Acting as One for Smarter Acquisition

With the GSA on a never ending mission to simplify and streamline procurement and acquisition, the Acquisition Gateway is a newly updated tool for the Federal Acquisition Workforce to collaborate and better understand the needs of end users. It’s becoming a smart system for acquisition learning.

You might be thinking- how many different tools do the Contracting Officers really need? They already have access to not only all the same website that contractors do, such as www.gsaadvantage.gov and www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov but they have comparison features and competitive analysis features that contractors don’t have access to.

But the Acquisition Gateway is a little bit different. It's a work space for Federal Contracting Officers, which will help them learn the best ways to do their jobs. In turn, that helps the contractors! It’s collaboration tool that can crowd source information from purchasing experts within the Federal Acquisition Workforce to benefit everyone. It’s a more effective tool to find solution comparisons, tools, templates, success stories, and prices paid data, creating more successful outcomes at each step of the acquisition lifecycle.

The Gateway is broken up into 19 separate hallways: Administrative Support, Card Services, Cleaning Supplies & Chemicals, Employee Relocation, Facilities & Maintenance, Freight, IT Hardware, IT Security, IT Services, IT Software, Motor Vehicles, Professional Services, Security & Protection, Small Package Delivery, Talent Development, Telecommunications, Tools & Hardware, Travel, and Workplace Environment. For each hallway, there is a plethora of information provided like expert articles on subject matter, solution finders to make sure they are buying exactly what they need, historical pricing data and community support.

Currently, the tools are only open to Federal government users, but public access is a priority. Contractors will have access to some (but not all) of the same tools as they work on RFPs and pricing their products and services for the government marketplace.

If you’re interested in seeing what exactly the newest updates are, the GSA has created a handy infographic to explain everything. There’s also a great preview video showing what’s new and what’s coming up. 

Expiring Contracts give GSA a Chance for Change

Making government purchasing more streamlined and consolidated has been the mission of the GSA for the last couple years, especially since the new GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth was sworn in. With so many professional services contracts expiring in fiscal year 2016 and even more coming up for expiration in fiscal year 2017, the opportunity is ripe to implement changes and get agencies working together and consolidate purchasing. The consolidation of multiple GSA contracts into the new PSS (Professional Services Schedule) was a starting off point.

Fewer contracting vehicles would mean a simpler way to purchase professional services that agencies need. The goal is to not increase the number of indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts but to better utilize the ones that exist. Whether that means expanding GSA Schedules or OASIS, there are already vehicles out there for the services that the government purchases. There seems to be no need to increase the burden on the government by creating more and more IDIQs when existing contracts can be utilized and any new ones that would be created would exist within current frameworks.

Only 20 percent of government professional services spending is currently running through GSA with the rest going through the open market. Despite the governments wishes, open market competition is continually increasing, 10% between 2011 and 2014 (according to Bloomberg Government) creating the need for more contracting officers and more management, further bloating the government and its buying power.

Theoretically, this move will also increase competition. According to Bloomberg Government, about 80% of federal government spending on general professional services went to just 140 companies. Although there is a chance that those business then subcontracted to others, that is a very small number of companies gather a bulk of the work and money.

Utilizing the current vendor base (all vendors on the GSA have gone through a stringent approval process) and potentially making it easier for start ups to join the GSA can make this particular effort just what the government needs to stop creating new IDIQs and make sure they are utilizing government purchasing power in the best way!

25 Years and Counting

Back in the 1980’s a college student, attending Cleveland State University, was making ends meet while working for his older brother’s company. After graduation he continued to work for his brother’s company, Procurement Services, but as most brothers do they began to disagree about the direction of the business. One brother was very content with the consulting aspect that Procurement Services had been offering for years, while the other brother wanted to grow the company and broaden the scope of services.

In light of that, Government Contract Services, Inc. (GCS) was born on October 15, 1990. Our founder, Brian A Purgert, has continued to grow the company ever since. We began to specialize in assisting companies who needed to submit a quote or proposal for government work. Our Bid, Proposal and Award Program helps companies find opportunities within the Federal Government that they could fulfill. We would them assist in formulating a quote or proposal, depending on the type of opportunity. Once a client was awarded a contract our team would then help manage that contract.

The early years of GCS also coincided with the initiation of the Federal Supply Schedules (FSS). The FSS contracts have changed a lot since its inception, GCS has kept up with the changes. Today we focus on assisting companies obtain a GSA Contract and with those that are currently GSA Contractors.

However, we have not forgotten our roots of assisting with the submission of quotes and proposals. Government Contract Services, Inc. is a full service consulting firm that can take a company’s government sales to the next level. Interested in learning about how we can help your company? Send us an email, info@govconsvcs.com

Is “Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable” really the best way?

The government has embraced the idea of “Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable” (LPTA) for procurement. The idea behind the phrase is simply this; when the government procures whatever it may need, they will look at the lowest price first and then continue to work their way up the price ladder until a technically acceptable option is achieved. Theoretically, this gives the government the lowest possible price for the best level of quality for products or services that they need.

According to Deltek, between fiscal year 2009-2014 the use of LPTA for purchasing grew 55% in civilian agencies and 24% within the DoD, so we know that the government is utilizing this option more and more. What kind of pressure does that put on vendors’ bottom line who are constantly competing for the government business? For example, if a service company is bidding on and wins a LPTA bid, the first cuts they typically make to meet their bidding price are salaries and benefits for those working on the project. With service companies’ margins getting tighter and tighter, some are deciding to exit the federal market altogether.

However, LPTA might potentially be on its way out as the main purchasing format due to the extra cost of restructuring contracts if services are not up to par at the low price that was accepted. Those kinds of changes cost the US government time and money, making it more frugal to start off with a slightly higher price in exchange for much better quality and technical acceptability.

It’s also important to note that total federal dollars spent on contracting is actually dropping. In 2008, total contracts awarded was at $541.3 billion, falling to $445.4 billion in fiscal 2014 and ending up (year to date FY 2015, which ends on October 1) at only $329 billion (USAspending.gov). Unfortunately, these figures don’t tell whether the government is really buying everything cheaper utilizing LPTA or just buying less.

In both products and services areas, contractors coming up against LPTA should focus on their technical acceptability and quality as factor number one of proposals. Your technical capabilities are what make your company unique and what really make you stand out. Once the government reaches the “Technically acceptable level, they will look for the highest return at that price point. Also, doing pricing research on your main government competitors and seeing where your pricing falls is quite important. Putting those two pieces of information together will put you on the path to conquering the LPTA proposal with success.

What should you plan on for the new fiscal year?

Federal Agencies put together their budget at the end of each fiscal year for the next year. Once that budget is approved, it becomes their forecasting report. Forecasting reports differ slightly from agency to agency.  In general they are the list of goods and services that the agency will be spending their budget on throughout the year. Vendors can use these reports to get an idea which agencies have money allocated to their goods or services for the upcoming fiscal year.

So how do you go about forecasting for your company? First of all, we would suggest knowing which agencies you want to target. This can be done by looking at what agencies spent the most in your industry in previous years. USA Spending is a great resource for that information, USASpending.gov. Once you have your target list, you can begin looking at forecasting reports for those agencies. Most agencies have a page on their website dedicated to procurement. The Environmental Protection Agency’s page is a good example: EPA Procurement Forecasting Database.

Some agencies forecasting reports can be very general in the type of information they provide, whereas other are very detailed. Generally we can tell what they are forecasting (goods or services) and when they are looking at purchasing it. Some tell you how they plan on purchasing it (open competition, DoD EMall, GSA Schedule, etc.), who the technical point of contact is, the estimated value of the contract, etc.

Once you have your list of opportunities from your targeted agencies, what do you do with this information? First, we want to rank them by priority. Typically the opportunities that will be posted the soonest take first priority. We then recommend reaching out the point of contact. Whether it is the technical point of contact or the general purchasing point of contact found on the procurement page for that agency and begin a dialogue about that specific opportunity. 

When starting the dialogue you want to focus on two things, one being building a relationship with the potential buyer and the other being gathering information about the specific opportunity. The most important question to ask when inquiring about an opportunity is if there is an incumbent, if there is they should give you the name of the company. You also want to know if they are happy with them and what areas they are looking to improve. Some buyers are willing to share this with you while others are not so be prepared for a no when you ask. If there is not an incumbent than you want to find out if they plan on releasing a sources sought or RFI prior to the solicitation or if the statement of work has already been prepared. If the statement of work has not been prepared or finalized yet this means that you have a chance to offer up your industry knowledge and expertise to the buyer.

There are many different questions you can ask depending on the opportunity and the agency you are dealing with. Keep in mind the questions you ask when looking at a current solicitation and begin to ask those of the forecasted opportunities. Using forecasting reports as one tool in your government marketplace arsenal will give you the chance to be a more successful contractor. 

Temporary Freeze on Awards of MOBIS (Schedule 874) Contracts

Due to the transition of all MOBIS Contracts to the new Professional Services Schedule, 00CORP, the General Services Administration is putting a freeze on awarding new contracts. Orders have come down from the GSA Regions 10 office in Seattle, who are the Mangers for the MOBIS Contracts.

The GSA has starting informing contractors that have submitted their information for this contract that effective immediately no awards will be made pending the October 2015 transition. There is a silver lining to the situation however, once awards begin being made to those pending they will receive the new Professional Services Schedule Contract. This opens a huge door for those companies, you’re not limited by the scope of the MOBIS contract.

To take a look at what SINs are included under Professional Services you can take a look at GSA’s eLibrary here: http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/scheduleSummary.do;jsessionid=4AC8018C72E9A8CDF3E4BBF0B84321EB.prd2pweb

Keep in mind that adding any of these new categories will have to wait until you’re officially awarded your GSA Contract.

As always, if you have any questions feel free to give us a call!

Government Cyber-Safety at Risk

The government seems to be consistently behind the curve of Information Technology purchasing. Is that because they are slow to adopt or do they have other difficulties in acquiring the newest and the best?

Being so far behind the curve of IT purchasing not only wastes taxpayers money, it also leaves the government extremely vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Earlier this year, millions of current and former federal workers’ data was stolen from the Office of Personnel Management. Prior to that attack, security clearance information was stolen from the same office. Software used by the government, sometimes even including infrastructure, is not able to repel determined cyber-attacks and hacks.

All these problems result from the government’s old and difficult ways of purchasing. The best and brightest of the information technology world, centered in Silicon Valley, are not open to working with the government due to purchasing methods that are old and outdated. Some government agencies will not even consider purchasing a product that has not been on the market for at least 2 years. With how quickly technology moves, this leaves the government vulnerable and open to attack.

Around June of 2015, the United States Navy signed a $9 million dollar contract to continue providing security patches for the Windows XP operating system, which had an original release date of October of 2001. Microsoft stopped support for the system in April 2014, but the US government is paying $9 million dollars to continue the support of the system. Reason being? The latest operating system, which is more secure for the government to use, has not been on the market long enough, according to government procurement rules, to be considered.

Looking forward, The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016 is being debated in Congress at this time and within it are acquisition reform provisions; including  some procurement rules that could potential be repealed. At the top of that list is easing restrictions on Information Technology Purchases, which will entice startups and the “best and brightest” of Silicon Valley to help the government upgrade to better and, more importantly, safer hardware and software.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/us/office-of-personnel-management-hackers-got-data-of-millions.html?_r=0

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1735?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22hr1735%5C%22%22%5D%7D&resultIndex=1

http://fortune.com/2015/06/24/navy-microsoft-windows-xp/

Latest on the GSA and cyber assurance-

The General Services Administration has been working on several changes due to the latest increase in cyber security issues. The first being a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and the second being yet another addition to the Schedule 70 service offering.

The GSA is awarding a BPA for credit monitoring and identity protections services to address future issues, coming after the hack of The Office of Personnel Management’s security clearance database.

To also assist with future issues the GSA has release an RFI to determine if adding a SIN (Special Item Number) to Schedule 70 would be advantageous. It would cover hardware, software and services that fall under cyber assurance, virus detection, intrusion detection and network management.

You can take a look at the RFI that is currently on FedBizOpps here: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=68e1e8b5cc17539fc9d4d8ee53189344

Responses to the RFI are currently due September 11, 2015 at 4PM EST.

If you need assistance with responding to the RFI or just have questions in general feel free to give us a call at 216-662-7044. 

Government Marketplace- How well do you know it?

Most businesses that we talk to on a regular basis about their government sales have some kind of idea of the agencies that they want to sell their products/services to and what other companies will be going after the same opportunities. However, when we ask them where they came up with that information it is mostly based on their commercial business. While this is a great start there is a lot of information available that is specific to the government market.

So, what type of information should you be looking at? To start you want to have an idea of the following:

·         What agencies are really spending the most on your products/services

o   Who in those agencies are purchasing it

o   Does that agency have anything forecasted in your industry

o   How are they purchasing it i.e. GSA Schedule, Sole Source, etc.

o   What type of set asides do they purchase from

·         Who are the contractors that are being awarded the most contracts

o   Who are their largest buyers

o   Do they have any set asides

o   Do they hold any contracting vehicles i.e. GSA Schedule, Blanket Purchase Agreement, etc.

Being able to answer the above listed questions will give you a good idea of what agencies you should be targeting (along with why, how and when) and who you will most likely be competing with when going after those agencies opportunities.

There are a few sites that we would recommend visiting to start gathering this information:

·         https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/index.php/en/

·         https://www.fbo.gov/

·         http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/home.do

And if you have any questions or want a point in the right direction you can take advantage of our free market research report to get started. Just schedule an appointment: http://government-contract-services.reservio.com/

Does your firm qualify for 8(a) status and the sole sourcing that comes along with it?

If you are a small business you have heard of contractors receiving a sole source because they are 8(a) certified. What does this mean and how do you get one?

First, you have to go through the grueling 8(a) certification process, which seems like you are allowing the Small Business Administration access to your life. If you make it to the end of the process with a certification than you are very lucky, these days SBA has been cracking down on requirements. So what exactly does is mean and what is this sole source?

A sole source contract means that the agency that is purchasing does not have to put that service and/or product out for bid. Right now this can only be done for firms that hold the 8(a) status, soon to be woman owned small businesses as well. The reasoning behind it comes from what it means to be an 8(a) firm.

To qualify to submit an application for the certification you need to meet the following:

·         Business must be majority-owned by an individual(s) (aka no holding companies)

·         That individual(s) must be an American citizen

·         Business must be majority-owned and controlled/managed by socially and economically disadvantaged individual (s)

o   In order to qualify as socially disadvantaged you need to belong to one of the following:

§  Black American

§  Hispanic American

§  Native American

§  Asian Pacific American

§  Subcontinent Asian American

o   In order to qualify as economically disadvantaged the individual(s) your net worth must be below $250,000

§  That does not include the value of the primary home, business or any retirement funds

·         Business must be considered a small business

·         Business must demonstrate potential for success

·         Principals must show good character

These are just the initial requirements, if you want to find out more information and if your firm qualifies take a look at the SBA’s 8(a) Certification Q&A: https://www.sba.gov/blogs/sbas-8a-certification-program-explained

Reorganization and Goals at the GSA

The General Services Administration has spent the last couple years reorganizing both contracts and personnel with a large goal in mind. Create a simple and intuitive way for government agencies to spend the hundreds of billions of dollars they spend each year while making the smartest decisions. Leading the way the consolidated contract known as the Professional Services Schedule (PSS).
The goal of “PSS” is to simplify complex contract requirements. That’s really all it is. There’s no reason for all the professional services to be separated out when so many of them are interconnected and any different ones are needed to complete a single requirement.

On the personnel side, senior procurement executives are receiving more training and are focusing on how agencies are spending and knowing how best to help them. There’s more analytical work going on than ever before. The GSA seems to be catching on to big data and how that can help agencies purchases the best products and services while making sure they stay within budget.

That focus on simplification and efficiency seems to circle around bigger and better digital tools, for everyone involved; buyers, contractors, and contracting officers alike. On the contracting officer side, the GSA is looking to provide tools for information sharing between COs.

Looks like the GSA is moving, rather slowly, but moving into the digital age, although it’s a process with hurdles of its own. Data protection and fear of hacking has lead the CIO Council to issue a BPA for data breach services. They understand the need for instant in help in the case of data hacking.

So there it is. Slowly but sure the GSA is trying to modernize and protect itself while they do it. Only time will tell if works.

What’s changing for WOSBs

Woman Owned Small Business are going to be granted the same privileges as 8(a) businesses when it comes to set aside a rules. The SBA is planning on amending the WOSB and EDWOSB set aside, allowing contracting officers award sole source contracts and setting the procurement goal at 5% of all small business.

The SBA was looking for input on the proposed program changes are the responses have been positive. Here’s some great highlights.

·         “Fast tracking” the Sole Source Authority for WOSBs will promote Women Owned Small Businesses to contracting officers who have found the business they want to work with. There won’t be a need for the long and drawn out RFQ/RFP process under the value thresholds of $6.5 million for manufacturing contracts and $4 million for all others.

·         Setting the procurement goal at 5% on par with 8(a) programs will create the “level playing field” that WOSB have long desired. This will have the great effect of promoting WOSB to the government in not only “underrepresented” industries but across the board.

·         Efforts to meet the new deadline for January 2, 2016 to determine “underrepresented” industries within the WOSB is a great approach to determining where WOSBs are needed

But what will change for Women Owned Small Business? Most importantly, self-certification will be a thing of the past.

If you’re interested in taking a look at the proposed rules, check out the Federal Register document here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-05-01/pdf/2015-10331.pdf. The document also give you the chance to cross reference some FAR and CFR regulation on Women Owned Small Business programs that will be changes once this proposed rule goes into effect.

Small Business Goals

For the second year in a row the Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that the Federal Government has met its small business goal. 24.99% of federal contracts were given to small businesses, this is the highest percentage since the 23% goal was established in 1997. Though 24.99% is only a quarter of federal contracts that were awarded to in FY 2014, it accounted for $91.1 Billion in federal contracts.

The small business goals for FY 2015 are as follows:
Small Business 23%
Women-Owned Small Business 5%
Small Disadvantage Business 5%
HUBZone 3%
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business 3%
Veteran-Owned Small Business 3%

If your business falls into one of these categories, or you think you may fall into one of these categories, and you are not doing as much government business as you want setup a time to discuss your situation with one of your consultants. At the very least our consultant will be able to answer questions and point you in a direction.

Schedule your free consultation today: http://government-contract-services.reservio.com/ 

Cloud computing and the GSA

Among the constant changes at the General Services Administration, one that has come in slightly under the radar is the release of a new special item number under schedule 70.
The recently released “Cloud” special item number is created to streamline the purchase of all cloud services through a single SIN. This small change with shorten time for procurement and will clear any confusion on whether the GSA is looking for a cloud-based or premise-based solutions.
SIN 132-40 includes commercially available cloud computing services but the most exciting part for contractors is the inclusion of Infrastructure as a Services (IaaS), Platform as a Services (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). While SaaS has been growing commercial as the best way to deliver the newest and best software, the GSA has been lagging in adapting of this delivery and service option. With the ability to purchase SaaS clearly as that, the GSA will be moving forward with technology updates!

If you’re interested in seeing whether your software falls within the Cloud Computing umbrella, take a look at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) “Definition of Cloud Computing”. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf.
There’s also a great checklist that you can use to make sure that your offerings fit. NIST has created this for contractors to avoid confusion.
 http://www.gsa.gov/portal/mediaId/227403/fileName/Response_Template_and_Checklist_for_Cloud_SIN_05202015.action (It’s on Page Two!)

For contractors looking to add this SIN to their GSA offerings, make sure that you include the corresponding NAICS code (518210 data processing, hosting, and related services) on your SAM. Always make sure that you are compliant.

This small change to schedule 70 does mark the GSA moving forward, technology wise. More and more companies are offering their products and services in a cloud computing model which benefits the buyer and seller equal.

Just like submitting any modification, adding SIN 132-40 requires some paperwork. Make sure you read through the solicitation document and follow the instructions closely. And check out the GSA’s page on the Cloud Special Item Number Project- http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/199547.
 

New Contractor Assessment Report

Do you have a Contractor Assistance Visit (CAV) coming up? The GSA has made some changes to the Contractor Assessment Report, you will want to be aware of what they are looking for.

For those of you have been through a CAV previously you know that there were certain items listed as "critical" which were the items that your Contracting Officer would list as "serious concerns exist" and ensure that corrections are made. The second category was "mandatory, but not critical" which is exactly what it sounds like. And lastly, "the extras" which include essentially everything else.

With the new Contractor Assessment Report the categories described above are non-existent. The new categories are broken into the following:

• Sales Reporting
• Did the contractor meet the sales requirement?
• Are they reporting on time?
• Are they reporting all GSA sales?
• Pricing
• Did the contractor demonstrate compliance with pricing requirements?
• Are you pricing based on your awarded price list?
• Prompt Payment Discounts
• Did the contractor demonstrate compliance with prompt payment discounts?
• If you were awarded them are you actively using them?
• Scope
• Did the contractor demonstrate compliance with scope of contract?
• Are you on selling what is on your contract?
• Trade Agreements Act
• Did the contractor demonstrate compliance with Trade agreements act?
• eCommerce
• Did the contractor demonstrate compliance with eCommerce requirements?
• Did you accept government pay cards?
• Did you fill all GSA Advantage orders?
• Delivery
• Did the contractor demonstrate compliance with delivery requirements?
• If you are awarded FOB Destination are you including shipping in your price?
• If you are FOB Origin are you charging for shipping correctly?

The questions are not all inclusive and are just examples of what will fall under each category. Before your CAV be sure that you are aware of your specific contract information and can answer the above and it will go smoothly. 

00CORP- you don’t have to start over!

Your company has been working diligently, collecting paperwork and filling out documents for months now, all to submit a proposal against one of GSA’s service schedules. Countless hours have been spent and lots of confusion understanding government documents has happened. But you’ve figured it out, worked with the system and are almost ready to submit.

Then you heard the news: the services schedules are no longer accepting solicitations against them! All that work for nothing. Not so fast…

The recent refresh to the solicitation for services contracts had the following blurb: “New offers for GSA Schedules 520 (FABS), 541 (AIMS), 738II (Language), 871 (PES), 874 (MOBIS), 874V (Logistics), and 899 (Environmental) are no longer being solicited or accepted.” If you read on, the solicitation directs all potential applicants to 00CORP.

So all that hard work later you think, “Great.. Now I have to start over with a new solicitation?!”

Not quite.

00CORP does have some of its own extra requirements, but a lot of the work that you’ve done is still valid! The special item numbers you’ve selected still apply and the narratives that you’ve worked so hard to craft still work. But here are some quick tips in case 00CORP has your company stressed out!

Tip 1: make sure you transfer all your info to the templates for the 00CORP Solicitation. The headers are correct on the documents found at this link- https://goo.gl/9kCqkM

Tip 2: The special items that you selected are still correct. Just add a “c” in front of them to signify consolidated

Tip 3: The summary of offer document for 00CORP is very different than the services one was. Make sure you read through it carefully and provide all the necessary information!

Professional Services Schedule

Our industry has been hearing about the elusive Professional Services Schedule for years. Well after countless push backs and mysteries it is finally here.

Although the time has come and gone for submitting your migration request of June 1st, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. This is what we know:

• If you have more than one of the following schedules then you should have submitted your migration request: 520, 871, 874, 874 V, 738 II, or 899.
• Once the migration is complete you will have 1 GSA Contract with a brand new Contract number and term. Which means that you will only have to worry about the $25,000 minimum sales requirement for one Schedule. 
• The GSA has promised that all migrations that were submitted by the June 1st deadline will be completed before October 1st.
• If you did not submit your migration request by June 1st you need to contact your contracting officer and explain your situation ASAP!
• GSA has stated that contractors who have not done so are not guaranteed migration by Oct 1st and after Oct 1st they will be canceling one of those contractors multiple schedule. Of which you have no choice and it will be done at random.
• For new contractors going under any of those schedule you will directed to submit a 00 Corp.
• However, you will be at the back of the line waiting for the GSA to complete all of the migrations first. 

For as long as the GSA has been discussing this we know very little. We do not have any inkling how the GSA will handle those contractors who only have 1 of the included schedules.

For the time being, if you have not submitted your migration please please please contact your contracting officer. If the GSA decides to enlighten us with additional information the GCS team will be sure to share it. 

8a stars

Among the many different contract vehicles the government offers for purchasing a variety of products and service, 8(a) STARS II is a small business dream- for information technology firms. This Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) provides a large and diverse pool IT contractors for the government to award direct task orders for up to $4 million dollars. Imagine, shortening or even avoiding the bidding and proposal process all together.

Contractors must fall under the one or more of the following functional areas to be considered:

1.       Customer computer programming services (NAICS 541511)

2.       Computer systems design services (NAICS 541512)

3.       Computer facilities management services (NAICS 541513)

4.       Other computer related services (NAICS 541519)

There’s a broad spectrum to choose from!

Federal agencies are continually being encouraged to utilize 8(a) business and the DoD has called out 8(a) Stars by name as a great way for agencies to meet small business goals while obtaining the necessary information technology services. The program has a $10 billion dollar ceiling and is available to all agencies.

The process for applying to be on the 8(a) Stars GWAC contains quite a bit of paperwork and information that will need to be submitted. Those contractors who have GSA schedules know what we are talking. You’ll need to provide pricing data, company information, understand all the terms and conditions, as well as proving your company’s technical expertise and experience.

The 8(a) Stars II GWAC is set to be released in the spring of 2015 and will be open for application. You can check out the original contract on FBO (see link below) and start planning ahead. The open season will start at the release of the new solicitation and make sure you check out our other social media for the exact release date! We’ll let you know when it’s available.

FBO link to original 8(a) Stars: https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=db6d7c2fcc7d3be50ebcdedefa1139eb&tab=core&_cview=1

GSA 8(a) Stars Info:

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/105243

More information on functional areas:

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/208177#fa1

What to do about the GSA sales requirement

As a GSA Contractor you have felt the breathe of your contracting officer on the back of your neck when you're not or barely meeting your sales requirement of $25,000 a year. So what do you do about it?Well it depends on how many years in you are and whether or not you have made any progress.

If you receive that dreaded letter asking you what you have been doing to increase your GSA sales then you need to respond with a very compelling argument as to why you should get an extension. If you have been making a good faith effort and you have seen nothing in return chances are you will get that extension. If you honestly have not put much effort into it than say that! But, back it up with a good plan of how you will be moving forward. This should include the efforts you will make to market your GSA Contract to the Federal Agencies.

So this sounds great in theory but you have been unsuccessful in the past what will be different? You will! Whether you need to hire a firm that will assist with some of the steps or if you just need to hunker down and make it happen. The very thing that you need to do is come up with a plan.

A good GSA Marketing plan, yes those do exist, include a snap shot of the market. You're probably saying that you know who you competition is, but have you really done an in depth comparison before? You should also know what your target market is, what agencies purchase your products or services the most and who are the people within that agency do you need to talk to? Once you are armed with this information you can start your action plan. The 4 P's (Product, Price, Place and Promotion) still exist in the government market. So create your plan around them.

This is a lot of work and a lot of time and effort, but it will pay off in the end. If you want a little push on getting started schedule an appointment for our free market analysis which will get you started on knowing your competition and target market.
Click here to schedule yours today: http://government-contract-services.reservio.com/

Professional Services Schedule

The GSA is continuing to consolidate and streamline the different acquisition channels available to government purchasers. The major push in this effort is to consolidate professional services into a single “Professional Services Schedule” (PSS). The ever increasing number of vendors on the multiple professional services schedules has led to the movement for consolidation.

The following schedules are in the process of migration:

·         Consolidated (00CORP)

·         MOBIS (874)

·         PES (871)

·         FABS (520)

·         AIMS (541)

·         LOGWORLD (874V)

·         Environmental (899)

·         Language (738 II)

Contractors that belong to these schedules and provide professional services have been receiving letters, requesting they begin the migration process. Contractors should have received migration notices by the end of December. The process for migration consists of submitting a modification against the current contract and providing required documentation, similar to submitting the original offer. Everything will be reviewed and your contract will be migrated.

This change will provide easy ways to purchase as well as easing the burden on contractors with multiple services schedules, which are all maintained and audited separately. Contract administration resources within companies will now only have to manage a single contacting vehicle. For the purpose of reporting sales, conducting Contractor Assistance Visits, and managing eBuy solicitations, PSS will be a huge change on contract admin resources for the better.

In terms of providing services, GSA solicitation will be able to post solicitation against PSS that span more than one professional service and gain monetary benefit from single responses to multi-discipline requests. 

Information Technology and Human Resources contractors need not worry just yet- SIN 132 51 for IT and 595-21 for HR aren’t being migrated. Your schedules are staying just the way they are.