Rockville Women’s Business Center – GSA Schedules and Federal Contracts Training
Montgomery County’s Rockville Women’s Business Center (RWBC) helps Montgomery County’s diverse population start and build successful women-owned enterprises that are positioned for long-term growth in our community.
RWBC is a program of the non-profit Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI). The Washington Post noted in Jan 2011, “A study conducted to assess the need for a center revealed a dearth in resources for female entrepreneurs. Continue reading »
Event: Sept 22, 2011- Doing Business with GSA Webinar
Part of a 5 part series of webinars designed by the Office of Small Business Utilization (OSBU) with the goal of success for the small business. Learn about opportunities with GSA from GSA directly. This training includes an overview of GSA programs, provide sources of support and highlights the mentor protege program. Training updates are continually available at www.gsa.gov/osbu or follow OSBU on Twitter at Continue reading »
Veteran-Owned Companies Get More Deals
According to CNNMoney, soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan can look forward to a different kind of action when they reach U.S. soil: help for their businesses.
More government agencies and private firms are setting aside more contracts — or procurement goals –for veteran-owned companies.
The trend comes as President Barack Obama visited the Washington Navy Yard last Friday to propose a series of job-boosting moves for veterans, including tax credits for firms that hire unemployed veterans and a challenge to the private sector to hire 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by 2014. Continue reading »
If at First You Don’t Succeed — Protest!
As was predicted by many industry analysts, including Aronson’s own Hope Lane, the relatively new found ability to protest task order awards combined with the austere procurement budgets of many agencies has resulted in more protests. 1,989 protests were filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in fiscal year 2009 which represented a 20% increase from 2008. This was on top of a 17% increase in protests from 2007 to 2008.
Some commentators argue that the increase in protests has more to do with the increase in the number of procurements and is not attributable to a sense of desperation in the industry. However, as the government presumably starts to award fewer contracts disappointed bidders may not feel that they can just win the next one because there may not be a next one. Further, a contractor that does not win a seat on an agency’s multi-award IDIQ contracts may be effectively shut out of that market for years to come. Continue reading »
Are You Required To Do EEO-1 Reporting?
Written by Stacey Holst, SPHR, HR Business Partner
As organizations change in size and scope, so do associated compliance requirements. Reevaluating and fulfilling new obligations for recordkeeping and reporting is essential to controlling liability. Organizations experiencing organic growth, receiving federal contracts or subcontracts, or involved in mergers and acquisitions should be especially aware of potential compliance changes.
The EEO-1 Joint Reporting Committee has determined which organizations are mandated Continue reading »
GSA Sales Success (Part 2) – “Do or Do Not. There is No Try”
Resources to Help Successfully Market Yourself to the Federal Government. The GSA General Supplies and Service’s (GSS), Schedules Contractor Success-Marketing Matters! group was created on GSA Interact to help current GSA Schedule contract holders successfully market themselves to the federal government. Available at the group’s site:
- Link to the free webinar video series “GSA Schedules Training for Vendor Success”
- Downloadable resources,
- Monthly Q&A conference calls with GSA marketing professionals,
- Discussion boards, and more. Continue reading »
GSA Sales Success (Part 1) – Knowledge is Key for Success
GSA Seeks to Understand and Improve Under-performing Schedule Contracts. GSA is investing in MAS Contractors’ Success Through Contractor Readiness and Sustainment Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Project. The goal of the project is to increase the probability of Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors’ success throughout the contract lifecycle. One key finding – In reviewing the number of days to first sale for the top five revenue producing Multiple Award Schedules, it took a median of 268 days (approximately 9 months) to reach the first sale over $100K.
A key objective of the pre-award work is to help ensure businesses have realistic expectations of what it takes to be a successful MAS contractor. During the post award, the primary objective is Continue reading »
CAS Applicability Threshold Linked for Inflation
The Cost Accounting Standards Board recently issued an interim rule to increase the CAS applicability threshold, so what is the impact? Only a $50,000 increase so not much of an impact to contractors. The interim rule would increase the dollar threshold for CAS applicability for negotiated contracts and subcontracts in excess of US$650,000 to US$700,000. Thereafter, the CAS applicability threshold would be tied to the periodic inflation threshold set for the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA). Continue reading »
Event: Win Business from Discovery, Marriott, MedImmune and Westat!
June 21, 2011 – The Gazette of Politics and Business in cooperation with Montgomery County, MD Department of Economic Development, invites you to “Bagels & Business,” a new quarterly breakfast series designed to help small businesses learn how to “do business” and “connect” with some of the county’s largest employers.
Limited Seating! Must register by June 15, 2011.
Small Businesses – Update Your DSBS Profile to Make a Match
By Bill Hamilton, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.
Many businesses ignore the utility of SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS), or submit as little information as possible to this search capability because they are afraid that they are giving out company secrets.
Contracting Officers and Small Business Specialists are frequently tasked to identify candidate companies for bidders in specific procurements that are narrow in scope or so small the Government does not want the expense of a formal “full and open competition.” Often, the first place they look is the DSBS where they can search for companies by many factors, including: geographic location, Congressional District, and Government certifications including (8(a), Small Disadvantaged Business, Hub Zone, etc. Continue reading »
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What We Are Writing
- A Marriage of Inconvenience: GSA Schedule Contracts & The Contractor Code of Business Ethics & Conduct Clause
- Emerging Small Businesses: To Grow Your Business, You Must Plan For Growth
- Government Contracting: Look Before You Leap!
- GSA Schedules – Strategies for Success
- New Employee vs. Independent Contractor Considerations
- Pay on Display – Understanding the Executive Compensation and Subcontractor Data Reporting Requirements & Ramifications
- The GSA Schedule: Your Ticket to the Federal Market (May 2010)
- The New FAR Codes of Conduct and Compliance Program Provisions
- The Seven Deadly Sins (of contract compliance)