bid or proposal solicitation. 

There are always very specific instructions in each Sources Sought for responding.  Follow these instructions to the letter, and give them no more and no less than requested – in other words, give the federal agency which posted the Sources Sought notice exactly what it asks for.

We know that responding to a Sources Sought represents an investment of time, but by responding to a Sources Sought you actually may influence how a federal agency “packages” any eventual Solicitation.   After formally responding to a Sources Sought, you are at liberty to contact the point-of-contact identified in the Sources Sought and offer any suggestions and/or insights you may have about performing the particular work.  This relationship-building actually could created an “insider’s advantage” for you on the procurement, possibly even leading to a set-aside (limiting competition to only a few firms in your small business category) or a sole-source award (if your capabilities and expertise are unmatched by others).

The agency involved should notify those who respond to the Sources Sought of the eventual outcome, but don’t rely on that 100%.  If GTPAC’s bid match service identified the Sources Sought in the first place, our electronic service should pick it up again when it turns into an actual Solicitation.  Also, remember that FedBizOpps offers options to be notified.  We recommend you put yourself on a “Watchlist” (which will automatically cause an email to be sent to you regarding any developments on a particular Solicitation) and on the list of “Interested Vendors” (which you and anyone else can view by clicking on the tab marked “Interested Vendors List”).   The latter can be helpful in terms of not only seeing who your potential competitors might be but also identifying potential team members. 

Finally, if a particular Sources Sought announcement spells-out no specific format for laying-out your capabilities, GTPAC recommends you send in a government-specific Capabilities Statement.  Give it your best effort and respond by the deadline:  Not one second late.  Contact your assigned GTPAC Counselor for more tips.     

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

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