Government Contracting News Flash
Insider Tips and Solutions
Happy Holidays!

From our home to yours, we wish you Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year!

 Your Government Contracting Advisory Team (GCAT)
Selling to Government Made Easy
Selling to the Government Made Easy
If you are an established business located in Central Florida and are interested in selling your product or service to the government, take advantage of the FREE counseling available through the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at the Small Business Development Center at UCF. Start your journey into the world of government contracting with the right tools and proven strategies.
 Email Tony Espinosa, Procurement Specialist

What's on Your Mind?

If you are interested in any specific topics, please let us know so we can cover them in the upcoming issues. Thank you.

Email us with topics you would like us to cover

Ask the DCAA Experts 
 
Email your questions to our former DCAA auditors ready to help 

Government Cost Accounting

Have questions regarding government cost accounting, such as fringe, overhead and G&A costs, ICE Models, Rate calculations & audits, FAR & DCAA regulations?
 
Email Debbie Goode, CPA
Website: Hoyman Dobson
Insurance
As a Government contractor, how can you make sure your insurance coverage fully meets your needs and the industry requirements?  With questions on  Workers' Comp, General Liability, Auto Liability, Professional Liab, Employee Benefits 
Intellectual Property
Protect your brand and your product through timely and proper trademark and patent registration. Where do you get started?
 
GSA Schedules
Let Gary help you win and administer GSA contracts, market, set pricing and manage your  GSAAdvantage! catalog!
 
Legal Solutions
Ed can help with representing Government Contractors in bid preparation, bid protests, performance issues, claims, and disputes 
 
Bid Proposals
For program management, proposal planning and development as well as system engineering, contact
 
I.T. Services
Deltek hosting, design, build, maintain voice and data network infrastructure services are provided by
 
Trade
For International trade strategies & trade compliance solutions, including Government Regulatory Compliance & ITAR Agreements,  contact
 
Beth GItlin (website forthcoming)

Please note:

The individual companies participating in GCAT are not affiliated with each other for any purpose other than providing educational programs for issues related to government contracting.  Participating companies do not share fees and, have no obligation to refer client's to companies participating in GCAT and do not assume any responsibility or liability for information provided by any member of GCAT.

                                    December 2009
Holiday Greetings!

The end of the year is fast approaching and as you plan your 2010 networking opportunities, below are a couple of organizations we find valuable to Government contractors throughout Central Florida. If you feel we missed listing any Associations that benefit the Government Contractors, please email us.

National Contract Management AssociationCape Canaveral Chapter. The next monthly meeting is scheduled for January 13, 2010 at Holiday Inn Viera. To learn more about the Association, please contact Janet Hamm at jhamm@harris.com.
 
National Space Club Florida Committee - one of the only three regional committees of the National Space Club. The next event is scheduled for January 12, 2010. For more info go to www.nscfl.org.
 
National Space Society (NSS)- Florida Space Coast. Watch the chapter's events updates on NSS' website.
 
If you are a construction commercial contractor, the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), East Florida Chapter holds monthly meetings in Brevard County. The Association also provides training on government contracting topics. For more information, contact Jan Miorelli.
 
Also, make sure to periodically check Brevard Small Business Assistance Council, in particular their Outreach Events schedule - often times they offer great educational events that benefit Government contractors.  
Successful Proposal Writing
Four Key Elements of a Proposal  
By B. David Krigelman
Do you have questions for David? Send David an email 

Many years ago when I went to proposal writer's school, the instructor mentioned four important elements that must be emphasized in any proposal or sales document.  These included: features, benefits, advantage, and experience.

  • The features of your approach must be itemized.  It is important that these features are unique to your offering and are not generally found in other companies' products or services.
  • The benefits that are associated with these features must be identified.  The benefits must be useful to the ultimate user of the product or service.  Examples of benefits to the user include higher performance, easy to operate and maintain, and lower cost of ownership.

    Read the rest of the article
The Legal Aspects of Government Contracting
Certification Requirements for Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB) Eased 
 
By Ed Kinberg, Board Certified, Construction Law,
Fellow, National Contract Management Association
Do you have questions for Ed? Send Ed an email.
 
FAR clause 19.703 has been revised to eliminate the requirements for businesses using SDB subcontractors to confirm that the subcontractor is listed in the SBA database as an SDB.  Effective immediately, prime contractors can rely on an SDB's "self certification." This rule applies to a subcontractor's status as a veteran owned small business, a service disabled veteran owned small business, a small disadvantaged business, or a woman owned small business.

The one "catch" to this new provision is that a prime contractor must act in "good faith" in relying on the subcontractor's self certification. While there are many ways to define "good faith," there is a simple rule you can apply. 

Read the rest of the article
A message from Linda Weatherman, EDC
Brevard County Recovery Bonds & Application Package
 
Brevard County has Recovery Zone Facility and Economic Development Bonds available to finance eligible activities and projects within our community. Below is background on each of the bonds offered:
 
Recovery Zone Facility Bonds are private activity bonds that may be used to finance certain property located in a designated Recovery Zone. Eligible activities/projects that qualify include private activity bonds issues on behalf of borrowers for qualified businesses located within the designated Recovery Zone, including qualifying capital improvements and infrastructure projects.
 

Meet the GCAT

The Government Contracting Advisory Team

Through the independent services of the Government Contracting Advisory Team (GCAT) businesses can quickly find professional resources to help them succeed in all areas of government contracting.  
 
GCAT can help you with:
  • Marketing & GSA Schedules (including GSA Contract Administration)
  • Accounting services (including assistance with Government cost accounting systems & DCAA representation) 
  • Insurance needs (including Defense Base Act/Foreign Exposures)
  • Legal services (such as Intellectual Property Strategies, Contract Negotiation, and Bid Protests & Disputes)
  • I.T. Services, including DelTek hosting
  • Proposal Planning & Development
  • International trade strategies and trade compliance solutions, including CTPAT & ITAR
  • Quick access to industry veterans and resources
  • And much more!

The GCAT Members include: