Refreshes

 So fresh and so clean, clean!

Usually a few times during the fiscal year the GSA schedules go through a “refresh.” The GSA reviews the current solicitation documents for a schedule to see if there are any new requirements, language, and/or updates that need to be added to the schedule. If you have an outstanding offer you will receive an automatic email from eOffer notifying you of the schedule refresh.

It is important to check the solicitations documents through eLibrary before submitting to ensure your offer is at the most recent refresh. If not, the offer will be rejected on spot.  

In the past the refreshes have happened during the first and third quarter of the government’s fiscal year. Within the last year one of the biggest changes from a refresh was for Schedule 84. 84 used to be known as the schedule with no invoices, but with the most recent refresh, invoices are now required like all other schedules.

While working on your GSA Schedule remember to check eLibrary to ensure you are submitting under the must current solicitation.

Have you made the most of the first quarter?

You’ve finished your warm ups and the National Anthem has been played, its game time. The first quarter is when you need to set the stage for the rest of the game. How is the next three quarters going to work out, do you know when you need to put your bench players in? Have you planned out what your attack strategy is? You want to know as much about the game that is being played and your opponent as possible.  

Unlike a basketball game when there are off days and an off season we don’t have that luxury so we use our first quarter for planning and answering as many questions as we can. Although there are a lot of variables that go into government purchasing being prepared as you can makes all the difference in the world. If you have not started planning it’s not too late.

You can start by answering the following questions:

• ·         What agencies purchase what you sell?
• ·         Who are your top competitors and what types of contracts do they hold?
• ·         What opportunities are being forecasted in your industry?

Those three questions will take some work to find the answer to but they will give you a good picture of your season and allows you to formulate your attack plan. 

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!"

― Benjamin Franklin

Forecasting for Fiscal Year 2015 has begun!

With the fiscal year starting up, contractors should be on the lookout for procurement forecasts for fiscal year 2015. Major federal agencies are posting procurement forecasts that can help your business plan for bids and proposals for FY15. www.Acquisition.gov is a great place to start when looking for forecasts. You can search by agency forecast or by business opportunities to find what your business should be anticipating.

Forecasting is also a great opportunity to be reach out to contracting officers who are working on opportunities that are of interest to you. Reaching out to contracting officers is one of the best ways to connect with the people who will be advising end-users and making decisions about proposal requirements. Contracting officers are always aware that specialized contractors have knowledge on subjects they may not and will require help writing overly technical solicitation if know a competent contractor who can help.  Take a look at our webinar: Contracting Officer Best Practices.

Forecasts offer a wealth of information for potential contractors. You can learn about the method of procurement, possible ceiling values, and incumbents. Method of procurement is vital knowledge when building an approach since if the opportunity is going through GSA, you have a wealth knowledge about pricing and competition at your disposal. Ceiling values are important factors, showing you an acceptable range to price your bid. If you are over the ceiling value, most likely you won’t win and it gives you time to adjust. Incumbents are a huge source of information as well. Your business can find out details about the work and the agency by getting in touch with the incumbent and learning about how they performed the work.

Most importantly, the key to good forecasting strategy is follow up, follow up, follow up! Some opportunities will be listed for the end of fiscal year 2015 or even the start of fiscal year 2016. The sure-fire trick is to keep your businesses’ name fresh in the mind of contracting officers. Follow up every couple months. Find out how you can help. Inquire whether any other opportunities are coming up last minute.

Procurement forecasts are a great (and often underutilized) tool in the contractor toolbox. Use it to its full advantage.

Special requirements for GSA Schedules

Last week we discussed the MOBIS requirements and received a lot of emails requesting more information about other requirements for different schedules. I thought it would be beneficial to just go over a few requirements that are applied to all schedules:
Financials: for every offer a company must submit two years of balance sheets and income statements. You will not be awarded a schedule if you do not complete this requirement. If there are any negatives on your financials, you must explain why.
Invoices: If your company is submitting a Commercial Pricelist you will need to submit invoices for pretty much every line item on that CPL. The invoices must be within 3 years of submitting.
Labor Categories: for every labor category submitted, there must be a description, minimum education requirement, and minimum years experience attached.
Pathways Training Certificate
FOR NON-VA OFFERS:

o   Digital Certificate: every offer that is not a VA offer must have proof of a digital certificate. If you do not have a digital certificate than you will not be able to submit your offer

o   Open Ratings Report

Again, please let us know if you have any questions. We’d be happy to help explain the requirements in more depth because really this blog just scratches the surface.

Feel free to email us at info@gvoconsvcs.com if there is anything else you’d like more clarification on!

MOBIS Requirements

Within the last 12 months the GSA has become very strict with all Schedule 874 MOBIS offers. The review process can take some time and rejections are unfortunately pretty common. Why is this? How can rejection be avoided? Well, I’m not certain on how it can be completely avoided because every Contracting Officer is different BUT there are some important requirements that must not be overlooked when submitting your MOBIS offer to the GSA.

The GSA will mainly look at financials and past performance. When applying for a MOBIS contract the company must submit two years’ worth of balance sheets and income statements—NO TAX RETURNS. If a company submits tax returns they will be rejected. If there are any negatives on the financials those must be thoroughly explained. The GSA will break down the financials and if there is anything fishy they will find it and ask about it.

The next chunk of red tape for MOBIS is the past performance. A company must submit two statements of work that were conducted within the last two years and include narratives on said projects. This is where it gets tricky. The company must show that they helped solve a problem and did not just refer their client to another industry such as IT, financial work, etc. There can be no mention of another industry in these SOWs because the GSA will say “why don’t you apply for a different schedule since your company focuses on it so much.” If the company is not “within scope” then goodbye MOBIS. This means ABSOLUTELY NO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REFRENECES. This will be an AUTOMATIC rejection and the company will be referred to Schedule 70 (which is usually a faster option anyways).

Obviously, there are a million other reasons that could produce a rejection but it’s important to know if the above requirements are not meant the company should not even waste their time with MOBIS.

If you are unsure whether your company can fall under MOBIS, PLEASE give us a call and we’ll see where your organization can fit. If not MOBIS there are 39 other schedules to look at. 

Who's Spending Money?

Do you know who the biggest spenders are in the Federal Government?

From the desk of Brian Purgert, President

Back in 1985 when Government Contract Services was conceived, there was a lot less “red tape” built around government sales. My brother Bob and I knew that helping businesses sell to the government was a tough job, but we had the knowledge to do it right. As a small company with less than a dozen people, we managed millions of dollars’ worth of federal contracts with ease. Our clients were educated and successful. We had it made – the feds never stopped spending, so we had a lifelong customer at our fingertips!

Over the years, we began to realize how truly important our knowledge was. It quickly became a lifeline for businesses in need of a constant revenue stream, a way to keep their workers employed, and a way to put food on the table for their families. Now more than ever, the significance of our expertise is used to help companies with integrity generate honest revenue. 

My team and I are dedicated to creating jobs and improving the economy in this country. If we can help businesses understand the “red tape” involved in selling to Uncle Sam and build their organization around quality products/services, we can increase their government sales. If we can help align organizations with fair market prices and top-notch service, we can encouraging long-term cost savings for the government. If we all do our part to promote healthy business ethics, we can drastically improve the future of our government and our economy. 

Research Wins Bids

We are constantly asked both by current clients and potential clients, “how do we win government business?”. The question is always posed as though there is some circle of secrecy around the subject and if we give out the magic answer we’ll be thrown out of the club. Well, here’s the truth; the most important variable to wining government business is RESEARCH.

Research is time consuming and not all companies have the time and resources to allocate for the necessary research needed to be successful in the government marketplace. Here’s a small snapshot of some data that is being gathered by successful government contractors.

·         What agencies have bought your products and services in the past?

·         Are they planning on buying more in the future?

·         How much did agencies pay for similar products and services?

·         What are the agencies’ goals in procuring those particular products and services?

·         Who is your direct competition in the government marketplace?

·         Are they successful across multiple agencies or just with one?

·         Is your pricing higher or lower than your closest competitor?

·         Why is your pricing higher or lower than your closet competitor?

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. To be successful, there is nothing more important than knowing your market, knowing your buyer, and knowing your competition.

But there are challenges that come with this. Finding all the data isn't always straight forward. Most agencies have forecasts online looking forward to the next 7 years. Some don’t have anything showing. Finding competitors and pricing requires sifting through past awarded contracts and seeing how much the government paid. Some contractors use GSA pricing as a benchmark for comparison even on the open market.

The government in rolling out new tools with the 18F program to make this research easier for contracts but until then doing the research is anyone’s best chance at winning government contracts. 

Manufacturer Part Numbers and UPCs

Most likely you have all seen the emails from the GSA threatening a MAS Mod that will force every vendor on the GSA with products to go into their price list and make sure that the part numbers listed on GSA Advantage are the manufacturer part numbers.

Since that MAS Mod has not come to fruition the GSA recently sent an email out to vendors asking for their help in improving product data on GSA Advantage. This means making sure that your company is using manufacturer part numbers and UPC numbers, if available, for all products that are currently on schedule and moving forward. For some companies who do not offer a wide range of products accomplishing this will be a rather easy task. However, for others this is a large undertaking.

So why is the GSA pushing so hard for this to happen? Let’s take a look at two companies, one that uses the manufacturer numbers and one that does not.

I will use a Rubbermaid 35G garbage can as an example.

When doing a search by name of the product you see that I get a wide range of manufacturers and manufacturer numbers as well.

 

 

If I do a search using the mfg part number the results change a little bit.

As you can see by the two pictures, when using the manufacturer part number the contracting officer is given more accurate results. If your company is wondering why sales of certain products have not been up to par, take a look at whether or not the part numbers you have listed correspond to the manufacturer’s.

So in turn, helping the GSA improve GSA Advantage is helping your company’s products become easier to find.

If you’re unsure where to start or just need help with your large list of products, give us a call 216-662-7044.

 

GSA Offer Best Practices, Volume 4

Working with the Government should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong! It takes a great deal of time and dedication to sell to the Government. To become a premier contractor under the GSA Schedule, you have to know what the “sticking points” are when dealing with Government representatives.

·         Turnaround Times: These are extremely important. Missing a deadline by one minute could mean getting your offer rejected by the GSA – or worse, losing a bid! The Contracting Officers are not going to wait until you decide to give them the information they’ve requested. You must live by their deadlines!

·         Read and Research: Yes, Contracting Officers are there to assist you – but do them a favor and do your own homework. You are responsible for reading the requirements of the Schedule and filling out the documentation properly. They will help, but they will not do it for you! Don’t waste their time, because they can sense when a contractor is going to be difficult to work with. You should be trying to make things easier for them. They talk, and word of mouth goes a long way.

·         Your Tone: Be mindful of the way you speak to Contracting Officers. Being overly pushy isn’t the way to handle things. There is a fine balance between asking for updates and demanding that they move the process along. The latter isn’t going to get you anywhere.

·         Straight Answers: Don’t beat around the bush. If you try to hide or disguise business practices, it only makes more work for you in the long run. It could even mean fines and penalties! Be open and honest about your company and how it operates. The Contracting Officers will appreciate your integrity and respond positively.

If you want to be really successful in the Government marketplace, make it a priority to understand how the GSA works and how your Contracting Officers operate. Just like any other customer they want to be respected. Become an organization that thrives on learning the ropes of Government contracting. It takes time, energy, and resources. You can’t cut corners here!

Steph Gowin

General Manager

Government Contract Services, Inc.

Two Ways That Small Businesses Can Simplify Their Government Purchases

Among America’s small businesses—especially those with 20 employees or less-- that seek government contracts, many are too resource strapped to handle the burdensome paperwork involved.  Recognizing this, the federal government has at least two programs that significantly reduce the red tape. 

One involves federal contracts that meet the Simplified Acquisition threshold which involves most government purchases of less than $150,000.  The paperwork for such contracts is less onerous. 

A second way is with micro-purchases.  These purchases typically are under $3,500 but can range up to $15,000 with some government purchasing officers who have an extra allotment of SmartPay credits.  The benefit of micro-purchases is that small companies can make these without having to register on www.FedBizOpps.com.   To find out more, read paragraphs 1 and 2 of 3 Easy Ways For Small Businesses to Wind Government Contracts According to US Federal Contractor Registration.  Just click on the following link:  http://www.itbusinessnet.com/article/3-Easy-Ways.    

What's Next? Administering your GSA contract.

Being awarded a GSA contract in a huge achievement for a company. All that painstaking work collecting documents, writing narratives, and compiling information just for the opportunity to sell to the government. And once you have that permission, after all that hard work, it’s only logical that you want to make the most of it.

Our latest webinar show you how to do just that. Every step in the contract administration process has an important function; miss one and you put your contract and good company standing in peril. We show you everything you need to do make the most of your contract and of course, Make Money while doing it. Learn about pricelists, SIP uploads, marketing, quarterly reporting, and so many other vital functions that need to be performed to keep your contract healthy and working for you.

Watch the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us8FXZee5eo and reach out to us if you have any questions at all! We’re ready to help you untangle the mysteries around GSA. 

-Sonya Nudel, Marketing Consultant 

GSA: Doubling Market Share by 2017?

With high hopes, new interactive purchasing tools, and a new digital system of contracting offerings the GSA plans to more than double its market share of government spending. Commissioner Tom Sharpe feels it is time for the GSA to really show what it is capable of and how it can help other government agencies.

“I would argue the Federal Acquisition Service at GSA should be a centralized buyer — and we are going to make that case and we are going to fight for that,” Sharpe said to the Federal Times. He also stated that the agency plans to boost its market share from 14 to 33 percent by the end of FY2016.

Sharpe claims that the GSA is able to give customers data on what they are spending on goods and services. With this data the GSA is able to see if there is a way to save any money by using different contracts or implementing internal reforms.

By the end of 2015 the GSA will make the website interactive and will provide the tools agencies need to enter into contracts, giving them the opportunity to choose the services they want. These areas will include professional services, human resources, transportation services, and IT hardware and software.

The GSA is also making its new contracts more flexible to avoid wasting money on contract duplicates. An example of this new model is the recently released OASIS contract.

Sharpe realizes that this is a huge challenge is aware that mistakes are possible but what is important is that they learn from those mistakes and reach the end goal. 

Highland Canine Training, LLC Awarded GSA Schedule 84

Harmony, NC – Highland Canine Training, LLC, a leader in working dog sales and training for Law Enforcement, Military and Government Agencies is proud to announce that it has been added by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to the approved vendor list as a provider of working dogs and canine educational programs.  This allows government purchasing agents to now place orders directly through Highland Canine Training, LLC. Highland Canine Training achieved this momentous goal with help from the expert GSA team at Government Contract Services and are looking forward to a continued partnership. 

Highland Canine Training, LLC can be found under contract number GS-07F-231BA where it is listed as pre-qualified to provide federal agencies with explosive detection dogs, patrol dogs, drug dogs and educational training courses. Highland Canine Training, LLC is classified in schedule 84, TOTAL SOLUTIONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, SECURITY, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, FIRE, RESCUE, CLOTHING, MARINE CRAFT AND EMERGENCY/DISASTER RESPONSE, and special item number (SIN) 426-2A, Canine Training and Handling Equipment, Canine Search and Detection. The approved products can also be purchased by state and local governments as part of disaster recovery and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) purchases.

The schedule assignment allows Highland Canine Training, LLC to provide quality working dogs to federal agencies who want to employ and utilize highly trained working dogs. Highland Canine Training, LLC also offers first class canine education programs at our School for Dog Trainers, including a Police K9 Instructor / Trainer Course as well as a Detection Dog Trainer Course.  Highland Canine Training, LLC  offers training and educational programs on location through their series of comprehensive working dog seminars.

In order to further promote our recently awarded GSA Schedule, the company will attend the 2014 Police & Military Working Dog Conference & Vendor Show in Nashville, Tennessee, July 13-15. Highland Canine Training, LLC representatives will be onsite to demonstrate our working dog capabilities and answer questions about working dogs and training programs. Attendees who visit Highland Canine Training, LLC in booth #32 will have the opportunity to win an equipment bundle worth over $200.

“We're excited about the opportunity to work with federal agencies and providing working dog and training programs to meet their needs,” said Jason Purgason, Highland Canine Training, LLC, Training Director. “We strive to make an impression on government buyers with the quality of our dogs and comprehensive training programs as well as our commitment to customer service"

For more information, please contract Jason Purgason at (704) 498-7907 or training@highlandcanine.com. 

Highland Canine Training, LLC will exhibit at the 2014 Police & Military Working Dog Conference & Vendor Show to meet with federal agency customers and showcase working dogs and training opportunities.

Contractor Teaming Arrangements: When and Why?

Ever wanted to pursue an opportunity only to realize that your company can’t fulfill all the obligations on your own? Contractor Teaming Arrangements (CTA) might be your way forward to large opportunities and big money! CTAs are a formalized agreement between two companies that could fall into two different categories.

The first one is the establishment of Joint Venture between two companies. A joint venture is when two companies combine to form a single company with a separate bank account and legal name for the purpose of a specific opportunity and/or time period. These are best used when both companies are the same size and possess a GSA schedule. Both companies wanted to go after an opportunity that neither can do on their own so they join forces and try to win it together.

The second type of arrangement is a Prime/Subcontractor relationship. In this instance, only the GSA Schedule of the Prime is used. The Prime then subcontracts out work they cannot perform to other companies. It’s best to consider this arrangement when you are trying to gain experience on a federal level. In this case most solicitations require that the Prime contractor must be able to perform 51% of the work and there is no guarantee as a subcontractor you will receive any of the work.

CTAs can be confusing and to this end the GSA has created a series of videos to help GSA contractors set up these agreements in a fair and reasonable way. There’s also a list of FAQs that help you determine whether this is the right approach for you company. Reach out to us and we help determine of the CTA is right for your company. 

New leadership at the General Services Administration

 

New permanent leadership at the General Services Administration! Sonny Hashmi has been named the permanent Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the GSA. Mr. Hashmi has previous experience managing large IT budgets with his pervious gig as the Deputy CIO for the District of Columbia. His main goals at each concurrent positions seems to always focus on modernization and adopting new technologies to move government information technology r into the future at a fast pace.

Mr. Hashmi believes that the way of future for IT will be cloud technology and has been working tirelessly to help create agile processes for cloud development as well as swiftly attempting to move email systems within the GSA to the cloud. To this end he received the 2013 Federal 100 award for Digital Government Innovation as a “could expander”!

Moving forward, Mr. Hashmi will likely be a leader for innovation for GSA IT. Cloud is growing quickly on the commercial side of IT business and the government must follow or be lost in a sea of never-ending data recovery problems. According to a Forbes.com overview of an IBM Study, “84% of CIOs are focusing on mobility solutions to support closer customer engagement, 83% are evaluating business analytics and optimization and 64%, cloud computing.”  Mr. Hashmi should be able to bring these commercial CIO ideas to the GSA for IT success. 

Don’t Compete with the Big Guys, Government Set-Asides

Quite often companies don’t consider doing business with the government because they don’t think that they have the capabilities to compete with the large businesses getting all the work. I’m here to tell you that isn’t true. The government has a mandated goal that 23% of business is set-aside for small businesses. This means that only small businesses can competitively bid on these contracts and win

            In addition to the small business set-aside there are several other set-asides that are guaranteed a percentage of the total business.

8a- This set-aside is for economically and socially disadvantaged business and can be awarded sole source contracts without any competition. This is a certification issued by the Small Business Administration.

Veteran Owned- This is a self-certification for former or current military members who own at least 51% of their business.

Small Disadvantaged Business- This is for companies owned 51% or more by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Subcontinent Asian Americans and Native Americans. This is a self-certifying designation through your SAM registration.

HUBZone- This designation is for companies who’s employees and business is located in a high unemployment, low income area. This is an application process and 3% of business is set-aside for these companies. In addition to this companies may receive a 10% price preference on bids.

Woman Owned Business- this is a self-certifying designation through SAM with a contracting goal of 5%.

Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business- This set-aside is for former military members injured in the line of duty that own 51% or greater of their business. The government wide contracting goal on this category is 3%.

Are you registered in SAM (System for Award Management)?

SAM, or System for Award Management, is the combined U.S. Government system of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. SAM is completely free of charge for registrants and users. Current and potential government vendors are required to register in SAM if they wish to have a contract with the government. If your organization is applying for the GSA must be fully registered in SAM in order to be awarded

The registration can take anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour, depending on if the information requested is readily available. A vendor must provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. A SAM registration is good for one year and must be updated annually.

Before registering for SAM a company must have the following:

·         DUNS or D-U-N-S Number

o    Data Universal Numbering System

o    A proprietary system developed and regulated by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) that assigns a unique numeric identifier to a single business entity

·         TIN

o    Taxpayer Identification Number and then name associated with that TIN

·         CAGE CODE

o    Commercial and Government Entity code is a five-character ID number that is used extensively within the federal government.

o    If the organization is migrating over from any old systems (CCR, ORCA, etc.) than it will already have this code. If not the organization will be assigned one once you are fully registered in SAM

·         EFT Information

o    Electronic Funds Transfer information such as the ABA Routing Number and bank account number

SAM also allows Government agencies and contractors to search for your organizations based on your ability, size, location, experience, and more. Since SAM incorporated the ORCA system agencies and other companies can see if a firm meets certain Federal requirements (ex: complies with equal opportunity legislation).

Government Contract Services specializes in SAM registrations and updates. Please look for the Government Contract Services SAM eBook which will contain helpful step by step instructions on how to efficiently and successfully register your company in SAM. 

Congrats to Stormpulse!

A big congratulations to Stormpulse, Inc (dba Riskpulse) on their recent Schedule 70 GSA contract! Stormpulse specializes in elite weather tracking, risk management software architect, and information technology solutions.  Stormpulse’s innovative risk management software can rapidly assess risk and create a common operating picture of whatever needs to be tracked.

With this new contract vehicle, Stormpulse can further increase their penetration of the government market and work more closely with current clients and contacts.  The wrong call made by the government in a risky situation can lead to devastating circumstances- both in human lives and fiscally. Stormpulse can help with long-range planning and daily decision making by providing real time information to help with decision making processes.

We are very excited to have worked with Stormpulse on putting their GSA offer together and are looking forward to our continual collaboration. As they roll out new services and configurations for their amazing software, GCS will be supporting them along the way.

Feel free to check out their website: www.riskpulse.com

-Sonya Nudel

GSA Offer Best Practices, Volume 3

Let’s talk Government. They’re in a league of their own, right? It’s true! They have their own way of organizing things, classifying things, and interpreting things. To sell to the Government you have to understand how they operate. It’s very different from dealing with other commercial entities.

Now, let’s relate this to GSA Schedules. To make your offer successful you have to know what Schedule and Special Item Numbers are applicable to your business. The “scope” of your products and services is one of the most important things the GSA will look into when you submit your offer. If the offer is out of scope you’ll be rejected right away – they won’t even look at the rest of the content. Do yourself a favor and look into all the potential Schedules your business may fall under. Then select which one is the best fit.

Here’s an example. You offer instructor led-training and your courses are designed to teach the average employee how to engineer and operate a Smart Building System. You have a few options here:

1. Instructor Led Training (Schedule 874)
2. Engineering and Integration (Schedule 871)
3. Smart Building Operations (Schedule 03 FAC)

We will start by breaking down each schedule and seeing what the services really entail. Instructor Led Training doesn’t include any training that can be offered under the scope of any other Schedule. So, if there is training available under other Schedules that is more relevant to what you’re actually teaching – then you can’t use Schedule 874. Schedule 871 doesn’t quite fit because you’re not really doing the engineering work, just training on that. Schedule 03 FAC allows for training in direct relation to what you’re teaching. Schedule 03 FAC it is!

As a reminder – don’t just take the descriptions of the Schedules at face value. Look at your competitors and research what they’re offering under Schedule. Don’t have specific competitors to look for? Performing market research on the different vendors awarded under each Schedule will benefit you tremendously.

When in doubt – give me a call!

Stephanie Gowin

What's new in government procurement?

This week's blog post we want to focus on what is going on in the world of government procurement. Staying on top of recent developments can help when looking at what agencies your company wants to work with, what products the government is focusing on, and many more advantages.

So what's new?

Well, I am sure many of you have heard about the conflict between the Department of Defense and the GSA. A few articles have been written recently highlighting the issues between the two agencies as new developments when really there is nothing new. The DoD has their own methods of procurement and have not been big proponents of the GSA right out of the gate. If you're looking at dealing with either agency don't let this shy you away.

A few noteworthy things have been going on in the world of IT this week.
 GSA's CIO, Sonny Hashmi took to the internet with a question ans answer session. He touches base on cloud-based services, shift to modular contracts and a few other topics. Take a look at the session here: https://github.com/govfresh/gitchat/issues/3
The DoD is also expanding its use of IT Dashboard, the agency has reported more than $2.5 billion in ongoing IT projects that have been introduced since the last fiscal year. Take a look at the full article here: http://fcw.com/articles/2014/04/11/dod-it-dashboard.aspx

Are you in the telecommunications industry? You may be interested in the RFI that the GSA has released for Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions. This will replace the Networx vehicle. Comments are due by May 5th and the GSA plans to solicit bids in FY 2015.  Check out the full article here: http://fcw.com/articles/2014/04/14/ns2020-rfi.aspx

Good news for anyone in the construction industry was recently released. The Government announced new flexibility for federal construction standards. It allows for contractors to focus on the end product and not the method to getting there. Take a look at the full article for an example: http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/new-flexibility-federal-construction-standards/2014-03-18

When people think of things the government buys they think military, but if you think about it the government is just like any other company. They purchase everyday items too. The latest strategic sourcing the GSA is exploring is furniture. The goal is be able to offer agencies better deals and easier access to furniture product and services.

These are just a few of the noteworthy stories our team has come across recently. If you find anything that is not listed here and believe people should be aware of feel free to send them our way. We appreciate all feedback.

-Cristi Kaib

Whats Next? Steps to maximize your GSA Schedule

Making sure that you are maximizing the use of your GSA contract isn’t always the easiest thing. There’s so much work that comes with maintaining a healthy GSA Schedule that we all sometimes need a review of what we should be doing. We want every contractor to be getting the best Return on Investment for their schedule; you put in the work and hours to get a contract and you need to put in the hours to maintain it as well.

Hop on to you Youtube and take a look at our most recent webinar about maximizing your GSA schedule contract. We discuss everything that companies need to do to make sure that their GSA schedule, whatever industry they might be in, stays healthy and profitable. Here’s a couple of topics covered in this webinar:

·         Contract administration- are you on top of all your reporting to government? Is your contract up to date with the latest pricing and point of contact information?

·         Opportunities- are you searching in the right places for the right opportunities? Are you proposals up to par with you competition?

·         Teaming- are you taking advantage of opportunities to work with other companies who can create more diversity in the type of work your company can do?

·         Research- do you know what’s happening in your industry in the government sector? Are sales stagnant, increasing or decreasing? What’s your competition doing?

Those are just a few focus points that every company needs to consider when it comes to making your GSA schedule a success. Hitting the required target sales goal isn’t always the easiest thing for smaller companies however making sure your focusing your energy on the right points for your business can ensure success!

And if you aren’t hitting all those points, don’t worry- not all of them are relevant to every company or industry. Some strategies work for everyone and some are only for particular companies and industries.  However, if you think that you are at risk for losing your contract due to low sales, not reporting sales, or some other contract problem, let us help! Let’s untangle any problem that you might have and get your GSA schedule back on track. 

As always, get in touch with us about any questions that you may have about your GSA schedule! Let’s see if can increase you bottom line and make GSA even more profitable for your company

Webinar Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvcD7axOoHI&feature=youtu.be

GSA Offer Best Practices, Volume 2

If you’re like me, you thrive on organization. How can you keep track of your business – or your life, for that matter – without having “a place for everything and everything in its place”? Whether you back up your information electronically, save it in binders, store it in hanging folders, or throw things in a loose pile on the corner of your desk, when information is important you’re going to hang on to it.

Preparing an offer for the GSA is no different. You should have an organizational system that considers all aspects of your offer, potential revisions, and post-award documentation.

Step 1: Create a folder for printed documents. Most of your files should be electronic – but you’ll surely have to print something along the way.

Step 2: Create a folder on your computer to store information that you use for reference when compiling your GSA offer. This includes solicitation documents and offer response documents.

Step 3: Make sure everything is labeled correctly. Don’t be that person that needs to open every file to see what it is. They have names for a reason!

Step 4: As you revise documents, save them with a different file name than the original. Don’t replace original copies, ever.

Step 5: Once the offer is awarded you need to keep track of sales orders, invoices, receipts, etc. Create a system that works for you. All information regarding your GSA offer should be kept in a neat, easy-to-access place.

As a GSA Contract holder, you will be expected to keep all GSA related documents on hand for as long as you have the contract. Most GSA Contracts last for 20 years.

If you think your filing cabinets are full now, just wait! When the GSA comes knocking – yes, they will literally knock on your door at some point during the life of the contract – you better be ready to show them what the definition of “organization” really is.

-Steph Gowin

Alliant Small Business II GWAC

Alliant Small Business governmentwide acquisition contact (GWAC) exercised its final option in February of this year, extending the contract until February 2, 2019 and the GSA is already hard at work, figuring out the direction of Alliant II Small Business.

Alliant is considered to be GSA’s premier small business information technology GWAC and helps provide the government with the largest pool of customized, cutting-edge IT solutions. Alliant has allowed for long-term planning of large, high tech IT projects, all the while making sure that small businesses are reaping the benefits of the innovation that they are creating.

Alliant II is already being discussed in detail on GSA Interact (https://interact.gsa.gov/group/alliant-ii-alliant-ii-small-business-gwacs). Important discussions about Product Service Codes and Labor Categories are already in happening. The GSA allows possible contractors to comment and discuss how Alliant II can improve on the original, taking those ideas and incorporating them into the RFP. If you are interested in Alliant II, make sure you get on GSA Interact and voice your opinion!

There hasn’t been a date set for the release of a draft RFP or an actual RFP but the GSA wants the input of small business to make sure that this GWAC is doing exactly what’s it meant to do!

For more information on GWACs in general, check out- http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/25281

For more information on ALLIANT small business (current) - http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/25302

For more information on ALLIANT II (upcoming)- http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/183035

-Sonya Nudel 

GP&E Consulting Group Awarded MOBIS Schedule!

A very special congratulations to GP&E Consulting Group on their MOBIS Schedule GSA Contract!  Normally a MOBIS contract can be a little tough to earn but thanks to GP&E’s thorough offer and strong Letter of Expedite GP&E was awarded in under three months. GP&E is looking forward to further their involvement with the Department of Defense as well as become involved with the Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Air Force, and the NSA.

GP&E is located in Hampton, Virginia and is a Woman Owned Small Business, SBA Small Disadvantaged Business, as well as SBA 8(a)-certificated graduate. GP&E provides IA/IT Security Consulting, Staffing, Training, and Project Management to their clients by providing experienced, customer-focused professionals to meet the outsourcing, consulting, and staffing needs.

It has been a true pleasure working with GP&E Consulting Group and GCS is very excited to see what the future holds for their GSA contract. Please, feel free to visit their website!
www.gpeconsultinggroup.com

-Kelsey Dixon 

GSA Offer Best Practices, Volume 1

Understanding the daunting regulations and written requirements of composing a GSA offer can be hard enough. What’s worse is there’s no consistency in the GSA’s review process. Try as they may to create an efficient approach to reviewing an offer, the GSA has actually done the opposite. 

Once submitted, your offer is assigned to a Contracting Officer for a detailed review. Among other things, they look into:

·         -Company history

·         -Technical experience

·         -Pricing structure

·         -Financial background

Every Contracting Officer has their own approach for the review. This makes it difficult for people like you to recognize the difference between the requirements and the Contracting Officer’s preference. As a vendor, you can do your part to streamline the offer process.

Submitting a clean offer can make a huge impact on your review timeline. Ensuring the documents you submit are formatted and named properly is a great place to start. The Contracting Officers won’t spend much time trying to figure out your documents – so do them a favor and clarify! Title every document and name the files accordingly.

Another way to streamline the GSA’s review is to keep it simple. Don’t give them too much information! You’re only causing yourself more headaches in the long run. The GSA wants to see that you know how to read. Keep the offer to what’s requested and nothing more.

Most importantly, make sure that you know the regulations of the offer prior to submitting. The GSA will ask you questions. They’ll expect prompt and detailed responses. Give them what they want and you’re on track to the GSA Contract number. 

Look for Volume 2 in March!

-Stephanie Gowin

For more information on GSA Schedule or assistance with your offer give us a call. 216-662-7044

Can you speak Government?

In the world of government procurement, if you don’t know the language, you’re out of the loop! Almost everything has an acronym and an abbreviation which are very important to doing business with the government. Here you’ll find a small selection of important acronyms and abbreviations.

GSA- General Services Administration; the GSA oversees and assists with all GSA schedule procurement as well as issuing the schedule contracts.

VSC- Vendor Support Center; the VSC can help contractors with just about any contract related problems. Anything from difficult SIP uploads to questions about modifications.

RFQ- Request for Quotation; this the paperwork put out by the buyer that provides information to the contractor on what the requirements of a bid are.

SIN- Special Item Number; each schedule has a list of SINs that are listed under it. They are nothing more than subcategories of a main large category.

IFF- Industrial Funding Fee; for everything a contractor sells on the GSA schedule, the IFF of .75% is added to the price to cover the cost of GSA doing their job.

FAR- Federal Acquisition Regulation; the law of land for government procurement.

SAM- System for Award Management; to do any work with the government, whether on GSA or not, contractors must be registered in this online system.

FAS- Federal Acquisition Service; as part of the GSA, the FAS has 8 program areas that assist in all parts of acquisition processes, across all types of products and services.

TAA- Trade Agreement Act; all products sold on the GSA must come from a TAA compliant country. This means they signed the Trade Agreement Act.

NAICS- North America Industry Classification System; NAICS codes help you categorize your products and services into an industry standard, making it easier for the government to find our products and services.

Some Popular Acronym Schedules

                LOGWORLD- Logistics Worldwide Schedule 874 V; provides logistics support

MOBIS- Missions Oriented Business Integrated Solutions Schedule 874; provides consulting and training services on all subjects except IT.

PES- Professional Engineering Services Schedule 871; Engineering consulting & prototype assistance. Does not allow for architectural services

TAPS- Temporary Administrative and Professional Staffing Services Schedule 736; admin and basic staffing.

TDRS- Transportation, Delivery, and Relocation Solutions Schedule 48; Air, ground, sea transportation, moving and packing services.

Ninety Five South Awarded GSA 03FAC Schedule Contract GS-21F-041BA

GCS would like to congratulate Ninety Five South on their GSA contract award! They were officially awarded their 03FAC contract on January 20^th. Ninety Five South is a full service facilities company based out of Moriches, New York. They focus on government work and have worked for agencies such as the USDA, NASA, NOAH, the VA, Kennedy Center, Cape Canaveral Air Field, and the New York Mets.

Ninety Five South is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Their work includes, janitorial, facilities maintenance, snowplowing, painting, landscaping elevator repair and replacement. In addition to this they are also HVAC certified and also GS 42 Green Seal certified. 

With their GSA schedule Ninety Five South are looking forward to expand their business from what was primarily the East Coast. They were able to achieve their GSA Schedule contract with help from the dedicated team at Government Contract Services.

 Feel free to visit their website and congratulate them on their award! 

 http://www.95southinc.com

Stephen Schemenauer 

About Government Contract Services and the GCS blog

Let’s get introductions out of the way!

We are Government Contract Services, Inc- a full-service consulting firm for businesses looking to work with the government. We advise with small and large businesses, helping them secure GSA contracts, assist with contract management and proposal writing after award, as well as working with clients who want to work on the “open market”. We’ve been around the block a couple times and know the all ins and outs of government procurement.

Our goal is to share our expertise with companies who want to break into the government market. The government purchasing world is vastly different from the commercial world and businesses need to make the transition to doing things the government’s way. That’s where we come in! In our day to day business, we work with our clients to increase their government sales. We’ll help with marketing, proposal writing, and just about anything else that can give them the competitive edge. We want our clients to be the preferred vendors in their area and have the government coming to them!

Over the next months, you’ll be meeting different members of our team as they share their expertise with you.

·         Brian Purgert is our President. If there is anyone who is an expert in government procurement as a whole it is him!

·         Stephanie Gowin is the guru of the GSA Schedule process. She is the manager of our Silver Team, don’t worry you will learn what that entails if you subscribe!

·         Steve Schemenauer is the manager of our Gold team. He is well versed at finding new ways for our clients to make money with the government.

·         Sonya Nudel is Miss IT. She handles all of Schedule 70, all things IT, under the GSA for our Gold clients. She also handles IT for all things non-GSA as well. If you ever need to know how to sell your software to the government she’s your go to.

·         Cristi Kaib is also a part of the Gold team. She handles the marketing clients, staffing, and printing, along with a few other industries. If you want to know about getting your company a new set aside or another advantage over the competition give her a call!

·         Kelsey Dixon is a member of the Silver Team along with Stephanie. She is well on her way to becoming an expert as well! She specializes in Schedule 70 and MOBIS.

Now you’re probably asking yourself why should I subscribe to this blog? Information of course! As you have learned Government Contract Services (GCS) is an expert in our field. Let us share our knowledge with you! We will be posting about a wide range of topics that include different GSA Schedules, tips for dealing with contracting officers, how to get started in the government arena, etc. If there is something that you would like to learn about shoot us an email and we will either get back to you or post a blog about it!

We want this to be a two-way street so ask us questions, let us know what you think about the topics or just give us a call! 216-662-7044.

-Cristi Kaib and Sonya Nudel

www.govconsvcs.com

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