Month: April 2021

Textron Inc. awarded $386.2M contract for the construction of landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) 100 Class Craft 109 through 123

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Textron Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana, is awarded a $386,280,994 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target and firm-fixed-price modification to a definitized, previously-awarded letter contract (N00024-17-C-2480) for the construction of landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) 100 Class Craft 109 through 123. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana (80%); Camden, New Jersey (8%); Cincinnati, Ohio (8%); and Gloucester, United Kingdom (4%). The Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) Program is the functional replacement of the existing fleet of LCAC vehicles, which are nearing the end of their service life. It is an air cushion vehicle designed for a 30-year service life. The SSC mission is to land surface assault elements in support of operational maneuver from the sea at over-the-horizon distances while operating from amphibious ships and mobile landing platforms. SSC provides increased performance to handle current and future missions, as well as improvements, which will increase craft availability and reduce total ownership cost. Work is expected to be complete by January 2025. Fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (SCN) (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,168,067; fiscal 2018 SCN funding in the amount of $236,986,570; fiscal 2019 SCN funding in the amount of $198,693,525; and fiscal 2020 SCN funding in the amount of $50,800,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Textron Inc. operates as a multi-industry company with operations in aircraft, defense, industrial products, and finance. The Company provides airplanes, helicopters, weapons, and automotive products. Textron’s finance division offers asset based lending, aviation, distribution, golf, and resort finance, as well as structured capital. (www.bloomberg.com)

SOURCES SOUGHT: Request for Information (RFI) for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The future of warfare is characterized as faster and at longer ranges, is more destructive, targets civilians and military equally across the physical, cognitive, and moral dimensions. To succeed in such scenarios, the ability to provide accurate and timely intelligence is critical to intelligence analysts, warfighters and decision makers.

In response to these challenges and threats, The United States Army is replacing its legacy systems with brand new state of the art systems and capabilities. PM IS&A is leading the effort to modernize the Army’s artificial intelligence systems. The modernization efforts are far reaching and include a new data warehousing capability, new ground station, and new software baseline. The new data warehousing capability will include data ingress, cleansing, processing, egress, and querying to enable storage and timely processing, exploitation and dissemination of intelligence data.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code: 7A20 – IT AND TELECOM – APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE (PERPETUAL LICENSE SOFTWARE)
  • NAICS Code: 511210 – Software Publishers
  • Place of Performance: USA
  • Updated Response Date: May 14, 2021 09:00 am EDT
  • Full details via beta.sam.gov

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    Check out our RESOURCES page for a sample letter that we use in response to government market research.

ACE Electronics Defense Systems LLC awarded $205.9M contract for the production of Army installation kits

Posted on by Eric Coffie

ACE Electronics Defense Systems LLC, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (HC1084-20-D-0005), was awarded a competitive, small business set aside, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for the production of Army installation kits. The contract ceiling is approximately $205,998,367, with the minimum guarantee is $2,000,000. The total value of delivery order 0001 is $16,898,782 funded by fiscal 2020 other procurement Army funds. Proposals were solicited via FedBizOpps, now beta.SAM.gov, and two proposals were received. The place of performance will be at the contractor’s facility until the installations kits are delivered to the government at the Red River Army Depot. The period of performance is a three-year base with seven one-year options. The period of performance for the base period is April 15, 2020, through April 14, 2023; if all options are exercised, the contract performance will end April 14, 2030. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1084-20-D-0005). [EDITOR’S NOTE: The $2,000,000 minimum guarantee for this contract was initially entered incorrectly on this page but is now accurate.]

Ace Electronics Defense Systems LLC manufactures electronic defense parts and equipment. The Company offers cable assemblies, fiber optics, IT services, custom wire and cables, as well as connectors. (www.bloomberg.com)

Cecil Whitlock: Did You Know that You Can PURCHASE an 8a Company?

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Did you know that you can purchase an 8a company? Let’s answer this question together with Cecil Whitlock!

BUYING AN 8A COMPANY

Cecil Whitlock started his career in the federal market by working with different large companies.

He was then hired at the J2 Engineering, Inc. when the company is close to graduating in the 8a program because the company already outgrows the necessary numbers that small businesses can leverage. 

Then, at some point, he bought the company when the owner approached him about buying it because he chose to go back to law school. 

As the new owner, he still needed to make sure that the company continued working even after the program, so he went and bid on some MATOC and SATOC contracts on top of the sole source contracts that the company was already working on. 

Whitlock highly recommends these to 8a companies as these contracts last for over five years and even if you graduate from the 8a program, you can still keep these contracts and continue bidding on it. 

“I suggest that, you know, everybody, especially 8as, learn how to bid these contracts… and once you learn how to do them and get involved into them, you see that it’s a great thing.”

Apart from that, the company also leveraged the partnerships that they have with some of the largest corporations, including AECOM.

They continued bidding and winning on different million dollar worth of contracts until they had tapped out on their bonding and Whitlock decided to sell the company to a much larger firm in 2015. 

WORKING FOR THE MIAMI NATIONS

After selling the company and retiring, Whitlock decided to work again and in this instance, as the Managing Director of the 8a tribally-owned company, Miami Nations Enterprises. 

When he came in, Miami Nations wasn’t even formed yet, so there are things that they should do in order to keep the business afloat. 

In this case, Whitlock brought not just sole source work, but also IDIQ contracts because he knew that going after sole source contracts is not enough to sustain the whole company. 

“You need these IDIQ contracts. I think those are the easiest way to grow and it limits your competition.”

Currently, the company is involved in a handful of million dollar contracts with different teaming partners in order to get more past performance bonding for the company. 

ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Offer value. 

Consider that Miami Nations has a handful of teaming partners and these companies offer value in the contracts that they’re going after. 

Not because you’re an 8a or a tribally-owned company, someone will already give you a contract opportunity. This market doesn’t work that way. 

So, what are you bringing to the table? 

“I don’t give people business. I team and we work together on getting business or I’m out there getting business myself.”

2. Team with other companies.

Aside from being able to go after million dollar worth of contracts with a teaming partner, this could also help you in getting your past performance. 

Consider that when you team with someone, even if you only provided twenty thousand worth of work and the whole work is worth a million, you can still say that you did a million dollar job and you can also use that in your future projects. 

“I can’t stress how much past performance does for you. If you’re out there and you don’t have any past performance, if you team with somebody, you get that past performance for that… So, that’s pretty nice.”

3. Take advantage of the SBA. 

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a helpful organization, but you need to use their services to your advantage. 

You should not just wait for them to do the work because if you think that the SBA is just going to give you a sole source project, you’re going to be sitting at home with no money on hand. 

Rather, you should prepare everything needed for them to do their job. 

“I like all the SBA people that I work with. They do a very good job, but you’ve got to help direct them to do the job for you.”

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more on how Cecil Whitlock bought an 8a company, then be sure to click the resources below.

You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Did you know that you can PURCHASE an 8a company? with Cecil and Eric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZgQ1o3t_f0&t=343s

SOURCES SOUGHT: RFI for SIRAP

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The USAF is seeking to procure a varying quantity of interns and research associates for the 88th Air Base Wing (88th ABW), National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), and Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) for 1 base year and 4 option years. This includes the hiring, managing, security clearances including top secret, training and supervising of interns and research associates. The Student Intern and Research Associate Program (SIRAP) shall utilize undergraduate and graduate students, and/or postdoctoral research associates for tasks within the scope of this contract throughout each period of performance. The contractor will provide the technical and functional expertise required for effectively executing the performance, and schedule associated with the requirements of each task order from the IDIQ.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code: R499 – SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: OTHER
  • NAICS Code: 541618 – Other Management Consulting Services
  • Place of Performance: Wright Patterson AFB , OH USA
  • Updated Response Date: May 07, 2021 01:00 pm EDT
  • Full details via beta.sam.gov

    govcon logo Check out our RESOURCES page for a sample letter that we use in response to government market research.

088: Matthew Schoonover – Representing small firms, understanding joint ventures, and discussing the new Mentor Protege program.

Posted on by Eric Coffie

With more than $247M dollars thrown at training and education of small businesses and little thrown into marketing we try and help showcase the ups and down of the business of govcon. Each week we bring on a speaker who has been involved in either growth as a small business, supporting small and medium size businesses or creates opportunities for either of the two categories

In this episode, we bring you a 2-time guest, Matthew Schoonover, Principle of the law firm Schoonover and Moriarty. Matt has been supporting small businesses for more than a decade speaking, authoring legal news on the subject. On our first interview, episode 006 Back in 2019 we discussed Joint Ventures and Mentor Protege.

Matt has a wide experience representing individual and corporate clients in a range of litigation matters, including commercial litigation, insurance-defense actions, and intellectual property litigation. He practiced in pretrial litigation, and have experience preparing and responding to pleadings; conducting informal fact investigations and formal discovery, including taking and defending party and non-party depositions; motion practice; and advocating for clients at hearings and in mediation.

With that, we talked about expanding on the concept of joint ventures and the new Mentor Protege program. New rule and policy changes from the SBA and how it impacts small firms.

Listen to this valuable interview as this is a free knowledge lesson into how a small medium size business can really grow leveraging the current 2021 SBA programs. So, take notes and you will definitely pick up very important knowledge from this week’s guest.

Science Applications International Corp. awarded $90M contract for facilities maintenance, repair and operations items.

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Science Applications International Corp., Fairfield, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $90,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for facilities maintenance, repair and operations items. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is an 18-month bridge contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and New Jersey, with an Oct. 6, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2020 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8E3-20-D-0010).

Science Applications International Corp provides consulting services. The Company offers scientific, engineering, and technology applications and solutions to solve problems. Science Applications International serves security, energy, environmental, health, and infrastructure markets worldwide. (www.bloomberg.com)

SOURCES SOUGHT: Lease of Office Space within Region 04. Request for Lease Proposals (RLP) #21-REG04_9FL2397 – OFFICE SPACE

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Offerors are advised that all Shell work associated with delivering the Tenant Improvements are at the Lessor’s cost. Please refer to Section 3 (Construction Standards and Shell Components) and specifically to Paragraph 3.07 (Building Shell Requirements) of the AAAP RLP Attachment #2 titled “Lease Contract” (GSA Form L100_AAAP ) for more detail. Tenant Improvement Components are detailed under Section 5 of the AAAP RLP Attachment #2 titled “Lease Contract” (GSA Form L100_AAAP) .

It is highly recommended that offerors start the SAM registration process directly following the offer submission. Refer to RLP Clause 3.06, Item 7.

(If applicable) The Government intends to award a Lease to an Offeror of a Building that is in compliance with Seismic Standards. Section 2.03 of the Request for Lease Proposals (RLP) outlines compliance activities required for all leases in moderate or high seismic zones. To determine if your property lies in a moderate or high zone, please reference the map and documents on our website.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code: X1AA – LEASE/RENTAL OF OFFICE BUILDINGS
  • NAICS Code: 531120 – Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses)
  • Place of Performance: West Palm Beach , FL USA
  • Updated Response Date: May 07, 2021 07:30 pm EDT

Full details via beta.sam.gov

govcon logo Check out our RESOURCES page for a sample letter that we use in response to government market research.

CACI Inc. Federal awarded $372.8M for joint geospatial analytic support services to U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)

Posted on by Eric Coffie

CACI Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $372,853,235 maximum labor-hour contract (H92402-21-C-0005) for joint geospatial analytic support services to U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The contract will provide proficient and capable geospatial analysts experienced with the processing, exploitation, and dissemination of traditional and non-traditional intelligence data. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,731,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. The places of performance include Fayetteville, North Carolina; Newport News, Virginia; Alexandria, Virginia; and multiple other locations in the U.S. and overseas. This contract was awarded competitively in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations Part 15 procedures. USSOCOM Headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Caci Inc Federal was founded in 1975. The company’s line of business includes developing or modifying computer software and packaging. (www.bloomberg.com)

SOURCES SOUGHT: NIH CC Sources Sought Notice – Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Services

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Responses of any form are not offers and the Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by Respondents to this notice is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned to the Responder. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future Request for Quote (RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Proposal (RFP), if any issued. If a Solicitation is released, it will be released via the Government-Wide Point of Entry (GPE). It is the responsibility of potential Offerors to monitor the GPE for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

  • Original Set Aside: 8(a) Set-Aside (FAR 19.8)
  • Product Service Code: R405 – SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: OPERATIONS RESEARCH/QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
  • NAICS Code: 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
  • Place of Performance: Rockville , MD 20852 USA
  • Original Response Date: Apr 30, 2021 12:00 pm EDT

Full details via beta.sam.gov

govcon logo Check out our RESOURCES page for a sample letter that we use in response to government market research.