BENEFITS of SMALL BUSINESS TEAMS

BENEFITS TO DoD

When small businesses compete as teams—DoD benefits. Specifically, by encouraging small business teams, DoD can do the following:

·       Consolidate requirements with a single contractor

·       Reduce the administrative burden

·       Have a single point of contact

·       Reduce program management

·       Support small business contractor development

·       Increase competition and expand opportunities for small business

·       Increase innovation

·       Reduce risks.

 BENEFITS TO SMALL BUSINESSES

Just as large businesses regularly team in the federal marketplace to achieve certain benefits, small businesses can achieve the same benefits and expand their prime contract (and subcontract) procurement opportunities. Specifically, by forming teams, small businesses can do the following:

·       Take advantage of relaxed SBA affiliation rules

·       Maximize complementary skills, resources, and capabilities

·       Minimize risks

·       Develop a direct relationship with DoD

·       Fill gaps in past performance

·       Eliminate barriers (for example, supporting requirements that are geographically dispersed)

·       Increase competitiveness.

Government gets a B in 2010 Small-Business Contracting

The Small Business Administration gave the government a B grade for its attempts to reach small-business contracting goals, including the annual 23 percent overall goal.

The government awarded 22.7 percent of its contracting dollars to small companies in fiscal 2010, compared to 21.9 percent the previous year. It awarded $97.9 billion to small businesses in 2010, compared with $96.8 billion in 2009, a $1.1 billion increase.

The B grade means that the government met 90 percent to 99 percent of its goals for the year.

In 2010, the government improved in four of the five categories of small businesses compared to SBA’s previous score card. There were increases in contract dollars and performance against statutory goals, except in the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) category.

Contract Compliance Agency seeks more Data

The agency that ensures federal contractors are meeting federal employment rules is seeking more information from contractors.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) says the changes should make the process easier on contractors while also providing better data for their evaluations.

But corporate law firms and consultant groups are alerting contractors via their blogs and websites that the additional data OFCCP wants will actually be a new burden for them.

OFCCP, which checks contractors’ compliance with federal affirmative action and equal employment opportunity requirements, sends what’s called a Scheduling Letter to contractors selected for a compliance evaluation. That letter lists what data the contractor is required to submit so OFCCP can perform its evaluation.

The current form of the Scheduling Letter is set to expire on Sept. 30, prompting the proposed changes by the OFCCP which are posted at regulations.gov.

7 Do's and 1 Don't for Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

How companies can avoid organizational conflicts of interest? Experts have narrowed down the to-do’s to a few don'ts

·     Do understand the organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) rules and the different categories of OCIs.

·       Do be particularly attuned to “impaired objectivity” OCIs.

·       Do think broadly. OCIs are created at a companywide level, not simply a division or sector level.

·       Do consider the long-range business plan for a particular procurement.

·       Do be aware that winning a small, preliminary award could create conflicts on a massive, future award.

·       Do be aware of the potential restrictions on follow-on contracts that might accompany system engineering and technical assistance work.

·       Do ensure that every proposal considers and, as required, implements an OCI mitigation plan.

·       Do not simply ignore an institutional competitive advantage when preparing a proposal.

Proposal Development Strategies and Writing Tips

1. Use outline formats and listings whenever possible to break up narrative texts.

2. Use visuals to enhance and explain abstract concepts and relationships. (Do not overuse.)

3. Don't overkill a point. State it, support it, and move on to the next point.

4. Use forecasting and internal summaries to help the reader know where they are and where they are going.

5. Be generous with transitions as they will help the reader to know where they have been and where they are going.

Best Practices for Collecting and Using Current and Past Performance Information

The Federal Government is in a continuous process to reinvent itself, with a goal of becoming a government that works better and costs less.  The Government is the largest acquisition organization in the world with expenditures of about  $200 Billion a year for commercial goods and services.  This is one third of the Federal discretionary budget of about $600 Billion.  How well the Government’s acquisition teams administer in-process contracts and discuss with contractors their current performance, determines to a great extent how well agencies can achieve their missions and provide value to the taxpayers.  By increasing attention to contractor performance on in-process contracts and ensuring past performance data is readily available for source selection teams, agencies are reaping two benefits:  

(1) better current performance because of the active dialog between the contractor and the government; and (2) better ability to select high quality contractors for new contracts, because contractors know the assessments will be used in future award decisions.

5 Steps to Sharpening your Marketing Strategy

Targeting your market efforts to specific audience is critical to success, as we approach the end of fiscal 2010, targeting your marketing efforts to specific audiences and opportunities becomes even more important. The information provided starts a “checklist” that will continue in future Monday Morning Contracting Tips...

Checklist item 1: For several years I have recommended focusing on one or two agencies to grow your government business. Even if you have been in the market for a while, maximizing the value of one agency before moving to a new one is important. If you are focusing on specific agencies, there is some homework for sales, marketing and business development staff. Agency homework includes:

Get agency and office organization charts – know the food chain

-The organization charts allow you to see your agency’s entry point (initial customer or prospect), where he or she is in the management food chain, and determine who else might be involved in the buying decision process. It also provides a “bigger picture” as to how your agency penetration strategy is working and identifies other offices.

 Obtain and read the agency budget filings to see where the money is likely to be spent

-The agency filings allow you to see where it wants to spend available funds

 Ask your contacts for referrals

-Asking your current customers for referrals seems obvious, but it does not happen as often as it should.  Asking for referrals should be a part of the normal sales process

   

Ensure that you request the proper individuals, (executives, engineers, etc.) for meetings

-Issues that require technical staff involvement make sure they are there

Check for any agency events coming up; you need face time

-When selected properly events are always important as they provide more opportunities for face-to-face contact. In-house agency events and other agency-specific activities are beneficial for growing your business.