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September 2012                                                        Issue 2          

Greetings!

 

You know me, I have a positive attitude about business and life in general. Most entrepreneurs share that trait-otherwise why would we continue the uphill battle every day?! In addition to building businesses, since January, I have been also trying to improve my health and walking most mornings as the sun rises. Getting out of bed in the dark is certainly a chore, but breathing the fresh air and seeing the sun come up has given me a great perspective on starting each day anew. (And dropping 30 lbs. has also been a sweet side effect too!)

 

But one thing has really been a huge business challenge lately: Government is supposed to support our efforts as engaged citizens, not hurt us. This whole System for Award Management (SAM) debacle has highlighted how government contracting is stacked against small business. The contractor handling the CCR to SAM transition is IBM-supposedly an experienced company capable of handling a database conversion.

 

But this has been a mess from day one, and the fact that it was not well tested before rollout and timed for the fiscal year end is inexcusable. The help desk is a joke, phones are not answered and emails cannot be processed. Come on GSA, why are you accepting such a colossal failure as business-as-usual? Saying you are working off-site to rectify the problem sounds like you are hiding to us.

 

Check out the story at FCW, my rant is not based on isolated incidents. It has escalated so far that DOD has gone on record to waive the SAM registration requirement. But unfortunately, most contracting officers are unaware of this waiver as their desks are stacked high with fiscal year end contracts that must be processed.

 

If you are impacted by this issue and it is affecting your business, please reach out to 800-333-4636 and tell them that this is not acceptable.

 
Here's to your success--together we will prevail!

gsign

Gloria Berthold Larkin
President, TargetGov
1-866-579-1346

   

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Don't Forget To Register
Dont forget
"Best Practices for Rapid Response to Task Order Requests For Proposal" Webinar   

Have you registered for TargetGov's upcoming webinar "Best Practices for Rapid Response to Task Order Requests for Proposal"? Task order contracts amount to 1/3 of the federal spend these days. If you are not capturing the business you want from the IDIQs you hold, this webinar is for you.
  
Noted industry expert and co-owner of Successful Proposal Strategies, LLC,  and author of "Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Business" published by Artech House Robert Frey will team up with Gloria Larkin for a highly anticipated webinar. 

 

Webinar Topics Include:
* Key elements for a successful task order proposal response
* Data that should be collected prior to writing
* A bid/no bid decision matrix
* Common mistakes to avoid 
* Best practices for effective proposals

* Tips for increasing proposal visibility

 

Who Should Attend?
* Seaport-e, Eagle, all IDIQ, MATOC, SATOC and MAC contract holders
* New and Experienced Contractors
* Executives, XO level responsible for task orders
* Proposal Writers
* Business Developers
* Administrators

* Capture Managers

 
Date: Thursday, September 20, 2012
Time: 10:00 am PT, 11:00 am MT, 12:00 pm CT, 1:00 pm ET (please check for your local time zone)
Cost: $105 per individual
 

 

Learn More and Register...

 

Arming Vets To Win
VIP image  
 

The Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) is an educational training program for owners, principals and C-level executives of Veteran-owned businesses.

 

The VIP is a 27-hour, 3-day comprehensive certification program instructed by professional service experts, government officials, and agency representatives. It is designed for veteran businesses to increase their ability to win government contracts by establishing best business practices. 245 Veteran-owned businesses have graduated from the program to-date.

 

Funded entirely by the Montgomery County Chamber Community Foundation and VIP sponsors, the program is AT NO COST to participants.

 

Learn More... 

 

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month
FBC

Did you know that October is Cyber Security Awareness Month?
One of the featured cyber-specific events in October is the  Cyber Maryland Conference 2012This 2 day conference features an industry showcase & exposition to highlight key businesses around the state and country which are focused on the epicenter of Cyber Security activity. 

For  more information also check out the FBC website.
The Three Leadership Traits That Never Go Out of Style 
Vineet Nayar
By: Vineet Nayar
Published in the Harvard Review

 

When I was a kid, the children in our neighborhood would play in a nearby park every evening. Our undisputed leader was a boy barely a year older than I was, I think. He introduced the new kids to everyone, taught them the rules of games we played, and made sure no one felt left out. We also trusted him blindly because he had our backs whenever we messed up.

 

None of the leadership lessons that I have learned, unlearned, or relearned ever since have left as indelible an impact as the ones I learnt as a child. Three, in particular, stand out:

 

Trust: Do your team members trust you? Do they accept that you will, without doubt, stand up for them whatever the situation? Only that kind of trust makes people feel empowered, gives them the courage to innovate, take risks, and to push themselves beyond their comfort zones to find success.

 

Read more... 

TargetGovlogosm
 
team
In This Issue
TORFP Webinar
Arming Vets to Win
Cyber Security Awareness
Three Leadership Traits
Gloria's Speaking Engagements

 

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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Gloria Larkin's Upcoming Speaking Engagements

    

CyberMaryland Conference

Baltimore, MD

October 16th- 17th  

 

MCC VIP Presentation 

Rockville, MD

October, 17

  

APTAC Fall Training Conference 

Washington, DC

November 4th

 

Ecobuild America 

Washington, DC

December 3rd