National Small Business Week May 17-19, 2009

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Ask FedPoint: Subcontracting on GSA Task Orders – IFF Responsibility

Dear FedPoint:

When a prime contractor is awarded a GSA Schedule Contract and subsequently receives a delivery call under the schedule, I understand that they are responsible for the IFF. Subsequently, if the prime subcontracts a portion of the order, my understanding is that he is still 100% responsible for the IFF and can either withhold the .75% from the subcontractor’s invoices, or have it “built-in” to the rate that he charges the Government above and beyond the cost of the subcontractor. Please clarify the validity of each of the approaches.

Lori
____________________________________________________________________________
Dear Lori:

Thanks for the great question! There are many situations to consider when determining whether or not IFF should be remitted for work performed by a subcontractor on a task order issued against a GSA Schedule contract. Four possible situations are identified below: Continue reading »

May 8, 2009

Ashok Mehan

General Services Administration ( Small Business =Less Than 1%)
Dept Of Agriculture (Small Business = close to 90%)
Social Security Administration ( Small Business = None …0%)
Veterans Affairs ( Small Business = over 95% …most of any Agency)

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Federal Agencies Spending the Most Stimulus Dollars Right Now

If you live on this side of the Milky Way, chances are that you’ve heard the phrase “stimulus spending” more times than you can count. Well, in case you hadn’t heard, stimulus spending under the ARRA is underway and the projects being contracted under the Act are on accelerated implementation timeframes. This means that, for the most part, the government does not have time to solicit bids through full and open competition.

Instead, officials are choosing to issue task orders under existing GWACs, BPAs, and GSA Schedule Contracts. “But wait,” you might ask, “that isn’t fair government contracting is it? Isn’t part of the goal to help all businesses get a piece of the pie, not just the usual suspects?” As unstimulating as it may sound, the answer could be yes, maybe, or no, depending on which agency you ask (off the record, of course). Fairness aside, now is the time to have a streamlined contract vehicle, and if you don’t, it’s not too late to get one.

Right now, at the federal level, most of the spending is confined to a handful of agencies. If you want a chance of getting your piece of the stimulus pie, you have to go where the money is. So which agencies are issuing contracts for stimulus projects, which companies are winning that business, and which industry sectors are benefiting the most? Furthermore, how many of the successful contractors are small businesses? A partial list of the top agencies reporting the most stimulus-related spending is provided below:

For questions regarding this information please write to Ashok Mehan at amehan@fedmine.us or visit www.fedmine.us to learn more.

Events & Training

May 7, 2009

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2009 Congressional Procurement Conference and Expo – May 13th, Learn how to grow your government contracting business

Capture Your Share of $787 Billion in Stimulus Dollars and Record Procurement Spending!

Join Aronson Capital Partners and Aronson & Company in support of MCCC’s Government Contracting Network (GovConNet) for a special conference that will help you learn how to grow your government contracting business.

At the 2009 Congressional Procurement Conference and Expo, connect with 15 federal agencies, state and local procurement officials, and primes. Attend up to 30 workshops led by industry experts about procurement opportunities and resources. In addition, you will network with representatives from almost every industry sector at the Expo and reach more than 500 customers, suppliers and business leaders.

Cost: MCCC Member $95.00 / Non-Member $110.00
Date: May 13, 2009
Time: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (Registration at 7:30 AM)
Location:
The Universities of Shady Grove, Conference Center, Bldg. II
9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 738-6069

Register Now!

More information: www.aronsoncompany.com or call 301.231.6219
Share this information colleagues, clients and business contacts by clicking here. Continue reading »

May 6, 2009

Pete O'Neill

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All GSA Schedule Contracts May Be Available for State/Local Stimulus Use

What is the easiest way for state and local governments to spend stimulus funds efficiently and quickly? Use a GSA schedule contract.

At the present time, only two GSA Schedules (70-IT and 84-LAW) allow state and local governments to regularly purchase products and services from GSA schedule contractors through the cooperative purchasing program.

Representative Edolphus Towns, D-NY, and Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is introducing a bill in the next few weeks that will expand the cooperative purchasing program to allow states and local governments to use all GSA Schedule contracts when spending stimulus dollars.

States and local governments will receive a significant portion of the stimulus dollars and this potential expansion of the GSA Schedules program could be very lucrative for GSA and Schedule holders. We will be monitoring this legislation closely, so check back with us for the latest status.

General

May 5, 2009

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We’ve moved! Aronson & Company moves to new headquarters

Aronson & Company has moved its headquarters to a new building in Rockville’s King Farm complex. As of May 4, 2009, our new offices are located at:

Aronson & Company
805 King Farm Boulevard, Suite 300
Rockville, MD 20850

Please note this in your records, or click here to update your Outlook vCard. Our phone numbers will remain the same, so you can still reach us at 301.231.6200 or by fax at 301.231.7630.

Our new offices have been custom designed to meet both our current needs as well as accommodate future growth. We chose to stay close to our current location because, as one of the largest employers in the county, we believe that we are an important part of this community. As before, the office still has great Metro accessibility, with a nearby red line station and direct shuttle route. We hope you will be able to come see the new offices sometime soon!

May 4, 2009

John Betz

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Ask FedPoint: GCS users…Is your Cognos Impromptu collecting dust?

Dear FedPoint: What can I do to get the maximum benefit out of Cognos Impromptu? We’ve finally installed it but we’re simply not using it. Help! - Jason, Germantown, MD

Dear Jason:
Here are some ideas that will help save time and maximize the return on your investment:

Do you have a 3rd Party Payroll service and first enter your timesheets into GCS and re-enter the time into your payroll software manually? Impromptu can generate a CSV file that sends hours and dollars to ADP.
Do run payroll in GCS but still manually prepare a spreadsheet providing 401(K) census information to your plan administrator? Impromptu can be used to generate this information automatically.
Do you manually create spreadsheets to summarize information out of your accounting system? In many cases, a simple query can save you valuable time allowing you to focus on more important issues at hand.
Ever wish you could include unposted labor hours in your project summary reports? Use Impromptu to combine data from Time Collection and GCS Premier into one report.

These are just a few ideas on how you can use Impromptu. Whether or not you currently own it…there are many ways this tool can be used to improve your department’s efficiency.

Have a question for “Ask Fed Point”? Send it in and you may see your question and answer here next month! Looking for assistance with your Deltek System or Deltek Outsourcing needs? Call or email John Betz, 301-231-6231, jbetz@aronsoncompany.com.

ARRA / Stimulus

Apr 29, 2009

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Join the Recovery Dialogue on IT Solutions this week!

“What ideas, tools, and approaches can make Recovery.gov a place where all citizens can transparently monitor the expenditure and use of recovery funds?“ From April 27th until May 3rd 2009, Recovery.gov is hosting a nation-wide live discussion to engage leading information technology (IT) vendors, thinkers, and consumers in answering the preceding question. At http://www.thenationaldialogue.org you can submit your ideas, read and rate others’ ideas and learn more.

The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and the Office of Management and Budget is hosting the discussion in partnership with the National Academy of Public Administration. When the site closes on Sunday night, May 3rd, the feedback will be given to the Recovery Board, “where it will directly influence how the commitment to a transparent and accountable recovery is fulfilled.” Read more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in our blog postings here.

FAR Regulations

Apr 27, 2009

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E-Verify for Federal Contractors Delayed a Third Time

The federal government has announced another delay to the applicability date of a controversial FAR rule requiring certain federal contractors and subcontractors to utilize the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to verify the employment eligibility of new hires and employees assigned to federal contracts. The April 17, 2009 announcement marks the third delay of the final rule and moves the applicability date from May 21 to June 30, 2009. The stated reason for the delay is to provide the new administration an adequate opportunity to review the rule. (Courtesy of the Professional Services Council).

As a result, Contracting Officers shall not include the new FAR clause 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification, in any solicitation or contract prior to the applicability date of June 30, 2009. For more information on E-Verify, see previous postings.

Apr 24, 2009

Ashok Mehan