Tag: Federal Aviation Administration

Top 10 Agencies for SAP this 2021

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The number one purchaser of goods and services in the United States is the federal government. They are willing to spend a lot of money and people aren’t taking that opportunity. Are you one of them?

Working with the government is intimidating but there is a secret to success for small businesses and that is simplified acquisition procedures (SAP).

Any small business wanting to work with the government should consider SAP as part of their business strategy. It’s the simplest way to bid on any government contract. 

In SAP contracts, agencies don’t need to follow traditional rules which means less paperwork and lower costs, for both the government and the small business. 

With this in mind, it’s time you get to know your potential clients, here’s a list of the top 10 agencies this 2021, according to their budget allocation for SAP contracts.

1. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) – $1.5B

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is responsible for nearly every consumable item used by the U.S. military forces worldwide, which is why it comes first on our list with a whopping budget of $ 1.5B.

The DLA has been eager in finding potential small business suppliers, as they continuously engage in outreach efforts to teach people how to do business with them. Each year, the agency participates in and sponsors or co-sponsors a significant number of small business events.

2. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – $921M

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides vital services to America’s veterans such as health care services, benefits programs, and access to national cemeteries to former military personnel and their dependents.

This agency is serious about maximizing the use of various small business programs. The products and services they acquire are for a nationwide system of hospitals, clinics, Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN), data processing centers, and National Cemeteries.

3. Department of the Army (USA) – $442M

The United States Department of the Army (DA) is the Military Department within the United States Department of Defense. In doing business with them, you should identify which army organization is interested in your product or service.

There are five U.S. army buying commands: Army Materiel Command (AMC), Army Corps of Engineers (USAE), Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), National Guard Bureau (NGB), and Army Futures Command. Each buying command has different needs.

4. Department of the Navy (USN) – $352M

The Department of the Navy’s primary mission is to protect the country by effective prosecution of the war at sea.

The contracting functions of this agency are decentralized which means your market research should extend beyond the geographical bounds of your city, state, and region. Each Navy or Marine Corps major buys their own supplies and services that support their own mission. 

5. Department of the Air Force (USAF) – $300M

The Department of the Air Force defends the country through control and exploitation of air and space. 

The organization offers the Air Force Acquisition Process Model (APM), which serves as the central knowledge warehouse. This acts as the gold standard for the acquisition process. 

The Air Force also has small business specialists around the country who can help your company identify and respond to every type of procurement opportunity the Air Force offers.

6. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – $261M

The FAA issues and enforces regulations involving manufacturing, operating, and maintaining aircraft. 

The FAA’s regulatory and air traffic control functions are carried out in approximately 1,000 staffed facilities throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Saipan and the Marshall Islands. 

They rely on equipment, systems, supplies, services, and construction provided by commercial, educational, and non-profit businesses, organizations, and individuals, to function as an agency.

7. United States Mint (USMINT) – $232M

The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the country, as well as controlling the movement of bullion.

It is part of the Treasury Department’s policy to provide opportunities in its acquisitions to small businesses.

These businesses are also given the maximum practicable opportunity to participate as subcontractors in the contracts awarded by any executive agency, consistent with efficient contract performance.

8. Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons – $216M

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) aims to protect the society by confining offenders in the controlled environment of prisons and community-based facilities that are safe, humane, and cost-efficient.

Since SAP in BOP involves obtaining either oral or written price quotes, the award is given on the quote that represents the best value, when price and other factors are considered.

Moreover, each BOP facility is responsible for buying their own necessary supplies, services, and equipment.

9. US Coast Guard (USCG) – $197M

The Coast Guard is a unique branch of the military that’s responsible for an array of maritime duties, from ensuring safe and lawful commerce to performing rescue missions in severe conditions. 

They manage a multi-billion-dollar recapitalization investment portfolio of acquisition programs across three major product lines: surface, aviation, C4ISR systems. This agency has monthly Vendor Outreach Sessions and small businesses are encouraged to register for one of these sessions.

10. US Census Bureau – $172M 

The Census Bureau is dedicated to providing current facts and figures about the country’s people, places, and economy. They are currently interested in working with people in the Information Technology Directorate (ITD) industry.

The agency is aiming towards giving more business opportunities for small business owners, as there is a growing need for the management of  data collection and processing

RESOURCES

The list found in this article and their respective ranking was taken from usaspending.gov, wherein federal agencies were ranked from highest to lowest, according to their cumulative government spending in 2021 for SAP contracts.

Ronnette Meyers – How She Launched A Successful Federal Government Contracting Firm

Posted on by Eric Coffie

How does one become a trusted partner for excellence in Federal Government Contracting Firm? Take it from the Minority Business Leader Award winner of 2020, Ronnette Meyers as she shares how she launched a successful federal government contracting firm.

ABOUT RONNETTE MEYERS

At 17, Ronnette was a single parent who juggled college and a young son. However, Ronnette attributed much of her success from learning the lessons of responsibility and public service at an early age.

Ronnette completed an associate’s degree while working for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) where she went on and built her 12-year career in the federal government.

And around 2005, Ronnette left her work with the FAA when she got a call from her mother, Jan Adams, who asked for her assistance in growing her own federal government contracting firm business, the JMA Solutions.

 

WHY DID JAN ADAMS START HER OWN BUSINESS?

Ronnette shared that her mother spent 24 years in the air force. And with her mother’s line of work, they have been traveling all over the world.

Her mother wasn’t going to retire anytime soon when a former Colonel that she used to work with in Germany reached out to her for a position in federal government contracting firm to support the FAA. The colonel needed someone with her capabilities to help run the program.

This is how she arrived in DC and started working for the company. But there was this one time that a customer said to Adams that:

You are a minority female service, why don’t you start your own business, so that we can stop paying you as the middleman and pay you directly.

With that piece of encouragement and riding on the trust she has built from her clients.  She started her own business. And this is where; Adams asked Ronnette if she could help her build the infrastructure during her time off and weekends.

STEPPING OUT OF A PARENT’S SHADOW

Ronnette’s roles were to build Adam’s human resource policy and managed her contracts. She also did Adam’s payrolls and her lines of credit until she came on board.

Ronnette worked her way up to become senior vice president of corporate services. She did not only business development but also managed the HR department.

And eventually, Ronnette had to sit down with her mother thinking and planning about generational wealth. They needed to start thinking about their children and grandchildren and how they can secure their future. And that was how Ronnette made the decision to start JLAN Solutions.

Although Ronnette did open up stating as to how she had her reservations with separating from her mother’s business.

“When I was under the shadow of my mom, I could confidently speak from there. However, when it was time for me to come out on my own and speak for myself. I was afraid.” States Ronnette Meyers

Ronnette was one of the countless people who were actually afraid of starting their own businesses. However, what got her through that dilemma was to build up her confidence and believe in what she could do.

Because, in order to get to the next level. She firmly believed that one had to find their own voice and use it to produce results to push a great product.

She mentioned how she started JLAN in 2010, she admitted that she really didn’t do a lot but rather Ronnettte described it as taking a leap of faith.

However, she also backed her decisions with action by attending SBA emerging leaders programs which really helped her start building relationships.

 

THE GOLDMAN SACHS 10,000 SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

Ronnette shared that although she had a technical degree she admitted that she lacked the business courses and skills which the Goldman Sachs program helped her navigate. She has had a CPA from the program who helped her do her payroll, and the CPA really dived deep into the finances.

They handle your taxes especially pointing out where your money is going. How it is spent and where it could be properly allocated. And she came out of the program with three things.

  1. You need to hire a marketing manager to help get my name out there.
  1. Hire A COO to run my day to day operations so that I could focus on doing my business development and building relationships and bringing opportunities to the business.
  1. Lastly, you have to stop working inside your business at some point and start working on it to help it grow from the outside.

 

BALANCING WORK AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

Talking about relationships, I took the opportunity to ask how Ronnette manages her employees.

You have to monitor your relationships with people. And keep a distance from them especially if you are leading them. You don’t want to cross that line of being a personal friend as that can be misconstrued.

Ronnette believes that it is necessary to keep a little bit of separation. In the military, or as she says it, you can’t fraternize with employees. But you can still allow them to help in decision making.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that you include them in making policy making and procedures. But if there are events or any roles your employees can play into it. You can definitely include them. But you have to find your own balance between putting your foot down and avoiding offending someone.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE FIRING SOMEONE

For Ronnette, letting someone go is a difficult thing to do. She remembers the first time she had to do it. Her heart shattered because she understands the impact it will have on the employee and that employee was a mom. It affected her income, her family, and her children.

To delve into the details, the employee was a travel agent, and her performance was down. Customers weren’t happy with the support they were getting from her.

However, even though it hurts your heart to let someone go. You have to think about what your business has built up to this point.

I have met with her in several occasions about her performance and it hasn’t improved. We need to part ways because you are affecting the work ethics. You are affecting the company and the brand.

Our goal is to be a trusted partner and we want to provide excellent solutions and outcomes. And if you can’t step up to the game, then the others will be affected.

PHILANTHROPHY

Working as a public servant and being exposed to the government at such a young age. Ronnette has a strong passion and commitment to giving back to the community especially to the youth.

So, I work out with a group of ladies and we were out walking this morning and we were talking about a vacant building that’s in upper Marlboro, Maryland. I shared to them how I wanted to establish programs for our young black Americans, our youth. There are so many programs where we can teach young men how to tie a tie and young ladies to be young ladies.

Ronnette elaborated that they can use that building and capitalize on the season that they were in with Black Lives Matter. Her vision was to expand and reach Youngstown, Ohio since Ronnette is from that area and she has seen firsthand how the students there can make better use of their time.

We need to help the young students. We need to give them direction. With all the oppression and conversation on black culture, it is our responsibility to guide them and get them off Fortnite and Minecraft.

Ronnette believes that we need to take action to help our community and what better way than to give the youth some structure and guidance on how to achieve their best.

FORWARDS NOT BACKWARDS

To end the discussion, we part with a few insights on the current situation of the community. It is true that the pandemic, financial crisis and race relations have gone and suck out much our positivity. But we mustn’t forget that we have much to be thankful for.

Focus on what you have and stay humble. You must not group one people over the other. Because if we all continue to cast a shadow over people because of the color of their skin. We will recede from progress.

Because if the best ideas and innovations are no longer able to step forward because it is limited from a narrow segment of the population. It shall hinder our nations progress and growth.

Think about it. If you were presented with ideas and solutions that can counter terrorism and foreign threats will you still think about whose hands or color they can come from?

Probably not.