Month: January 2022

Elizabeth Jimenez: Managed Service Provider Tells You The Best Way To Grow Your Business

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Have you recently started a business and felt like there was too much on your plate? 

There are so many aspects that need tending to when building a business, and it’s common to feel overwhelmed. It’s normal to feel like you have a never-ending to-do list and you don’t have enough hours in the day to complete them.

Learn from Elizabeth Jimenez as she talks about managed service provider companies and how they can help you grow your business.

BACKGROUND

Elizabeth Jimenez is the Executive Director for Market Strategy Development at NeoSystems.  She is responsible for building and managing strategic relationships with clients and driving the company’s vision to the right path.

She is involved in many organizations that are committed to helping people in the federal arena. She is a co-founder of The Cyber Guild; a non-profit focused on transforming cyber groups into a cohesive human-centric organizational fabric. 

But her efforts don’t stop there! She’s also an Executive Director and Advisory Chair of the Uniting Women in Cyber, an annual conference dedicated to celebrating women in cybersecurity. 

Elizabeth has a bachelor of arts degree from Radford University and is a registered practitioner of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program from the Department of Defense.

NeoSystems

NeoSystems provides various services from systems implementations and integrations to back-office, and operational functions support in several industries from financial, HR, and, more recently, IT and cybersecurity.

They can integrate and manage essential business systems in a way that is easier for business owners to maneuver because these systems could be inter-connected to each other.

The services offered may depend on what the business seeks in help, but either way, NeoSystems could adjust to your needs.

Managed Service Provider: Do Businesses Need It?

What is a managed service provider? It is an organization that takes on specific functions on behalf of the client. 

There are so many components to starting a business that it becomes overwhelming for most people. So outsourcing some aspects of it might not be the worst idea. On the contrary, it might do more good than bad. 

While you focus on building the business itself, all the operational and back-end activities, which not everyone is an expert on, will be taken care of.

“For example,  you are moving into a new office building, and you have to have phone systems and cabling lined up for you; what do you need first to get everything in place? A managed service provider would set all that up for you.”

Elizabeth shares that some companies seem to be lost when growing their business because they don’t know how to secure their operations from the ground up foundationally.

Importance of Cyber Hygiene In The Federal Arena

When it comes to working with government contracts, compliance has always been important. 

Elizabeth explains that compliance pertains to a business’s ability to check all the boxes needed for the federal government to be confident in the service that they provide. 

Compliance, however, doesn’t necessarily mean secure, and that is where cyber hygiene comes in. There have been countless cyber-attack incidences, and it’s a matter of “not if but when?”.

With an increasing number of users and systems in the modern tech world, the need for cybersecurity continues to grow as we are dealing with sensitive or confidential data. 

It’s possible to have inefficiencies or vulnerabilities in your system, and, according to Elizabeth, taking more personal responsibility for your company’s cyber hygiene is the best way of securing your future.

ADVICE TO SMALL BUSINESSES

“It’s essential for businesses who are just starting to look for foundational support around operations and strategic business strategies because that will help them wisely grow. But, beyond business strategies, there is also a need for understanding business risks.”

Having a business involves different aspects, and Elizabeth encourages businesses to ask for help regarding these things, especially those they lack knowledge of. It’s okay not to know everything.

Reach out to a managed service provider company and look for a trusted advisor that understands your industry and clients. This is the best way for your company to move forward.

Moreover, working together with a company that could advise you regarding compliance and security is also vital. If you want to grow your business, then you have to look at making these specific investments.

In doing all these necessary steps, It’s going to cause you something, but it’s not going to cost you your arm and leg. So would you rather take that risk or lose your business? It’s your choice.

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more about Elizabeth Jimenez’s experiences and insights learned along the way, then be sure to click the resources below. You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu, where you know everything about government contracting!

97: Why Small Businesses Should Have Managed Server Providers – Elizabeth Jimenez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vBosG1v6EE

SOURCES SOUGHT: 2-PAM Autoinjectors Sources Sought Notice

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) intends to use responses to this Sources Sought Notice (SSN) for planning potential future acquisitions. BARDA seeks pertinent marketplace data on availabilities and capabilities for procuring, stockpiling, and investing in the late-stage development of Pralidoxime (2-pyridine aldoxime methyl chloride; 2-PAM) autoinjectors for intramuscular injection. BARDA seeks information on availability, capabilities, and other pertinent marketplace data to support late-stage activities required for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of 2-PAM (600 mg) autoinjectors. This information is intended to strengthen BARDA’s understanding of the current and future marketplace enhance its ability to obtain quality services economically and efficiently, and lawfully establish potential vendor source files and listings. BARDA will not award any contracts under this Notice.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code:
  • NAICS Code: 541714 – Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology)
  • Place of Performance: USA
  • Updated Response Date: Feb 07, 2022 04:00 pm EST

Full details via beta.sam.gov

Medea Inc Awarded $190M for diagnostic tests for non-prescription home use for the qualitative detection of protein antigen

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Medea Inc.,* Pleasanton, California, was awarded a $190,100,000 firm-fixed-price contract for diagnostic tests for non-prescription home use for the qualitative detection of protein antigen from the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Pleasanton, California, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 24, 2022. Fiscal 2022 CARES Act funds in the amount of $190,100,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W58P05-22-C-0005). (Awarded Jan. 9, 2022)

Medea Inc. is located in Pleasanton, CA, United States, and is part of the Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers Industry. Medea Inc. has 14 total employees across all of its locations and generates $51.37 million in sales (USD). (Sales figure is estimated). (www.dnb.com)

 

SOURCES SOUGHT: Ottumwa Job Corps Center with OACTS

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The US Department of Labor (DOL), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE), Job Corps Acquisition Services (JCAS) is conducting market research for the upcoming procurement requirement for the operation of Ottumwa Job Corps Center. The NAICS Code is 611519, with a size standard of $41.5M. It is anticipated that a fixed price type contract with two base years and three option years will be awarded. The procurement will involve the operation and management of residential education, training, and employment program at Ottumwa Job Corps Center located in Ottumwa, Iowa. The procurement will also involve Outreach and Admissions (OA) and Career Transition Services (CTS). Contractors will be expected to provide all material, services, and necessary personnel to operate this JCC as set forth in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. WIOA authorizes the Job Corps program.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code: M1CZ – OPERATION OF OTHER EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS
  • NAICS Code: 611519 – Other Technical and Trade Schools
  • Place of Performance: Ottumwa, IA 52501 USA
  • Original Response Date: Feb 04, 2022 11:00 am CST

Full details via beta.sam.gov

How To Deal With Government Contract Scammers

Posted on by Eric Coffie

You are new to the government contracting industry and someone sent you an email saying they have a contract for you, what do you do? It may sound exciting but you should watch out for Government Contract Scammers.

Oftentimes, people don’t ever think this could happen to them but let me tell you this, It happened to me! Someone sent an email directly to me, claiming they have a contract to offer.

It also happened to one of our very own GovCon Giant, Dionne. Dionne Almost Got Scammed Out of $90K. That’s ninety thousand dollars! So, Yes. it’s real and it’s happening. 

This has been happening to tens of thousands of people out there, and I want to raise awareness and hopefully, save people from falling for this scam. 

HOW SCAMMERS DO IT

What usually happens is that these scammers will send you emails, presenting themselves as contracting people, offering you a contract opportunity. 

To give you a more specific example, here’s a portion of Dione’s email to me, narrating what had happened:

“I received what looked like a legit RFQ from Dr. John Farrell at the US Arctic Research Commission. Since that didn’t sound like a real agency, I looked it up. Turns out Dr. John Farrell was the Ex-Director and I placed my bid. Someone (claiming to be Dr. Farrell) called me to let me know he’d sent a PO.”

Dione actually began the process of getting $90,000+ worth of electronics together. When the first of the orders arrived at the destination specified on the PO, to Dione’s surprise, the recipient had no knowledge of the purchase.  She eventually got a call from an FBI agent saying that it was all a scam.

This is the dark side of the government contracting world that I want you to know about because no one seems to be talking about it.

HOW TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED 

If you haven’t done anything that would result in a contract offer or opportunity via email, like registered your name on a specific list, attended an industry event, and the like, you have to be very cautious.

No one is reaching out to you to give unsolicited contracts unless you’ve done something to make them do so. 

Although it could be a legitimate contract opportunity, you should treat these types of emails as a possible scam. To avoid being scammed, follow these steps:

1. Make Sure The Email Checks Out

When you click reply all, make sure the email checks out. The email contents, usually, mention the other person’s name and contact details, such as email address and contact number. So, you should double-check, whether the email address matches.

Sometimes these scammers are very wise because they follow the contracting person’s real email but add one or two symbols or numbers to it, and it could be easily overlooked. 

For example, if the legitimate email address is seung.h.hong@navy.mil, the scammer will follow the email address but add 1 to it, seung.h.hong1@navy.mil.

Also, it’s important to note that some of these scammers claim that they are small business specialists, and you should know that small business specialists don’t email people contracts. They never do that! So, that in itself is a red flag.

2. Go To The Agency’s Website

If the email checks out, go to the agency’s official website and check whether the person’s name is found there. Also, check if the contact details on the website match what’s mentioned in the email. 

3. Call the Contact Information Found on the Agency’s Official Website

So, if you found yourself ticking all the “not a scammer” boxes, the last thing you should do to really make sure that the opportunity is legitimate is by calling or emailing the person’s contact information found on the agency’s official website.

You could skip all the steps before this one, and just contact the person immediately but to avoid bothering the busy contracting person, it would be more ideal to contact them, when you’ve double-checked everything. 

Do not use the contact information in the email provided but use the one that’s stated on the official agency website because anyone can create links, including the scammers. 

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more about Government Contracting and how to deal with scammers, then be sure to click the resources below. You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu, where you know everything about government contracting!

Someone Sent Me a Contract Directly! How Do I bid  It?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIhIkL8z2_4&t=94s

Peraton Inc Awarded $18M for sustaining engineering services support

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Peraton Inc., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded an $18,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for sustaining engineering services support for the B-1B Reprogrammable Electronic Warfare Systems test and B-52 Bomber Electronic Attack Systems test facilities and special test equipment. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 10, 2027. Fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,158,666 are being obligated at the time of the award. This is a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Test Center, Eglin AFB, Florida, is the contracting activity (A2486-22-D-0001).

Peraton Corp. is located in Herndon, VA, United States, and is part of the Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services Industry. Peraton Corp. has 14,000 total employees across all of its locations and generates $1.00 billion in sales (USD). (Sales figure is estimated). There are 701 companies in the Peraton Corp. corporate family. (www.dnb.com)

119: Yolanda Clarke – Knowing what it takes to start and grow small businesses successfully

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In this episode, we have the current Chief Executive Officer of Powder River Industries, Yolanda Clarke. She is responsible for all aspects of the firm. She began operations in June of 2016. After just 9 weeks PRI broke even and became profitable – nearly unheard of for a start-up in any industry and continues to experience growth year over year. PRI offers devsecops and infrastructure-as-code to US Government customers. Prior to leading PRI to early growth success, Yolanda worked as an enterprise portfolio manager for Lockheed Martin supporting a defense agency. She managed up to 53 projects at once with operations occurring simultaneously around the world at up to 83 different locations at one time.

The scope of her projects was in engineering, installation, test, and acceptance. Her projects ranged from a blend of large-scale computing, services, cyber, transport, gateways, wireless, and satellite communications.

Yolanda and I talked about creating project plans before starting a business, how to price a job your wrap rate and creating a board of advisers. She also talked about how she increased her business sales and how she changed her mindset so that she can be a thriving successful business.

Tune in to our next Giant, Yolanda Clarke.

SOURCES SOUGHT: 6525–Non-Invasive Transient Elastography Device

Posted on by Eric Coffie

This is a Request for Information (RFI) Only. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics Operations (OPAL), is seeking potential Large Business and Small Businesses with a special emphasis on Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) vendors capable of providing Non-Invasive Transient Elastography Device to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This RFI is for a Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) product that will potentially meet future VA requirements. Liver elastography allows the point of care, non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis, and steatosis (fat). Elastography works by emitting a small pulse of energy, and through the use of ultrasound technology, calculates the transmission speed of this energy through the liver to give healthcare providers a measure of the stiffness of the liver. Elastography techniques can also be used for the assessment of liver fat. A typical examination takes ~10-30 minutes. Assessment of liver fibrosis and liver fat is available immediately after the examination is complete. Consistent with the VHA mission, the National Gastrointestinal and Hepatology Program (NGHP) is pursuing an enterprise-wide contract vehicle that would enable VA medical facilities to obtain liver elastography equipment (including software, components, training, and service plans) for the assessment of liver fibrosis and hepatic steatosis or fat in the liver.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code: 6525 – IMAGING EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES: MEDICAL, DENTAL, VETERINARY
  • NAICS Code: 334510 – Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing
  • Place of Performance: USA
  • Original Response Date: Feb 03, 2022 05:00 pm EST

Full details via beta.sam.gov

Aurora Industries Awarded $56M for various types of coats and trousers.

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Aurora Industries,* Camuy, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $56,264,533 modification (P00024) exercising the third one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1128) with three one-year option periods for various types of coats and trousers. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The location of the performance is Puerto Rico, with Jan. 10, 2023, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. The type of appropriation is fiscal 2022 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Aurora Industries, LLC is located in Camuy, PR, United States, and is part of the Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing Industry. Aurora Industries, LLC has 10 total employees across all of its locations and generates $8.11 million in sales (USD). (Sales figure is modeled). There are 16 companies in the Aurora Industries, LLC corporate family. (www.dnb.com)

SOURCES SOUGHT: ASOG Complex Camp Murray, WA

Posted on by Eric Coffie

This is NOT a request for proposal or invitation for bid; this is for market research purposes only, to assist the Washington Air National Guard to gain knowledge of potential Small Business Concerns. All interested parties should respond. The 194th Wing, Washington Air National Guard anticipates a solicitation and award of a contract to provide non-personal construction services to construct an ASOG Complex located at Camp Murray, Washington. This Sources Sought notice is to determine if there are an adequate number of qualified, interested small business concerns capable of responding to these sources sought. The scope of this project includes the construction of a conventional shallow foundation with a special reinforced masonry shear wall with brick and metal panel veneer main facility. The main facility’s square footage is approximately 56,600 S.F. and includes administrative, warehouse, simulation, and gym space. Adjacent construction will include the construction of several cantilevers, concrete slabs on grade-covered parking structures; the total square footage is approximately 15,000 S.F. Additionally, the scope includes the construction of vehicle parking and roadway extension of 41st Division Way. Construction is to be completed in accordance with applicable Unified Facilities Code Criteria. The magnitude of this project is between $10,000,000 and $25,000,000. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this work is 236220. The small business size standard is 39,500,000 average annual revenue for the previous five (5) years. In accordance with FAR 19.5, Set-Asides for Small Business, the Government will review the information requested in this announcement to determine the type of set-aside (if any) for this requirement.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code:
  • NAICS Code: 236220 – Commercial and Institutional Building Construction
  • Place of Performance: Camp Murray, WA 98430 USA
  • Original Response Date: Jan 31, 2022, 04:00 pm EST

Full details via beta.sam.gov