Tag: federal contracting

12 Questions to Ask your PTAC for Business Growth in 2021!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Here are the 12 questions to ask for your PTAC for your business growth this 2021!

GO TO YOUR PTAC 

The reason why you need to take advantage of the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) near you is because PTAC is a free organization meant to help you. 

This organization has centers across the country that can provide you with the necessary support and service that you need, in terms of government contracting. 

However, if you don’t know the questions that you should be asking your PTAC specialist, then you’re basically just wasting your time. 

The key is to ask the right questions. And this is why we have this blog for you. 

“So, ask the question. Don’t be afraid to ask again. You cannot get the answer to the question that you don’t ask.”

QUESTIONS TO ASK

1. Can you help evaluate my business?

This is the first question that you should ask as it entails where you at as a business owner.

This lays out who you are, what you do, your experiences, so that the specialist can evaluate your business easily. 

This way, the PTAC specialist can recommend the type of people you need to surround yourself with or the contracting level your business fits the most. 

“That means looking at whether or not I’m fit to be a prime at the federal level, or maybe a subcontractor federal level, or maybe do I need to start at the local level to be a prime or a local subcontractor, or do I need to team up with someone to help me to be able to fill in the gaps of what I’m missing.”

2. What do I need to be successful? 

Now, after that question that showcases your background, ask your PTAC specialist what you need to be successful.

This is a different question than the first because in this case, you’re already asking what will help you to fill the gap. You’re showing them your weaknesses and with it, they may give you advice such as needing more training, getting the best possible team, etc. 

3. Can you help with market research?

So many of us ask about bidding, but if you were to bid in a market where there’s large contractors, there’s an abundance of people working on that already. 

You’re probably not going to have a good chance coming in as a newbie, however if you will ask this, they can analyze your situation and look at the region and space you’re in, and maybe determine the opportunities that exist that not everyone chases. 

“So, wouldn’t you like to know where there is an area in the market around… where there’s a whole abundance of opportunities and no one chasing them? That’s more important to me than bidding.”

4. What area are you most experienced in?

This is a question that you want to ask the PTAC person. This is not to ridicule the person, but to understand where they have more knowledge about. 

Because take it this way, it is more justifiable that someone with more experience in local contracting will surely motivate you towards that marketplace.

It’s not that they believe that you should do local contracts, they just don’t know that much thing about state or federal contracting.

“We are just trying to qualify the information that we’re receiving, so that we can make an informed decision for our business.” 

5. Do you have contacts in my industry?

Asking this won’t just help you learn about who the key person to talk to, your PTAC person may even have the contact information of these people.

“Having this type of insightful information will allow you to be able to maybe go out and pitch or do a presentation for one of these contracting officers, small business people, and then allow you to get some feedback that you wouldn’t have had before.”

6. What can I do to increase my odds for success?

How is this different from the previous questions? Well, this will help your PTAC person spark something in the back of their minds. 

“We are humans and we forget that we know certain things… and this is a way… hopefully trigger something in the back of their brain that reminds them of an opportunity of a person, of a relationship that they forgot that they had or that they didn’t think about based on your previous six questions.”

7. Have you heard of projects where no one is bidding?

There are a lot of projects from all government contracting levels that no one is bidding. And as a newbie in this marketplace, this should be something that you should take advantage of. 

8. What meetings can I attend and organizations can I join?

This question is a must. Although your PTAC person already has lessons to guide you towards your business growth, you need to learn more outside that space.

So, ask the question as it shows that you want to take initiative and you’re not just looking for free handouts.

9. Can I speak to your most successful clients?

Don’t be afraid to ask this question. Your PTAC person sure does have clients that are successful and with this, why not take advantage of that connection. 

Ask your PTAC person what events they attend, what organizations or meetings they are part of, and other similar information. 

You might not know, but there’s a possibility that you can bump into these people at an event. 

“Listen, you want to fly with eagles. In order to be the best, you have to learn from the best, right? So, you want to be around those types of people.”

10. What are some common mistakes small businesses make?

This is a great question because if your PTAC person has already been at this job for years, then they surely had people come through the door that wanted to succeed but failed. 

And with this, you can draw upon those people’s knowledge. How can you take that knowledge that they’ve got and implant it upon yourself, so that you can now learn the things that you should avoid?

“Find out what are those experiences. You want to make the most of your time and you want to gather all you know.”

11. Can you recommend a training that is low-cost or free?

Sometimes people forget about the resources that they have, so you should ask this question. 

“You have to be intentional in your meeting and what you’re asking for and ask them specifically this question, ‘Can you recommend any free or low cost training that I can take to further my knowledge?’”

12. Have you heard of GovCon Giants?

This question is something that we slid in this blog because GovCon Giants is a national non-profit organization. We are all across the United States and we’re growing… and we are providing training. 

Consider that PTAC receives millions of fundings to provide matching and training services to businesses. And with this, you might be able to spend days with someone from us to help you and your business. 

RESOURCES

As part of our goal to help all of you reach your business growth this 2021, we also want to lay out these 12 questions to ask your PTAC person. 

Still, make sure that you take the first step in the process and go to your nearest PTAC. Let them know that you are a serious candidate to be in the next multi-million dollar corporation and you need their help.

If you want to learn more about this topic, then check our full video below. You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

12 Questions to ask your PTAC for Business Growth in 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz0tEWmHxcw&t=7s

MasterMind Monday: What could hold you back as an entrepreneur?

Posted on by Eric Coffie

What holds you back as an entrepreneur? Let’s find that out through this Mastermind Monday with our guest Emily Harman!

BE SELF-AWARE

As business owners, we all do a lot of things, but you should also take a break for some time. Don’t just push, push, and push. You should also realize the things that you need to do to strengthen your self-awareness. 

Consider that the best leaders are self-aware. They understand themselves and they assess the things that hold them back. And with that, they know what are the things needed for the growth of their business, as well as themselves. 

“I’ve spent the past almost two years… becoming a lot more self-aware, and understanding myself. And, you know, we’re always growing, we’re always expanding, we’re always evolving into a new version of ourselves.”

POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE AND YOU2

Positive Intelligence is a book and a coaching program that makes an assessment of what your top 10 saboteurs are. 

If you visit the website, it will tell you about your saboteurs and identify which you are stronger and weaker at. 

For instance, in Emily Harman’s case, she is an achiever, people pleaser, and restless. 

Knowing this is pretty important because by knowing your saboteurs, you can make changes on how you do things. Your hyper achiever self might push you to do more work, but what you really need is rest.

Besides, this can also be helpful in a team setting because by knowing what yours and others saboteurs are, you can make necessary changes on how you can deal with each other. 

Meanwhile, another book that you should also read is called You2 by Price Pritchett.

In this book, the author talks about watching a fly that is trying harder and harder to fly through the window, when really a few flaps of the wing down, the door is open.

That example can relate to how you run your company. You might have not accepted a handful of business partnerships thinking that they will just take advantage of you, when in fact they just want to help you grow. 

So, if you want to reassess how you do your business, read the resources above as these really answer the question, “Are you really seeing the other way to do it or are you just acting on your limiting beliefs?” 

ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Know your ‘why.’

Knowing yourself and your ‘why’ is important, especially in this lucrative but challenging marketplace of government contracting. 

Are you just here to get rich quick or are you building generational wealth? 

If you’re thinking of the former, then it’s going to be very hard for you to lead a company in the long haul. However, if you think of the latter, then you can adjust your mindset and strategy to really achieve your goals. 

“Knowing yourself, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and knowing what your mind is telling you, and being aware of whether or not you’re listening to your mind is all really important stuff.”

2. Be with people who point out the truth.

Be with people who won’t just say ‘yes’ to everything you do and ask. These people should be able to point out the truth and the things that you did wrong. 

This is pretty important because you’re building a business. You don’t need people who always say yes. Rather, you need people who will tell you things that could have been done better. 

This way, you know what not to do next and what you should focus on. 

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more about what is holding you back as an entrepreneur, then check our full Mastermind Monday video with Emily Harman.

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

What could hold you back as an entrepreneur?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DcxuHQF6Gg

Mastermind Monday: What is a Micro-Purchase and How to Use These?

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Here’s what you need to know about micro-purchase and how to use these to let a federal buyer purchase up to $10,000 from you!

MICRO PURCHASE

A warranted federal contracting officer or someone with buying authority may purchase goods or services through a credit card worth up to the value of $10,000.

These things are called micro-purchases. It can be anything— from cutting grasses to a lunch and learn session.

This even happens with virtually no competition, no small business set aside, and the Buy American Act does not apply.

“The people want to make it easy— to give you a little bit of a try to do a project that they don’t have to run a big fancy competition for.”

So, why is this relevant? 

Well, as a small business or a business that is just new in the federal marketplace, the chance is so low for you to win a huge contract because you have no past performance yet. 

The good thing with these micro-purchases is these are the ones that most big contractors don’t look at.

Apart from that, the federal buyer is also encouraged to award these contracts to local suppliers.

Let’s say you provide interior painting services. If you’re close to a federal installation or an agency that buys your specific service, then you can talk to this federal buyer and be directly given the job. 

Most importantly, consider that business begets more business. A specific buyer won’t give you large contracts, if they don’t know that you can execute it well. 

So, what should you do? Take advantage of the micro-purchases and show the end user that there’s a low to no risk working with you. 

NUMBER ONE SECRET TO WIN MICRO PURCHASES

The number one thing you need to win a micro purchase is your phone.

Here’s what you need to do… leave a voicemail. 

It doesn’t have to be a two-minute voicemail. It can be a 30 second, with a maximum of one minute. 

With that in mind, make sure that you treat your voicemails like gold. Remember, you have 30 seconds of someone’s undivided attention. 

Most importantly, give it with the amount of loving care. Here’s an example voicemail for you:

“I’m so glad that we’re connected. So sorry I missed you. Here’s what it is that I’m calling about. It’s Colin calling with assessment services that you can use and the best value anywhere. Check your email, I’ve got details. Missed you today. I’m going to call you back Thursday at two. Talk to you soon.”

Then, once you make that voicemail, you make a note on your calendar and call them back. Pay attention to what time zone they’re in and call them when you say you will. 

Consider that you might have to reach them through voicemail many times before they answer your call, but just be patient and persistent. 

“You’re going to think about three or four different things that represent the best value that your company provides, what sets you apart, why are you memorable, why do they really want to talk to you.” 

THINGS TO CONSIDER IN TERMS OF MICRO PURCHASES

1. These are not posted.

Micro-purchases are not posted online or in any database; these only happen through conversations with the federal buyer. 

So, if you’re looking to do business at the micro-purchase level, you need to form a personal relationship with the players and layers of a specific agency. 

In most cases, you can first build a relationship with the small business specialist.

This person might not be able to lead you to the person with the micro-purchase power, but they can advocate and help fine tune your navigation in building relationships with the end user. 

2. These are location-specific.

Micro-purchases are location specific because you’re delivering a product or a service to a specific location.

3. These don’t need fancy agreements. 

Micro-purchases don’t need a contract agreement because the exchange about a specific purchase mostly happens through email or by conversation. 

Still, if you want to use an agreement for some purposes, you can download an agreement for micro-purchases online. 

ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Find someone with a specific need.

Behind every contract agreement is a real federal human who has everything on the line when they choose you. 

So, if you want to sell a specific service, start close to home and find someone with a specific need. 

Consider that if you have never sold to anyone in the federal government before, they’re going to want to see that you’ve sold the product or the service to another organization or customer that has a size and scale of requirement really similar to theirs.

2. Take time to know your federal buyer.

2.1 million federal employees are already on LinkedIn, so why not start with that to learn more about them and build relationships with them? 

Consider that this is a great time to do this because once the fourth quarter of the fiscal year starts, your federal buyer may already be looking for companies to do some micro-purchase with. 

Also, a lot of information about federal contracts and your players and layers are publicly open, so take advantage of those.

3. You have to do the work. 

It’s critical that you invest your time and effort in learning government contracts and building relationships.

It’s not enough that you watch a 10-minute video and say you figured everything out because you still need to do the work. You have to watch the content and you have to apply it. 

“You can’t do half of the activity and expect to get the whole result.”

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more about what micro-purchase is and how to use this to your advantage, then check our full Mastermind Monday video with Judy Bradt. 

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

What is a micro purchase and how to use them?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhvAU8HfgRw

Top 10 Industry NAICS codes in 2019

Posted on by Eric Coffie

If you’re a small business owner and you’re wondering why you don’t see federal opportunities for your company, maybe we can help.

Opportunities, oftentimes, don’t come to you, it’s you who finds them. When searching for opportunities, you need to use specific criteria to filter your search, this is where the NAICS codes come in.

Do you know yours? Many businesses use NAICS codes to find upstream suppliers and downstream markets. Government agencies even post-contract bids and offer tax incentives within a given NAICS code.

Before you go out there and start finding business opportunities, get to know first the federal market and the industries that have been successful in winning contracts. If they can do it, you can too!

With this in mind, here’s the Top 10 Industry NAICS codes that prospered in 2019.

1. 336411 

This industry code is on top of the list with a cumulative government spending of almost $50 billion in 2019. This comprises establishments involving aircraft manufacturing. 

They are those who manufacture or assemble complete aircraft. They also develop aircraft prototypes and do aircraft conversions, such as major modifications to systems and complete aircraft overhaul and rebuilding.

2. 541330

Coming in at second place, establishments in this industry provide engineering services. They apply physical laws and principles of engineering in the design, development, and utilization of their machines and systems. 

Businesses under this code may offer the provision of advice, preparation of feasibility studies, and preparation of preliminary and final plans and designs. 

3. 561210 

Services offered by this industry are often overlooked but are necessary for us to function. They are the establishments that offer facilities support services. These businesses provide operating staff to carry out a combination of support activities; but are not involved with or responsible for the core business or activities of the client. 

The mentioned combination of services include janitorial, maintenance, trash disposal, guard and security, mail routing, reception, laundry, and related services to support operations within facilities. 

4. 541512 

This code is for businesses offering computer system design services engaged in planning and designing computer systems that integrate computer hardware, software, and communication technologies. In 2019, this industry is worth about $24 billion in the federal market. 

5. 336611 

At the top five, we have the ship building and repairing industry. They are the people who operate a shipyard, which are fixed facilities with drydocks and fabrication equipment for building ships.

Activities of shipyards include the construction of ships, their repair, conversion, and alteration, the production of prefabricated ship and barge sections, and specialized services, such as ship scaling.

6. 236220 

Under this code are people responsible for the construction of commercial and institutional buildings and related structures, such as stadiums, grain elevators, and indoor swimming facilities. 

General contractors, commercial and institutional building for-sale builders, commercial and institutional building design-build firms, and commercial and institutional building project construction management firms are included in this industry.

7. 541715 

This is for establishments that involve research and experimental development (except nanotechnology and biotechnology research and experimental development) in physical, engineering, and life sciences.

Businesses under this code conduct research and experimental developments in the field of science and mathematics, all essential for economic growth, which is probably why the government invested around $20 billion in this industry.  

8. 541712 

Similar to NAICS code 541715, this code is also for establishments in the research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences engineering and life sciences (except Biotechnology) industry. This code covers a wide spectrum of fields, from biology to chemistry to veterinary.

Note: The NAICS Code 541712, however, is no longer valid. The NAICS Code that should be used instead is 541715. Unless the requirement is dealing with nanotechnology, in that case, code 541713 should be used. 

9. 336414 

This code is for the guided missile and space industry, which manufactures complete guided missiles and space vehicles and/or develops and makes prototypes of guided missiles or space vehicles. 

Although it is second to the last, the government spending on this industry is worth about $19 billion, which is still a huge amount.  

10. 541519 

Last but not the least, with a cumulative government spending of almost $17 billion, we have the industry that provides other computer related services. 

The services offered are all computer related services except those that were provided for by NAICS code 541512 (computer systems designs services).  

RESOURCES

The ranking from this article was taken from usaspending.gov, wherein Industry NAICS codes in 2019 were ranked from highest to lowest, according to the cumulative amount obligated by the government to each respective industry.

To learn more about all things NAICS, you can check out the website here.

SOURCES SOUGHT: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) – Security Vulnerability Scanning Software for IRS COBOL Applications

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) IT Cybersecurity and Application Development (AD) areas are seeking information on potential solutions for software security vulnerability scanning software tools based on national security demands. The primary goal is the ability for the tool to perform application security testing (AST) on source code written in various versions of the

COBOL programming language, both inside and outside the Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) DevOps pipeline. A large portion of the agency’s current software application portfolio is written in COBOL.

This RFI/Sources Sought is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as either a solicitation or an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This notice is for market research purposes only.

  • Original Set Aside:
  • Product Service Code: 7J20 – IT AND TELECOM – SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE PRODUCTS (HARDWARE AND PERPETUAL LICENSE SOFTWARE)
  • NAICS Code: 541511 – Custom Computer Programming Services
  • Place of Performance: USA
  • Original Response Date: Jun 28, 2021, 05:00 pm EDT
  • Full details via beta.sam.gov

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

State and Local Contracts Might Be Worth the Risk!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

With the new changes and new packages being provided to state and local governments, contracts within these areas might be worth the risk!

STIMULUS PACKAGES FOR THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

As everyone already knows, here at GovCon Giants, we preferred federal contracts over state and local contracts. 

There are various reasons why and some of these is the fact that there are always delays in payment whenever someone in the office fails to do the paperwork on time. 

However, given the instances in the past year and the new stimulus packages being provided to state and local governments, contracts within these areas might be worth the risk!

Besides, the government at this point has now passed two stimulus packages. The first one was in March and the other one was in December 2020. Both packages are injecting money back into states and local governments. 

The other thing is that President Biden is now attempting to pass a new 1.9 trillion trillion dollar stimulus package which will surely give a whole lot more money into that for state and local governments. 

“The good thing is that all of you folks have been working, getting paid even if it’s a little bit late. You’ve still been getting paid. They haven’t abandoned you and that’s the wonderful thing. That’s what’s giving me hope about state and local contracting.”

So, to help you navigate this marketplace, written below are the ways you can take advantage of these new opportunities in doing state and local contracts!

ATTEND ANY LOCAL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING

If you’re thinking of going to the local contracting arena, it is best to take a look at the local advisory board for your local city or municipality.

You may have to do some searches or call the local municipal offices, but definitely see if you can get some inside information with the local advisory board for your particular arena and your area. 

Why? Because there’s a lot of good things going on.

For instance, in Miami-Dade County, we have a Small Business Development Center that is designed to help small businesses and a Small Business Enterprise Advisory Board for Construction.

What you will find with these is that these boards usually have meetings that you can attend to. 

First and foremost, you’re going to meet people like you who are starting or already navigating in this marketplace for years. This could also help you learn who are the good contractors from the bad contractors.

“You have to get active. You got to participate. People have to see your face, know your name, and be able to identify you.”

Apart from that, you will also learn how your local government procures goods and services, and that’s so critical if you want to be in this arena. 

CHECK ANY LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS RELATED DOCUMENT

Aside from attending the above-said meetings, you can also check and analyze any local documents related to your industry because they often issue reports and minutes that you can go back into.

Primarily, you can see in these reports the members of the board that are providing their services and are officiating these meetings.

These reports also highlight the issues that were brought forth by the board in which you can start learning and investigating in order to make the best possible decision for your business.

Then, if you also want to see how much contracts were given to set-asides for minority groups, these reports may also highlight this.

Most importantly, these reports also highlight the companies that are doing state and local contracts together with the data related to their businesses, including the total value awarded, costs of work, and percentage completion.

So, if you want to navigate this marketplace, is it best to do your own research using these resources because this may either lead you to your first contract or a possible partnership, among other things. 

“I always remind people to start with the research. Let the research guide your activities.”

THERE MIGHT BE HOPE FOR STATE AND LOCAL CONTRACTS

The gist of this whole article is that if we continue along this trend of bringing on stimulus and propping up the economy, then that’s great news for small business contractors who are considering starting at the local level.

“The government is making sure in putting dollars and putting not just dollars, they are putting their voice behind ensuring that they prop up small businesses to keep the economy flourishing.”

Although you still need to have capital to sustain your business until you get paid, at the very least, we don’t see any time soon that the state and local government will leave small businesses behind because there is so much money flowing around.

RESOURCES

So, with the new packages being provided to state and local governments, GovCon Giants think that doing contracts in these areas might be worth the risk!

However, consider that if there are warning signs of things changing, we definitely want to be here to step in and let people know about the change in climate.

With this in mind, if you want to learn more about this matter, then check the resources below. 

You can also join us here at GovCon Giants or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

ALERT: State and Local Contracts might be worth the risk Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-o04pXqCGE&t=313s

State and local contracts might be worth the RISK – Part 2 of 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpjGtrrOwUs&t=617s

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. awarded $279.8M contract for engineering support services and supplies for the conception, design, development and delivery of integrated systems, networks and supporting infrastructure

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (N6523621D4800); CSSI Inc., Washington, D.C. (N6523621D4801); DIGITALiBiz Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N6523621D4802); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N6523621D4803); and Scientific Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia (N6523621D4804), are awarded a cumulative $279,803,380 multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with provisions for cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task/delivery orders. The contracts are for engineering support services and supplies for the conception, design, development, and delivery of integrated systems, networks, and supporting infrastructure on a non-emergent basis along with the corresponding engineering, technical, and management support services and equipment for air traffic control, meteorology and oceanography, and aviation command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance electronic systems. These contracts include a single five-year ordering period with an estimated cumulative value of $279,803,380. These contracts also include a two-year option ordering period. The option period, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of these contracts to an estimated $400,000,000. Fiscal 2021 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $25,000 ($5,000 per awardee) will be obligated at the time of the award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Charleston, South Carolina (77%); and San Diego, California (23%). Work is expected to be completed by May 2028. If options are exercised, work could continue until May 2030. The contracts were competitively procured by full and open competition via the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command – Electronic Commerce Central website and the beta.sam.gov website, with five offers, received. Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. provides technology and management consulting services. The Company offers consulting, analytics, digital, engineering, and cyber solutions. Booz Allen Hamilton serves customers worldwide. (www.bloomberg.com)

Helleni Moon: Breaking the Federal Arena through Agile and Streamlined Data Management Support Services

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Learn how Helleni Moon transitioned from an employee to building her own data management support services company!

BACKGROUND

Helleni Moon has over 15 years of hands-on experience in software and database management, business intelligence, and technical production support through her earlier affiliation with General Dynamics IT and Lockheed Martin, among others.  

Currently, she is the CEO of EIDOS Technologies, a company that she founded to provide information technology services such as data management and custom application design and integration.

Although EIDOS was just built in 2015, the company is already gaining recognition. In fact, it was nominated for the 2021 Prince William Chamber Business Award. 

BUILDING EIDOS TECHNOLOGIES

Moon had always desired to build a company of her own and after working for others, she built EIDOS Technologies in 2015. 

One thing that helped her in building EIDOS and getting her first two contracts is her previous relationships. She already has a network, and her colleagues were also very supportive of her. 

Even with that, she was continuously going to numerous outreach and agency events in order to show that she’s persistent.

“Luckily, you know, one of the contracting officers, eventually, they started knowing who I was and they said, ‘Oh, you know, I may have this opportunity, but that may be a really good fit.’ So, it’s being out there because you want to make sure, they want to make sure that you’re not just there for, you know, that you’re there for a long term.”

However, building her own company is not always easy. In fact, she wished that she would have done a lot of things differently. 

One of these is not waiting to be part of the 8(a) program because although she understood the proposal and the execution part, she still didn’t understand the marketing aspect of it. This then led to them losing six months without a contract.

“You need to be able to not only understand where your financials are and what your cash flow is like, but how are you going to get your next contract and how many things you have in the pipeline that will occur and you can get that you can close by the time the contracts end.”

ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Be patient.

Everything will take some time. So, be patient and don’t get disheartened if something is not happening yet. 

While waiting, why not do your research and build your network first? This way, you are not just waiting, but you are using your free time on matters that could be important in your business in the future. 

2. Spend your time efficiently. 

Consider what opportunities you should go after. Don’t just take every opportunity that you want because not all opportunities offer you the best returns. 

“All of these things are really critical because one of the things that I learned is when you first start off, you feel like you want to go after everything, but then you take a step back and then you say, you know, am I really spending my time in the most efficient way and am I getting the best return, you know, in doing this?”

3. Self-education is key. 

Regardless if you have the necessary educational background for what industry you want to go after, you should continuously educate yourself. 

Consider that there are more things that you don’t know about. So, instead of wasting your time, focus on educating yourself. 

“You have to do your research, and really understand what you’re getting yourself into, and what you’re going to need.”

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more on how Helleni Moon transitioned from being an employee to building her own data management support services 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!

86: Data Management Support Services – Helleni Moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj_T1AcRsv8

SOURCES SOUGHT: SABER IDIQ Sources Sought

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The SABER is an Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract for construction projects that shall be awarded via individual Task Orders. All work shall be in conformance with the requirements of the contract including, but not limited to, furnishing all materials, labor, plant, tools, equipment, transportation, supervision,
management, and other services (including engineering/technical design support),
items, and incidentals necessary for the successful completion of each issued delivery order. This contract is for a broad range of maintenance, repair, and minor construction on Dyess Air Force Base. Specific project requirements will be identified in individual task orders. The anticipated work performed under the SABER IDIQ will need to be simultaneously accomplished with a significant volume of task orders. Orders issued under the SABER IDIQ will be Firm-Fixed Price.

  • Original Set Aside: Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)
  • Product Service Code: Z2QA – REPAIR OR ALTERATION OF RESTORATION OF REAL PROPERTY (PUBLIC OR PRIVATE)
  • NAICS Code: 236220 – Commercial and Institutional Building Construction
  • Place of Performance: Dyess AFB, TX 79607 USA
  • Original Response Date: Jun 15, 2021, 01:00 pm EDT
  • Full details via beta.sam.gov

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

 

Donnie Harris: Retired Contracting Officer with an Unlimited Warrant to Write Billions in Contract Actions

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Navigate the government contracting market with retired military contracting officer Donnie Harris.

BACKGROUND

Donnie Harris is a retired military contracting officer who served two decades for the Coast Guard Office of Chief Counsel, Procurement Law Division, and the Clerk of the Court/Paralegal for the Coast Guard Court of Military Appeal.

Throughout his tenure, Harris participated on various radio shows and trained thousands of military and civilian personnel on topics ranging from preparing a statement of work to updates on the FAR.

Over the course of these years, he managed complex and high-profile procurements totaling $1.2 billion from the acquisition to the pre-award phase. 

After retiring, he was employed by numerous companies that wanted to utilize his procurement experience. 

CONTRACTOR PURCHASING SYSTEM REVIEW AUDIT

What that audit means is when you’re dealing with a cost reimbursable contract, you have to have an approved purchasing system that is approved by the government.

Huge companies like Booz Allen Hamilton use this process in order to ensure that everything, from the reqs and certs to the subcontractor agreements, are dated and signed correctly.

The reason is that if you fail too many audits, then that’s going to go into your past performance.

You may have an outstanding technical solution, but because you’re not able to pass an audit and it is reflected in your past performance, then you’re probably not going to win.

This is why Harris worked with a whole department in Booz Allen that was strictly dedicated to doing this audit. 

SUBCONTRACTING GOALS

Under the subcontracting goal, huge companies that do federal works need to subcontract a certain percentage of their work to small businesses. 

For instance, you’re not going to get a small business who can build a $3 billion bridge. The reasons may include the fact that they don’t have the infrastructure, the resources, and the technical knowledge and expertise to build a bridge.

Still, these small businesses can do some of the legwork, like dirt removal, concrete, and other of the small jobs. This is where the subcontracting goals come into place. 

However, depending upon the requirements, there are firms that really don’t have to adhere to the subcontracting goals, especially if there’s no subcontractors out there that can perform that type of work.

This happens when the vendor or the offerors have done their market research and found that no small business can fulfill the requirements.  

SMALL BUSINESSES ARE MISINFORMED

In Harris’ experience, he had to disqualify a lot of small businesses because they did not even maintain the basic requirements needed. 

For example, in putting solicitations online, they use keywords that only certain companies know. Why? Because this shows the level of expertise that that company has.

Apart from that, contracting officers have specific requirements depending on the contract. So, if you don’t follow any of these, then you can certainly be disqualified. 

For instance, if it is written that you need to use an 8 1/2 X 11 size of paper, then you need to really send your proposal using this size.

These are just the little things people on the government side uses in order to eliminate companies that could really not fulfill the requirements.

THE CONTRACTING PROCESS

The government usually receives two proposals: the technical proposal and the pricing proposal. 

The technical proposal is going to address how you are going to match or apply the requirements. Within this, the agency usually asks for your resumes, technical capabilities, resources, and past performance. 

Meanwhile, the pricing proposal is how are you going to price it. This includes what labor rates you are going to use and what labor categories you are going to use to accommodate these requirements.

Now, let’s say your technical proposal and your price proposal are both acceptable and you won a single award. Then, you will move to the negotiation, the final offer, and the kick off meeting about certain requirements. Lastly, you will start working.  

On the other hand, if it is going to be a multiple award, that’s when the agency will issue different task orders or requests for quotes towards you and other companies in the pool. 

What will happen in this kind of award is that you will price every time there’s a task order and that agency will choose the lowest bidder.  

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more on how to navigate the government contracting market with retired military contracting officer Donnie Harris, 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!

011: Donnie Harris – Unlimited Warrant to Write Billions in Contract Actions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_H15m0jKgY