Transcript Successfully Navigating Federal Contracting and Marketing to Grow

Navigating and Marketing
to The World’s Largest
Customer:
From Researching to Follow-Up
and Everything in Between
Lourdes Martin-Rosa
American Express Advisor on
Government Contracting
First, let’s learn
how to navigate
the contracting
life cycle.
Understanding
The
Procurement
Process
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Navigating and Marketing to
The World’s Largest Customer
Develop
Acquisition Plan
Develop
Statement
of Work
(SOW)
Sources Sought
Notice
Published
Pre-solicitation
Published
Once an agency has determined its procurement needs,
it will develop an acquisition plan that includes these elements:
Step 1:
Acquisition
Plan
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Navigating and Marketing to
The World’s Largest Customer
•
Once an agency has determined its procurement needs,
it will develop an acquisition plan that includes these elements:
•
When the products or services should be procured
•
Estimated budget for these acquisitions
•
Initial evaluation of the procurement strategy:
– Will the procurement be a small business set-aside?
– Will the items be procured in an open
competition or from GSA Schedules?
Based on the information gathered in the Acquisition Plan,
the agency develops a Statement of Work (SOW) or Performance
Work Statement (PWS) with input from:
Step 2:
Statement of
Work (SOW)
• Contracting Officers (COs)
• Program Managers (PMs)
• End Users
• Office of Small and Disadvantaged
Business Utilization (OSDBU)
The SOW determines if a set-aside will be used and how the
contract will be developed.
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Navigating and Marketing to
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Step 3:
Sources
Sought Notice
Published
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Navigating and Marketing to
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Generally, if at least two ready, willing and able small businesses are
available, a procurement must be set aside for them.
The agency will conduct market research to find out if the businesses exist,
publishing a Sources Sought Notice or Request for Information
(RFI) in Fed Biz Opps.
The Sources Sought Notice will have a brief overview of what is to be
procured and will help small businesses determine if they are capable
of fulfilling the requirement.
The next notice is the Presolicitation Notice, which should
indicate the result of the market research as well as:
Step 4:
PreSolicitation
Notice
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Navigating and Marketing to
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• Estimated date for publication of solicitation
• Instructions for submitting questions and/or
comments
• Notice about any site visits or Presolicitation
conferences
Question:
Which agency buys the most security guard services?
Key 1:
Market
Yourself
To The Right
Agencies
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Navigating and Marketing to
The World’s Largest Customer
Answer:
Our first reaction might be the TSA, part of the
Department of Homeland Security, but the correct
response is the State Department.
If you had not done your research, you would have
marketed your services ineffectively.
Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation (FPDS) www.fpds.gov
How To
Research
Your Target
Agency
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Navigating and Marketing to
The World’s Largest Customer
This database contains all the official federal procurement data and a wealth
of information that can assist you in finding your target agency or agencies.
Important: Before using FPDS, define your capabilities. You will be using the
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes for your firm’s
products and services in your search.
All the products and services the U.S. federal government purchases are
codified using NAICS codes (North American Industry Classification System).
NAICS codes can be found at: http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics
NACIS
Codes
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Navigating and Marketing to
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Key Agency Websites:
Finding the
Right People
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Navigating and Marketing to
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• Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
(OSDBU)
• Small Business Specialists
• Procurement Forecasts
• Federal Business Opportunities (FBO.gov), the central
website that all U.S. federal government agencies use
to post open procurements
Each agency procurement forecast is different, but most include:
• A brief description of the product or service to be
procured, including the principal NAICS code
Procurement
Forecasts
• A timeline of what quarter of the fiscal year the agency
plans the procurement
• A price range
• A strategy determining whether they are setting-aside
the procurement for small business
• A contact name
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Navigating and Marketing to
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Sample
Procurement
Forecast
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Navigating and Marketing to
The World’s Largest Customer
www.fbo.gov
FedBizOpps
(FBO.gov)
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Navigating and Marketing to
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•
Website where federal
agencies publish
procurement opportunities
over $25,000.
•
You can create personalized
searches and receive emails
each time an opportunity is
published in your area(s)
of interest.
•
Each opportunity posted
includes the
•
name of a contact person.
Key
Takeaways
“An average of $90 Billion in Contract Opportunities
are available annually for small businesses wanting to
grow their business with federal government
contracting.”
“Gain a Competitive Edge and Certify your small
business.”
“Make sure you apply the information you have in your
hands (Insight Guides) and utilize the valuable
information you learned here today.”
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Navigating and Marketing to
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Information and insight sourced by Government Business Solutions