| Haystack—Is Your Company Using this Valuable, Free Tool?
Locating the information you need to bid on a government contracting opportunity can be like searching for “a needle in a haystack.” PICC has a tool to help you find the information you need with a service called Haystack®.
Rich Shields, a former PICC Government Marketing Specialist, contributes this article containing timely and timeless advice on... The Proper Procedures and Processes of Government Contracting We’ve all heard of “Government Contracting 101,” and “Doing Business with the Feds.” etc. No matter the title, the scenarios of conducting real-life business with the government lie within proper procedures. These procedures don’t necessarily have to be difficult or convoluted; they just need to be consistent! After serving the past 6 years on both sides of the fence as a counselor assisting organizations to secure contracts, and as an entrepreneur bidding and successfully securing contracts, the key elements to any success and failure of the government bidding process, is just that-- process. That being said, I have outlined some of my educated experiences of “proper procedures and processes” to successfully establish and maintain your business interactions within the government sector: Be Proactive: Be proactive in evaluation, interpretation, and correlation of the request. Establish inquiries about the objectives the government is seeking and see if it’s typical and favorable with your own business objectives. If similar in scope, then immediately initiate contact with the proper person who is answerable for the solicitation. It will indicate on the bid whom to contact and their preferred method of contact; i.e., phone, e-mail or otherwise. Do Research: Do some basic research about the opportunity, e.g., quantities, time-frame, pricing, (firm-fixed, time & material, or other) terms, and, of course, shipping. (Most of this information can be accomplished by utilizing Haystack®, a complete government purchasing database, supplied by PICC.) Know your customer and what they want. Further, if there is anyway you can offer an upgrade/discount specific to their request, this bodes a more advantageous offer than what they are looking to procure and provides a value-added proposal or offering. On Invitations for Bids, however, just offer what they want. Stay Involved and Ask Questions: More times than not, a bid opportunity will contain ambiguities. Address these actively and sensibly, writing all your concerns/ questions and submitting them in one packaged request. At all costs, try to refrain from asking multiple questions at multiple instances. It will illustrate to the end-user that you may not be completely prepared to bid, or frustrate them with an inundation of questions at inopportune times. Follow up After Submission: Always perform a follow up after any bid submission (even if you are not the awarded entity). There may be some concerns with the company that is awarded, or there could be another possible opportunity that the contracting officer may refer you to. For more helpful contracting tips, feel free to e-mail Rich @ rshields@piccorp.org CONFERENCE NEWS: Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center offers the 9th Annual “Buy Indiana Expo The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce (Bedford, Indiana) will host the NSWC Crane event on Thursday, October 20, 2005 in the Bedford North Lawrence Community Schools gymnasium from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. It is coming up soon! The purpose of the event is to connect Hoosier companies to unique opportunities to expand their business through contracts with government centers. Last year NSWC Crane spent over $900 million for goods and services, but less than 17% was spent with Indiana companies. Workshops will be conducted that day to educate businesses on how to do business with the federal government, particularly NSWC Crane. Businesses can participate either by attending the expo or by showcasing their business to those in attendance with an exhibit space. A 10’x10’ area with a linen-clothed table and two chairs is $150. Contact the Bedford Area Chamber at 812-275-4493 or email Bedford@bedfordchamber.com. To find out more information, go to http://www.bedfordchamber.com/buyindiana.html ------------------------------------------- DFAS Columbus Contractor Customer Service Open House scheduled for November 15-17 The Defense Finance and Accounting Service Columbus Customer Support Office invites private sector contractors/vendors to attend their next Customer Service Open House November 15-17 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are no fees associated with the event; however, attendees must provide their own travel and accommodation expenses. The Open House agenda will include briefings and discussions on the Customer Support Office, Mechanization of Contract Administration Services (MOCAS) payment procedures, the Standard Automated Material Management System (SAMMS) payment procedures, the Computerized Accounts Payable System (CAPS), and other electronic commerce initiatives. This quarterly event reaches maximum registration quickly, so early registration is encouraged. For additional information, call 1-800-756-4571, option 6. Jack Schultz, COO, Agracel, Inc.; Morton Marcus, Director Emeritus, Indiana Business Research Center, Kelley School of Business, IU; and Damian Mason, Common Sense Comedy for Corporate America. For more details contact Lincoln Schrock at 260-426-7649. |
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WORKSHOPS: PICC Hosts Teaming Workshop Partners in Contracting Corporation hosted a client “teaming” workshop last month at the Holiday INN Express in Portage. The event was created specifically for PICC client’s to establish relationships, cite business similarities, and to capitalize on business to business government contracting possibilities. The event was introduced by PICC president Dennis Terry and presented by Stacey Smith of Prairie Quest Consulting. The event featured twelve companies, eight of which had already secured at least one successful government contract. “The purpose of the ‘teaming’ was to create a unique networking event to increase and enhance contracting possibilities within the government sector, as well to augment government subcontracting opportunities,” said Dennis Terry President of PICC. “I thought the event was very informative and provided substantial confirmation that there is success and validity in this sector, which is very encouraging,” remarked Claudia Gunter of Gunter Intelligence. “It’s great to be able to establish business relations with other businesses looking to do what you do,” added Gunter. PICC plans to hold the teaming event on a quarterly basis to match businesses with others businesses who are serious about increasing their government contracting objectives and capabilities. Please refer to the PICC newsletter for the times and dates of the next teaming event. Meet Our Consultants and Instructors
Joann Ostrognai is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager, Certified Contracts Assistant Specialist and designated Fellow by the National Contracts Management Association. She was the Regional Director for the Government Marketing Assistance Group in Fort Wayne for 5 years. She worked as a civilian for the Army at Fort Benjamin Harrison where she was first trained in procurement, and she worked in contracts management for Magnavox (now Raytheon), Bowmar Aerospace, Bhar Plastics Wayne Home Equipment, and Valspar. ----------------------------------------------- Mr. Rich Shields is the latest edition to the Partners in Contracting Corporation team and will assist various businesses throughout designated PICC coverage areas. Rich will serve as a part-time consultant to supplement the resignation of Erin Arreguin. Rich has been involved with government procurement for over six years in both the public and private sector. Rich has extensive knowledge of researching, composing and securing government contracts, while assisting other businesses in acquiring government contracts; while also possessing vast experience in assisting in minority business certifications, assisting with GSA schedules, and in depth Haystack procurement research experience. In his tenure as a government contractor, Rich has secured over $2.1 mil in government contracts with various government agencies ranging from the Department of Defense to the State of Indiana. Rich has also composed and secured government grant monies in excess of over $1.0 mil. in government grant monies. Rich had previously served as a government marketing specialist for PICC from 1999-2001, where he became certified with AGMAS, an accredited training and certified procurement assistant for PTAC representatives. |
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OTHER NEWS: |
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In Kind Contributions PICC would be at a great disadvantage without the In Kind contributions and wants to thank the following businesses, institutions and associations:
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Cash ContributorsCash contributions are necessary for PICC to obtain its federal grant. The government matches 75% to 25% of the total contributions. Contributors for last year were:
PICC would like to thank these sponsors for their generous contributions. |
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Partners in Contracting Corporation Satellite Offices: (By Appointment) |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman — Dan Botich, Cender and Company Sue Anderson—Small Business Development Center Glenn Fox—-Soteria Deco. Co. Dennis Henson– Regional Development Company Matthew Hunter—Center of Workforce Innovations Mary Kaczka— Member at Large Stan Lease—Horizon Bank Judith Perkinson– The Calumet Group Matthew Reardon– Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. Patrick Reardon—Urban Enterprise Assn. Of Hammond, Inc. Tom Smith—Swiss Controls, Inc. Michael Bullock —Northwest Indiana Minority Business Opportunity Committee Jim Ventura—Economic and Business Development Director,City of East Chicago. |