Posts Tagged ‘training’

Free GSA IT 70 Training 9/20 & 9/21/10 – Tips on Offers, Marketing, & Compliance

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Attendees will gain insight on (a) the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) IT 70 offer process, (b) marketing a MAS IT 70 contract, and (c) keeping schedule contracts in compliance via FREE IT Schedule 70 Business Partner Training classes (Pre-Award and Post-Award).  Classes are offered by GSA’s Center for IT Schedule 70 Program and will be held at 2200 Crystal Drive, Crystal Plaza 4, Room L1301, Arlington, Virginia 22202.

• IT Schedule 70 Pre-Award Training – Held September 20, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This class provides an overview of the OFFER process with seasoned Contract Officer break-out-discussions that include key segments of the contracting process, the Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) Chart and the labor matrix for services.
• IT Schedule 70 Post-Award Training– Held September 21, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This class will provide you with helpful information on how to market your GSA Schedule contract, how to keep your contract in compliance and how to use e-Tools as a resource.
• Registration form and Driving directions available at GSA IT 70 Training webpage.  Contact GSA for additional information at:  IT Center Hotline (703) 605-2700,  8am – 4pm EST daily, email: it.center@gsa.gov.

Contact Vanessa Payne at Aronson & Company, 301-231-6200, vpayne@aronsoncompany.com with your GSA and government contracting questions.

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DOI’s Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization to Host Outreach Workshop

Friday, August 20th, 2010

The OSDBU at the Department of the Interior is hosting a vendor workshop for small business in the National Capital Area interested in doing business with DOI. The workshop will be held August 31, 2010 in the agency’s main auditorium. Small businesses interested in attending this event must register no later than August 20, 2010, by close of business. For more information visit: www.doi.gov/osdbu

Live from Deltek Insight 2010 – Find Your Prescription for Success! Part II

Friday, May 21st, 2010

The 2010 Deltek Insight conference was another huge success for all participants.  Deltek’s President and CEO Kevin Parker stopped by the Aronson booth to check out our live Insight blogging and to monitor the “pulse” on Deltek customers’ needs and satisfaction.  The  exchange of ideas, input from users, and new product development  really kept  up  momentum through the end of the conference.

Aronson’s accounting and technology experts Jan Zall, Linda Riesenman, and Nicole Mitchell conducted popular breakout sessions attracting over 300Deltek users  The topics presented included; “Multiple Companies and CostPoint” by Jan Zall , “Surviving DCAA Audits with GCS Premier” by Nicole Mitchell, and “Strategies for Merging Multiple CostPoint Databases” by Linda Riesenman.   The attendees had positive feedback on the sessions and asked informative questions related to the topics.  Feedback focused mainly on the use of technology to increase efficiency and for obtaining accurate timely data to address the compliance requirements heightened by the current administration emphasis on transparency.

Aronson proved to be the “Cure” for government contractors needs.  Aronson again demonstrated our expertise in the areas of systems, compliance, contract administration, GSA Schedule support, assurance, tax, and M&A; truly full service advisors to Federal contractors.

We hope to see you all next year and to meet even more new faces in Nashville, TN, for Insight 2011.  If you missed the conference and would like your own Aronson “diagnosis and prescription” contact Tom Williams at (301) 222-8289 or twilliams@aronsoncompany.com.

Gulf Oil Spill – new Federal Contract tracking code – Providing Contractor Support in National Emergencies

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

The Federal Procurement DataBase (FPDS-NG) has added a new National Interest Action (NIA) value, “Gulf Oil Spill 0410″ to track the Gulf Oil Spill contracts. The new NIA is is valid from 04/25/2010 to 08/25/2010.

By coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), GSA provides support to other federal agencies when there is a presidential declaration of disaster or other incident of national significance.  GSA Schedule 84 (LAW) includes products for oil-spill containment under SIN 426 4F – Emergency Preparedness and First Responder Equipment, Training and Services.  114 contractors currently provide products under this SIN.  There are  opportunities for large and small business to provide contractor support in national emergencies.

In addition to federal agencies, state and local governments can access the preapproved roster of vendors and products offered by GSA Schedule vendors via two programs: GSA’s Cooperative Purchasing program (GSA Schedules LAW-84 and IT-70, all times) and GSA’s Disaster Recovery Purchasing Program (all GSA Schedules, times of disaster).

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Impressions From the 2010 GSA Expo Floor – DHS Demos Avatars and the BioPreferred Program focuses on “Green”

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

After walking the entire Expo floor, I was left with several impressions:

1. GSA’s green message isn’t lost on Schedule contract holders. Many exhibitors were heavily promoting their green qualifications – especially qualification as “BioPreferred^SM” (see more on USDA changes to the BioPreferred mandatory purchasing program here).
2. I was surprised to see that a large percentage of exhibitors didn’t prominently display their contract numbers anywhere on their booths.
3. Equally interesting was the huge number of vendors publicizing their participation in Cooperative Purchasing and Disaster Recovery. I’m not sure about the number of state and local government attendees at Expo, but clearly a strong focus is on this market.

The award for the most unusual display was the vendor of Christmas trees and decorations. It was also enlightening to visit with some of the Federal agencies exhibiting at the Expo.

I especially enjoyed the Department of Homeland Security demonstration of how they are using inspiration from “Avatar” and video-games to develop a variety of training tools (SportEvac avatar). Understanding where an Agency is headed is so critical in developing an effective business development plan!

I still have a few classes left before Expo ends. I’m looking forward to some cooler temperatures, but have definitely enjoyed my time here in Orlando. Hope to see everyone at the Tower Club on May 27th for our recap of GSA Expo 2010!

GSA Expo 2010, Day 2 – Body Armor, Bedding, and Bosu Balls!

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Aronson is back reporting to you from the 2010 GSA Training Conference and Expo. I must admit that after surviving 60″+ of snow this winter, I was not prepared for the weather in Orlando with temperatures in the 90s and unbelievable humidity. Exhibitors offering air conditioners may have an unfair advantage this year. The Expo floor opened this morning with 700+ GSA Schedule Contract holders exhibiting everything from body armor to bedding to bosu balls. There is often so much emphasis on the larger GSA Schedules like IT, MOBIS, and FABS, that you can forget the amazing diversity of products and services included in the Schedules program that can equal business opportunities for all types of companies.

Since Expo is also GSA’s largest single training event, there are hundreds of courses offered targeting audiences including contract holders, federal acquisition professionals, state and local governments, and many more. (more…)

Aronson blogs live from 2010 GSA Expo – Stay tuned!

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Aronson’s GSA Schedules Group is at the 2010 GSA Expo in Orlando, Florida – and Pete O’Neill and Jennifer Aubel can’t wait to tell you about it!  Check back throughout the week for Aronson’s updates from the Expo!   Looking for a summary of the highlights and information on other matters affecting your federal business?  Join Aronson at free breakfast briefing at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner, VA on May 27, 2010 – Register now!

23 Days and Counting until Deltek Insight 2010 (May 17-20)

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

           

Aronson & Company is counting down the days until the leading event for project-focused professionals, Deltek Insight 2010. Come hear from the experts, advance your skills training, and take advantage of networking opportunities.

New Program! Have you heard about the unprecedented opportunity to hold pre-qualified, one-on-one meetings with leading Primes at the govWin Business Discovery Day? Newly introduced, this will be a key program at Deltek Insight 2010 conference – one of the largest gatherings of government contracting stakeholders. Don’t miss out on the best event of the year that will empower your organization to think ahead, make better plans and achieve better results.

As a platinum sponsor of Deltek 2010, Aronson & Company’s accounting and technology experts have a lot of great things planned for this event and we want to share them with you – we can’t wait for this important conference to come to the DC area and we hope you’ll be there too!  Join us at Deltek Insight 2010 to learn more about great technology solutions and ways to streamline your back office!

Click below to see the event Countdown and sign up for A&C Insight alerts to be updated about what we have planned: http://www.aronsoncompany.com/industries/government-contract/deltek-insight-2010.html.

Women Entrepreneurs – Have You Checked Out SBA’s Online Training for Winning Federal Contracts?

Friday, April 9th, 2010

SBA’s training portal offers free online training courses designed to assist entrepreneurs during this period of economic recovery. Courses provide targeted self-paced training for small businesses, including those owned by women, minorities, disadvantaged individuals and veterans. The self-paced, instructional guides provide an overview of the federal procurement process, provide information about the federal marketplace, contract rules and, most importantly, how to sell to the government and where to find contract and Recovery Act opportunities.  This is part of a federal government-wide initiative to strengthen access to contracting opportunities being led by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Commerce.

• The Recovery Act Opportunities course (www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining) is indexed by subject matter to allow ease of use,  includes direct links that highlight the best contracting resources, and includes practical and fundamental steps to engage business owners in the federal contracting arena.  It is one of more than 24 online tutorials offered by the SBA, and is available 24/7.
• In addition, SBA introduced its newest online course for women small business owners in September 2009, Winning Federal Contracts: A Guide for Women Entrepreneurs. This training module is also free, very comprehensive and includes numerous resources, including many targeted for women-owned businesses.

Have questions?  Contract the government contracting professionals at Aronson & Company for assistance obtaining new contracts, administration and compliance of existing government contracts, and proposal pricing support among our many offerings!

GSA TRAINING CONFERENCE AND EXPO 2010

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

The 16th annual GSA Training Conference and EXPO 2010 is rapidly approaching, so if you haven’t made plans to attend don’t wait much longer – last year’s conference had over 9,000 attendees! EXPO is GSA’s signature training conference and exposition and an excellent opportunity for GSA Schedule Contract holders to network with hundreds of experts from GSA and other agencies. It also may be your only chance to see your Contracting Officer in the flesh!

The 2010 EXPO takes place May 4-6 at the West Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. You can find much more information, including registration, class schedules, lodging recommendations, and more at GSA’s website. You can even follow the event on Twitter(@GSAExpo)!

My recommendations:

• One of the best places to stay is at the Peabody Hotel … located directly across the street from convention center.
• Wear comfortable shoes … you will be doing a lot of walking.
• Take time to see local attractions … SeaWorld is very close to convention center.

Aronson & Company looks forward to seeing you at GSA EXPO 2010. If you are unable to attend, we will be hosting an overview of the event on May 27th at the Tower Club in Tyson’s Corner. Online registration for event will be available on the Aronson & Company website in the next couple of weeks.