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Greetings!
Memorial Day highlights our honoring the fallen servicemen and women who have given the greatest sacrifice for their country. It is time not just for cookouts and celebrating summer's beginning, but for the quiet reflection of what it means to lose one's life serving our country.
Heartfelt thanks go out to all the men and women who have given their lives for us, and also to their families who know the sorrow and pain too well. Without you, our country would not exist-would not be one of the best places on this earth to live, work, worship, play and just be.
As I contemplated the flag wave in summer's balmy breeze this past weekend, my thanks may have be silent, but my heart still swelled with gratefulness. Thank you.
Back to business: The dichotomy of summertime in the federal business world brings not the lazy days of relaxing, but rather, a stepped up time of positioning, bidding, winning and losing. And win or lose, if you take the time to bid and do not take advantage of the debriefing process, you are missing out on one of the most valuable processes a contractor can use to learn how to win repeatedly instead of how to lose repeatedly. Check out the upcoming webinar for valuable insight on using the debriefing process to win more business.
As always, here's to YOUR success!
Gloria Berthold Larkin
President, TargetGov
1-866-579-1346
 
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"Get the Most From Your Debriefings" Webinar
WIN or LOSE: ASK for a DEBRIEFING! Requesting a post-award debriefing is a critical element of the contracting process. Learn how and when to ask for, prepare for, analyze and understand the information shared in a debriefing.
This webinar covers:
The Debriefing Process
Preaward and Postaward Debriefings (FAR 15.505)
Purpose and Process from the Program Manager Point of View
Recommended Best Practices
Sample Post-Award Debriefing Plan
Agenda
Purpose of Debriefing
Ground Rules
Debriefing Ground Rules
Basis for Contract Award
Process for Contract Award
Proposal Evaluation
Evaluation Process Overview
Evaluation Team
Technical/Management Rating Scale
Past Performance Ratings
Proposal Risk Ratings
Strengths/Weaknesses Scale
Evaluation Areas
Evaluation Comparison
Technical Strengths
Technical Weaknesses
Management Strengths
Management Weaknesses
Past Performance
Security
Cost Evaluation Summary
Proposal Risk Assessment
Rank Order
Award Rationale
Sample Email Debriefing Request Format Whom from Your Company Should Attend a Debriefing
Join TargetGov for our second May webinar to learn how to request and get the most from your debriefing.
Date: May 30, 2012
Time: 10:00 am PT, 11:00 am MT, 12:00 pm CT, 1:00 pm ET
Where: At your desktop - the webinar is broadcast live
Cost: $105 per individual
Click here for more information and to register. |
SBA issues proposed rules for small-biz participation in multiple-award contracts
 (an excerpt from an article by Jack Moore)
The Small Business Administration has published proposed regulations in the Federal Register, clarifying how agencies should include small-business contractors in multiple-award contracts. MACs have proliferated across government in recent years, but small contractors contend they are frequently left out of the process. The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 sought to rectify that by allowing agency contracting officers to set aside parts of a multiple-award schedule for small-business contractors. The 2010 law tasked the administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the head of the SBA with developing regulations for awarding small-business contracts in connection with MACs. The new rules spell out three areas where small business can be included in MACs: - Partial set-asides - Setting aside parts of a multiple-award schedule for small-business contractors
- Contract reserves - Reserving awards for small businesses under MACs
- Order set-asides - Setting aside certain orders for small businesses
The rules state that agencies must "give meaningful consideration" to the above options, and contracting officers must provide an explanation if they decide not to use any of them when awarding multiple-award contracts. The proposed rules would allow a contracting officer to divide a MAC for "divergent goods and services" into separate categories, which would be assigned their own codes. SBA will accept comments on the proposed regulations through July 16. |
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SAM Implementation
The General Services Administration (GSA) is moving the implementation date of the System for Award Management (SAM) from May 29, 2012 to the end of July 2012. The additional sixty days will allow federal agencies to continue preparing their staff, give agencies and commercial system providers even more time to test their data transfer connections, and will ensure SAM contains the critical, documented capabilities users need from the system.
This first phase of SAM will include the capabilities of Central Contractor Registration (CCR)/Federal Agency Registration (FedReg), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS). In preparation for the launch, GSA conducted extensive testing internally and in coordination with federal agencies using the data from these systems in their own contracting, grants, finance, and other departments. The testing was very valuable and will focus the efforts of the next sixty days.
SAM will reduce the burden on those seeking to do business with the government. Vendors will be able to log into one system to manage their entity information in one record, with one expiration date, through one streamlined business process. Federal agencies will be able to look in one place for entity pre-award information. Everyone will have fewer passwords to remember and see the benefits of data reuse as information is entered into SAM once and reused throughout the system.
Click here for more information about the system.
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Update From WIPP 
Small business procurement reform took a step forward to becoming reality with the passage of H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 299 yeas to 120 nays. Included in the NDAA is a package of small business procurement reforms that aims to greatly improve the ability of small businesses to win government contracts.
Among the changes included in the bill are reforms to raise the Government-wide goal of awarding contracts to small businesses from 23% to 25%, authorize the SBA to establish a mentor-prot�g� program, increase both enforcement efforts and the penalties for fraud, improve and increase small business representation and advocacy throughout the procurement process, and clarify and expand bundled contract procedure. Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) strongly supports these much needed changes and has forcefully advocated for them.
However, WIPP was disappointed that H.R. 4203, the Women's Procurement Program Improvement Act, was not included in the NDAA. The improvements to the WOSB program included in H.R. 4203 are vitally needed and would help the government finally reach its 5% goal of awarding contracts to women-owned businesses.
Click here to read the entire press release.
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Joe Jordan Confirmed as New Contracting Policy Chief
The Federal Times states that the Senate has confirmed Joseph Jordan as the Obama administration's new chief of contracting policy where he will be expected to reduce federal contract spending, consolidate duplicative contracts across the government, and tighten rules to ensure that agencies properly use and manage contracts. Others confirmed for high-ranking Defense Department positions are: Frank Kendall as undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics; James Miller as undersecretary for policy; and Erin Conaton as undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
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What Are People Saying About the TargetGov Experience?
"...Thank you very much for taking the time to provide the very informative presentation ... Your Toolkit provided the framework to ensure the highest possibility of success... I intend to check the targetgov.com site regularly for valuable information.
John Kim
SVCM, Inc.
"Your presentation was one of the best I have attended. I liked that is was to the point with specific action steps. No down time during your talk" S. Ross "You were great!!! So much buckshot began to come together as one silver bullet." S. DeVincentis " The presentation was very clear and the speaker was very knowledgeable." Lorman Education Services " It was the best presentation I have seen in a long time! I'm glad I bought your book!!!" M. Hoover "Great session yesterday - six people listening in on the call/webinar (a Sr VP/Proposal folks/Contracting Specialist/Editing/Pricing) all were very impressed with the presentation..." L. Jackson I think the teleconference format is very convenient...in fact, I actually listened to one of the conferences while driving back from a meeting with Army representative. Registering and attending is always super easy. R. Alexander Was impressed with the registration process. Getting the toolkit link was easy. Download was easy. Dialing in was flawless. Very easy process. Name withheld as requested Registration was easy, conference was valuable. I'll definitely attend other ones. M. Creager
What are you waiting for?
Click here for the upcoming schedule.
Quick Links...
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For more contracting tips and tools check out the Three Killer Mistakes in Government Contracting article by Gloria.
and INC Magazine too!
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Gloria Larkin's Upcoming Speaking Engagements
UMBC Cyber Incubator
June 6
June 11th-14th
Reno, NV
American Express Victory in Procurement
Washington, DC
June 15
Women In Business Center Club
Baltimore MD
June 26
Maryland Department of Transportation
Hanover MD
August 3
Lorman "Public Contracts and Procurement Regulations"
Baltimore MD
August 8
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Congrats to TargetGov Client: Patriot Taxiway Industries on SBA Award
Patriot Taxiway Industries has been selected as Wisconsin's 2012 Emerging Small Business. Patriot's design and development of Light Emitting Diode (LED) and infrared (IR) lighting technologies has led to the company being recognized as one of the leading lighting manufacturers in the U.S.
"Patriot Taxiway Industries is honored to have been selected as the 2012 Emerging Small Business of Wisconsin" stated Kevin McDermott, Vice President of Business Development.
The Small Business Awards, presented each year by the SBA, play an important part in our efforts to provide recognition and thanks to persons and organizations that are critical to the success of Wisconsin's small business community. Patriot Taxiway Industries was selected as an example of Wisconsin's dynamic small business community.
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