| Haystack provides “Gold” Marketing Data
For PICC Clients
PICC has recently upgraded its government marketing and procurement data resource, “Haystack”, into a newly revamped and vastly enhanced version coined as; what else? “Haystack Gold”!
Haystack Gold operates similarly as its predecessor Haystack, but with a larger array of quality enhancements that will more concisely gather government purchasing reports into a truly augmented spectacle of past procurement activities, more up to date military specifications and standards for product, and a profoundly advanced marketing tool to assist in your federal government marketing and acquisition needs.
“The new Haystack Gold operates similarly as its predecessor Haystack, but with a larger array of quality enhancements.”
Not only does Haystack Gold provide more pertinent details of government product acquisitions, it also systematically provides greater pertinent details of the latest private company acquisitions by offering customized contact information such as; freight data, packaging data, current and archived procurement history, inventory, contract technical data; commonly referred to as PID (Product Item Description), latest CCR & CAGE code identifiers, explicit Prime contractor and federal purchasing information, references and more!
While Haystack Gold functionality is similar in search, namely by NSN or Part number research, the newly enhanced gold version also allows for specific Technical characteristics “Free-Form” keywords like, height, length, color, product diameter, etc. In addition, Gold allows a “Drill-Down” technical characteristic search allowing for more exclusive product search.
If you are interested in learning more about Haystack Gold and its benefits to your company’s government procurement efforts, please contact the PICC office for further details! Haystack Gold is a free service to PICC clients that have filed client profiles, and have provided timely and accurate award reporting forms.
Four Things to Consider
When Implementing an RFID system
RFID is a hot topic on technology sites today. Whether you need to meet a DoD or Wal-Mart mandate, or just want to see if it makes sense to investigate the qualities and benefits of using RFID technology for your own company, there are several things to consider. Sometimes using barcode and RFID technology together in sync makes sense. Piloting a test is always recommended in order to locate and work through some of the problems with packing materials, read ranges, and environmental interference factors. Here are a few thoughts…
- What about the cost?
The cost of implementing an RFID system is definitely greater than installing a barcode system. The technology is still so new that vendors still have only a few pieces of equipment to offer, so obtaining evaluation units is not often easy. Depending on the frequency, RFID printers are running from $3500 to $7000. Readers run in the range of $2000 to $7000. Tags are still running in the $1 to $2 range. The prices are coming down, but not fast enough to suit the companies making the purchase today. Gen 2 tags will cost less, but they still have to hit the mainstream market.
- What about read distance?
While read distance is important, longer range is not ‘always’ the best—it totally depends on your situation and your application. If you are writing information to a tag, then a shorter range just may be better, so you don’t write to every tag that surrounds the tag you are targeting. Too great a read range could mean that you are encoding tags in the next room. You do need to be able to read items at a comfortable range and you certainly do not want to miss reading any tags.
- Will I encounter interference?
Since you re dealing with radio waves, you may at times encounter interference, either from the environment, or from the substances you are shipping. Both metal and liquid may present problems. A stand-off area (made of ¼” Styrofoam or cardboard) may help to reduce the interference, but further testing in a lab or testing in your own facility is always necessary.
- How do I get started?
Locate professional assistance. There is a large learning curve and new information is becoming available daily. There are several frequencies to chose from, as well as preferred equipment, specialized software, and best practices. You definitely need to self-educate but then consult the professional RFID consultants.
For equipment, you will need an RFID reader, possibly a printer and RFID tags, and make sure they are all in a compatible frequency (normally either 915 MHz or 13.56 MHz). You will also need software which enables the reader ‘talk’ to the tags, both reading and writing. Some software can also export tag information into your own inventory system.
For more information contact Diane Newcum, president of Advanced Software Technology, a firm located in Warsaw, IN, that designs and develops new technology solutions for manufacturing, law enforcement, healthcare and auto racing. She can be reached at: diane@astconsulting.com.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
WORKSHOP
Most companies supplying products to the Department of Defense (DoD) are being required in new contracts to use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), the new labeling and tracking system for the military that is be implemented nationally. In 2007 this will be mandatory for most items supplied to the DoD. The RFID Information Guide is available at this web sight and provides a schedule for implementation and products affected on pages 9 and 10. PICC in conjunction with the Northwest Indiana and Central Indiana Small Business Development Centers will be hosting 2 workshops to assist companies in understanding what is required and what the alternatives are in implementing this tagging system.
Even if your company does not supply directly to the DoD, this general information session about automatic identification technology such as barcode and RFID systems will help you make sound business decisions that could affect your company’s growth.
Debarment of Defense RFID web site (Click Here)
The Dates for the workshop:
April 18th 8:30 am to12 noon
6100 Southport Road Portage IN 46326
April 25th 8:30 am to 12 noon
Legacy Fund, Life and Learning Center 515 East Main Street, Carmel IN 46302
The workshop will be conducted by Bill Newcum, Vice President of Advanced Software Technology, a research and development firm that has been active in the development of RFID software solutions. Bill holds a MS from Purdue University in computer science and regularly trains and teaches about RFID technology.
The cost of the workshop is $30 dollars.
In this workshop you will learn:
- What RFID is and how it works
- What the DoD requires to become compliant
- How easy it is to implement an RFID system, and what your alternatives are.
- What the ASN is (Advanced Shipping Notice).
- What equipment and software are needed to get started.
- Basic costs to implement an RFID system.
- Common obstacles and environmental interferences.
You will also take home a checklist for implementing an RFID assessment and Bill will be available afterward to answer technical questions.
For additional information or to register for the workshop contact Dennis H. Terry at Partners in Contracting Corp. dterry@piccorp.org or call 219-838-0176
Indiana's Government Procurement Conference
May 23, 2006
On May 23, 2006 Partners in Contracting Corporation, Northwest Indiana Minority Business Committee, Indiana Small Business Development Center, Northwest Indiana minority business Opportunity Committee and the Northwest Indiana Chambers of Commerce Executive Directors Association will be hosting the 10th semi-annual Government Procurement Conference. This conference provides Indiana companies the opportunity to meet with as many as thirty government agencies, DOD Prime Contractors, state agencies and the Indiana Gaming Casinos.
Some committed government attendees include: US Army Tank and Automotive Command (TACOM), Defense Supply Center Columbus, Great Lakes Naval Base, Crane Naval Supply, Air Force Research Laboratory, Home Land Security, US EPA, National Park Service, Army Corp of Engineers, Veterans Administration, State of Indiana Procurement Office, Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and Ivy Tech.
Prime contractors and casinos include: Woodward Company, Rolls-Royce, Mead Johnson, General Dynamics, Parsons (NECDF), AM General, Horseshoe, Blue Chip and Barden Casinos.
In addition, there will be workshops and seminars on a myriad of topics that provides crucial information to government contractors and subcontractors. Some of the workshop topics include: “Packaging and Bar Coding,” presented by Ted Hollander of Defense Contract Management Agency, “How to Complete a Bid Package” Judith Perkinson President of The Calumet Group, “Marketing Your Business” Presented by the NISBDC, “Are You Ready for Government Procurement?” “Doing Business with and Obtaining MBE/WBE Certifications with the State of Indiana” “Earned Value Management”, “Labor Law Compliance” presented by Rich Wilkinson VP of Delteck “ How to Market Your Company to Prime Contractors” ,“ SBA and Other Financial Resources” presented by Gary Hammond East Chicago Empowerment Zone, Regional Development Company & NISBDC.
The program will start Monday evening with a networking reception sponsored by Horseshoe Casino and Northern Indiana Public Service Company at the Horseshoe Casino. The tentative schedule for the 10th semi-annual Procurement Conference is as follows:
Date: Tuesday May 23, 2006
7:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45 am Welcome / Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. Networking and Workshops begin
12:00 p.m. Lunch & Keynote Speaker
1:30 p.m. Networking and Workshops begin
4:00 p.m. Conference Conclusion- Networking
Location: Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, Merrillville, Indiana.
Cost: $85 per person. Price includes admission to all exhibits, workshops and meals.
Certified Disabled Companies will receive admission for one person free.
Mark your Calendars now, and more details pertaining to this “must attend” procurement conference will be e-mailed to you as well as being posted on the PICC website, www.piccorp.org in the near future.
e-mail or Call Dennis H. Terry at dterry@piccorp.org 219-838-0554 for reservations.
Thanks to our great sponsors, we would not be able to provide this event with out their support:
Horseshoe Casino
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO)
Northwest Indiana Minority Business Opportunity Committee
Northwest Indiana Chambers of Commerce Executives Association
Regional Development Corporation
Bank Calumet
Indiana Small Business Development Center
Cender and Company
Preparing the Bid
- Writing procurement bids and proposals requires the utmost care during preparation.
- Before preparing and submitting an offer, closely study the description of the requirement to be sure that you can meet the government's needs. This is critical. Particular attention should be given to the instructions of the requesting agency and to conditions of purchase, delivery and payment.
- When determining the amount of the offer, the small firm should be especially careful to include all costs of material, labor, overhead, packaging and transportation. Furthermore, it should be sure to comply with other important provisions of the solicitation such as properly tagging, and marking and mailing any required samples well in advance of the opening date.
Defense Supply Center Columbus
The seminars below are dedicated to teaching vendors how to do business with Defense Supply Center Columbus, however there are additional topics featured each month. All vendors are welcome and encouraged to participate. Seminars are held at the Defense Supply Center Columbus, in Columbus, Ohio.
Vendors are encouraged to sign up for a seminar as early as possible. This will help alleviate possible conflicts or being closed out of a seminar.
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March 2006
21-22 |
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April 2006
18-19 |
May 2006
16-17 |
June 2006
20-21 |
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July 2006
18-19 |
August 2006
15-16 |
September 2006
19-20 |
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October 2006
17-18 |
November 2006
14-15 |
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There are no TKO's ever scheduled for the month of December |
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Provided is a sample agenda of the TKO Seminar. Topics and times are subject to change. View Agenda |
Register here Sessions fill fast, so early registration is key. The two-day session will cover "How to do Business with DSCC". This includes the registration process with Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the DSCC Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS). The TKO Seminars located in Columbus, Ohio will also highlight a special topic of interest.
As with all TKO Seminars, Contractors will learn how to find open solicitations on our website, learn procedures for viewing and downloading drawings, and how to submit a quote through the DIBBS quoting process. Contractors will also be advised on the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Web Invoicing System (WInS) where contractors are encouraged to register in this on line electronic invoicing process. If you have any questions on DSCC TKO Programming, please contact the DSCC Business Counseling Center at:
Phone: 1-800-262-3272
Email: DSCC.BCC@dla.mil
ONE NEW STAFF ONE LEAVES
Loretta Hendrix joins the team at PICC after her recent retirement from the VA. Loretta comes to PICC with 22 years of experience in procurement. Most recently she procured medical/surgical items for the VA hospitals throughout the United States. In addition she procured medical items that veterans need to take home from the hospital. Throughout her career she awarded and managed contracts for every category of Small Business in supplying products to the VA. Loretta is available on Tuesday through Thursday from 9am to 3:30 pm.
Joann Ostrognai is taking a full time position at ITT Industries and will no longer be available to council PICC clients. Joann has been just an outstanding counselor for our clients and I know that all of you that either attended one of her workshops or used her knowledge of contracting know how really good she was. She will be missed!
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