Archive for July, 2009

Top Contractors And Agencies For ARRA Contracts

Friday, July 31st, 2009

We did a compilation of the Top Federal Contractors, the Top 100 Small Business Federal Contractors receiving federal contracts under ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009), and the Top Agencies awarding contracts under the new Act.  The reports posted below are current based on data obtained from FPDS-NG as of 07/30/09:

• Top 100 Federal Contractors receiving ARRA contracts
• Top 100 Small Business Federal Contractors receiving ARRA contracts
• Top Agencies awarding contracts under ARRA

For further details and other new reports such as this one, go to www.fedmine.us or email amehan@fedmine.us.

State Stimulus Web Sites Receive Failing Grade

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Good Jobs First, in conjunction with the Coalition for An Accountable Recovery issued a report this week that was highly critical of the various state stimulus web sites.  President Obama promised to implement a recovery plan with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability.  Much of the Stimulus funds are being spent by the states.  Yet according to this study, the state stimulus web sites are doing a poor job covering job creation, contract awards and location of projects.  In fact, the average grade was an abysmal 28.2 on a scale of 100.  Two states, Utah and Illinois received scores of zero.  The administration called on states to create stimulus web sites but has no direct control over the content and quality.

There is some good news though for local contractors and transparency advocates.  Maryland’s stimulus web site  received a score of 80 points and was rated the best in the country by far.  This web site, combined with Montgomery County’s Stimulus Opportunity System, provide visibility into the stimulus funds that is unavailable to most of the remainder of the country.  Also of local interest,  Virginia tied for 15th best web site with a score of 35 and the District of Columbia , with a score of only 15, amazingly tied it for 34th best website.

GSA Schedule IFF Reporting Due July 30th; Get Your Schedule Ready for Gov’t Year-End!

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

A gentle reminder to GSA Schedule Contract holders – if you haven’t already done so, your 72A IFF reporting and remittance is due tomorrow, July 30th. Timely reporting and remittance of the IFF is an evaluation factor on the GSA Report Card, so it is very important to report by Thursday, even if you have not had any sales for the quarter.

As we begin to enter the always-hectic end of the Government fiscal year, we also encourage you to take a moment to evaluate your GSA Schedule. Is your pricelist up-to-date and does it include all of the products and services you need to capture sales quickly? Are you in compliance with the terms and conditions of your contract so that the sales you do close don’t come back to haunt you? If not or if you aren’t sure, contact Aronson to discuss how we can help you make the most of the 4Q feeding frenzy and come out unscathed.

Contractors: Make Your Voice Heard; Respond By July 31

Friday, July 24th, 2009

In an effort to help Government Contractors have more wins, the Government Contracting Network (GovConNet) has launched a high quality 2009 Government Contractor Benefit Survey.  The Launch was announced by the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce in late May and included information on benefits to Survey participant including receipt of a FREE Individual Customized Report (ICR) that will show a Government Contractor how their benefits stack up both regionally and versus a National Employer Benchmark of over 4,300 other employers.  The Survey is user-friendly and easy to take and answers are stored online on a secure site (https). 

Respond by July 31 by following this link: https://2009survey.millimanomaha.com/survey/246792/f6c1/?LQID=1&b=GOVCONNET

Stimulus Construction Costs Less Than Anticipated

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

At a recent conference, officials from GSA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) noted that bids for stimulus contracts are being submitted for significantly less than the government in-house estimates.  Bids for GSA contracts are approximately 10% less than expected.  This will enable GSA to fund more than the original 254 projects submitted to Congress.  DOT experienced greater reductions, initially ranging from 20% to 40% below the engineering estimates and now averaging 15% below the  estimates.  DOT is working with the states to allocate the unused funds to additional projects in economically distressed areas.  DOT believes the aggressive bids are the result of unemployment in the construction industry which is as high as 20% in some parts of the country.  There is some evidence that construction firms are bidding at cost just to get mobilized again.   However all parties believe that the bids for construction contracts will return to normal once the economy improves.

New, Free, Stimulus Opportunity System (SOS) helps Montgomery County Businesses

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

In an effort to help the Montgomery County business community find current federal stimulus and other federal contract and grant opportunities, the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development has launched the new FREE Stimulus Opportunity System (SOS).  SOS is a searchable online tool to help local businesses learn about, and better compete for, the more than $787 billion worth of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) contracting and grant opportunities, as well as other federal contracting opportunities expected to exceed $500 billion in FY09.

The Stimulus Opportunity System (SOS), located at at www.smartmontgomery.org, provides essential information including department, agency, solicitation number, contract or grant name, online link and post date as well as useful links including:
• FedBizStat – track federal contract awards and related data
• Teaming contacts – complete company name, address and contact information
• Stimulus funded programs – sorted by agency, sub-agency, category and amount

For more information on this and other targeted programs and resources of the Department of Economic Development, visit www.smartmontgomery.com.

GSA Contractors May Now Sell Products Manufactured In Taiwan

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

On July 15, 2009 the Office of the United States Trade Representative issued a determination   regarding  a waiver of discriminatory purchasing requirements with respect to the goods and services of Taiwan.

Taiwan, a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2008, submitted its instrument of accession to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) committee on June 15, 2009 and was subsequently approved.  Now that Taiwan is a member of the GPA, any previous Trade Agreements Act prohibitions have been lifted.

An excerpt from from the Federal Register reads, “In accordance with section 301(b)(1) of the Trade Agreements Act, Taiwan (known in the WTO as Chinese Taipei) is so designated for the purpose of section 301(a) of the Trade Agreements Act.

If  all the above regulatory and legal jargon is confusing, I have attached the notice from the Federal Register for your reading pleasure: Federal Register Notice

For a full listing of Trade Agreements Act designated countries, refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 25.003.

“Stimulus is Here” – July 21st conference

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Funds, Work and Opportunities in Greater Washington – Stimulus funding is being felt here first. This conference is designed to provide detailed guidance for applying for funds and complying with the substantial regulations and requirements. Program Highlights:

• Expectations and Opportunities Associated with Stimulus Funding
• Department of Energy: Renewables, Weatherization, Energy Efficiency, Research and More
• GSA Stimulus Plans:  The Implications for Greater Washington’s Federal Buildings
• The Regional Leaders on Stimulus – convenes the regional representatives for the stimulus
• Transportation Stimulus Plans
• Getting the Work and Understanding the Rules. (1) The application process and winning contracts. Special emphasis on GSA schedules, subcontracting and other procurement details. (2) Insights into the risks and responsibilities that accompany stimulus work including: new regulations, comprehensive reporting and compliance requirements and the implications of “Buy American.”

Breakout Sessions will further explore the stimulus opportunities and implications for specific industries.  Guest speakers and panelists include: Edward DeSeve, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Implementation; Paul Prouty, Acting Administrator, General Services Administration (GSA); Hope Lane, Officer, Aronson & Company; and more.

Click here for more information and registration.

When: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 8:00am – 3:00pm
Where: National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20045
Suggested Dress: Business Attire
Cost: $295 for non-members; $195 for members of the Greater Washington Board of Trade

VA Halts 45 IT Projects Based On Information Revealed By New “Federal IT Dashboard”

Friday, July 17th, 2009

The Federal “IT Dashboard” (http://it.usaspending.gov) provides the public a new window into the U.S. Federal IT Investments Portfolio. This new tool is already having a multi-million dollar impact on agency spending, as shown in this quote published 7/17/09 on the Federal IT Dashboard blog:

“Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), under the leadership of Secretary Shinseki and VA CIO Roger Baker, announced that it will temporarily halt 45 IT projects which are either behind schedule or over budget and work to determine whether these programs should be continued. We’re not talking about a trivial sum here-the Fiscal Year 2009 combined budget for the 45 projects is approximately $200 million. The worst offender of the bunch was 110% over budget and 17 months behind schedule. We were able to catch these contracts, in part, thanks to our new tool, the “IT Dashboard” which helped shed light on the performance of projects across the federal government.”

So what is the IT Dashboard? It is a new, one-stop clearinghouse of information that allows anyone with a web browser to track federal IT initiatives and hold the government accountable for progress and results. A part of USASpending.gov, the dashboard allows the public to see what IT projects are working and on-schedule (and which are not), offer alternative approaches, and provide direct feedback to the chief information officers (CIOs) at federal agencies – in effect, keeping tabs on the people who are responsible for taxpayer dollars for technology. Until July 31, CIOs can submit investment evaluations and update other investment data. During this time, the site will continue to be in “beta” as additional key features are added.  For a tutorial click here – the 8 minute screencast demonstrates how to use the analysis tools of USASpending.gov’s IT Dashboard.

Past Performance Reviews now Required on GSA Schedule and GWAC Task Orders.

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

It will now be easier than ever for poor past performance to come back to haunt a GSA Schedule or GWAC contractor.  That is because Contracting Officers are now required to document the performance of contractors that perform GSA Schedule or GWAC task orders.  The new rule published in the July 1, 2009 Federal Register, mandates performance evaluations for all GSA Schedule or GWAC task orders that exceed the $100,000. 

The FAR has long required that Contracting Officers prepare performance evaluations for contracts and to utilize past performance as an evaluation criteria.  Toward that end, the Government deployed a “Past Performance Information Retrieval System” (PPIRS) designed to be a government-wide shared repository of contractor past performance data.  However, due in part to staffing shortages and other priorities, PPIRS has only been use sporadically.  In fact, for GFYs 2006 & 2007, GAO found that only about 31% of the past performance information that should have been on PPIRS was actually there.  The new rule is stronger in that it specifically requires the use of PPIRS and explicitly states that performance evaluations must be prepared for GSA schedule or GWAC task orders.

Agencies will be able to design their own evaluation content but the evaluation must document compliance with the small business subcontracting plan.  The performance evaluations will be available to agency officials for 3 years, (6 years for Construction or A&E).  After that the evaluation will be archived.