Government Contracting News Flash
Insider Tips and Solutions
Grants.gov

Have you visited this website lately?

Grants.gov is your source to find and apply for federal grants.  Learn more about grants.gov and determine if you are eligible for grant opportunities offered on this site or go directly to grant search to search for grant opportunities.

Find us on
Facebook Logo
Trade
For International trade strategies & trade compliance solutions, including Government Regulatory Compliance & ITAR Agreements,  contact
 
Beth GItlin (website forthcoming)
Ask the DCAA Experts 
 
Email your questions to our former DCAA auditors ready to help 
I.T. Services
Deltek hosting, design, build, maintain voice and data network infrastructure services are provided by
 
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

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
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

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
 
                                    July 2010
Greetings from your Government Contracting Advisory Team (GCAT),

We hope you are staying cool in the middle of the Florida summer and that you find the articles below helpful to you and your business.

If you have any questions about any aspects of Government contracting, we encourage you to contact us. We are here to help!

Sincerely,
Your GCAT
Trade Secret
It's a Secret: How to Obtain Trade Secret Protection For Your Client Lists

By Kelly G. Swartz, Esq.
Hayworth, Chaney and Thomas, P.A.
Have questions for Kelly? Send Kelly an email
Few people would be willing to dispute the importance of satisfied clients to the success of a business. Without clients who purchase things from the business few businesses can survive, much less thrive. Most business owners go to great lengths to seek out potential clients and entice them to patronize their business. The result of these countless hours of toil and untold expenses is a client list that may provide significant value to the business. If maintained properly, this client list may be protected and valued as a trade secret. However, if this client list is not handled properly, the business owner may not be able to recover a penny in the event it is stolen.

What is a Trade Secret?
Trade secrets are defined by Florida Statute � 688.002(4). This statute creates a two-prong test to determine if information qualifies as a trade secret. Essentially, information will only be classified as
a trade secret if (1) somebody would be willing to pay for the information and (2) the owner of the information treats the information like it is, in fact, a secret.

Client Lists have Value
There is no doubt that a client list satisfies the first prong of the test. Client lists are exactly the type of information for which people are willing to pay. Courts have repeatedly held that active client lists can be the subject of trade secrets.

Read the rest of the article>>

Government Contracting: Proposal Writing
A Guide to Reading and Understanding the Solicitation

By David Krigelman, President
Krigelman & Associates  
Have questions for David? Send David an email

Several years ago, I attended a seminar on proposal preparation. The instructor, a retired Military officer that worked in the procurement function, described the ten most important steps in the proposal process. These are:

� Step 1 Read and understand the solicitation
� Step 2 Read and understand the solicitation
� Step 3 Read and understand the solicitation
� Step 4 through Step 9 => Ditto 
� Step 10 => Go to Step 1

He then discussed the phrase that appears in almost every Request for Proposal (RFP): The Contractor shall demonstrate his understanding of the requirements and present a sound approach that meets the requirements. Clearly, reading and understanding the RFP requirements is very important if you want to prepare a winning proposal.

Almost all RFPs that are prepared by the Government are preceded by a released Synopsis that appears in the Federal Business Opportunities web site (reference: http://www.fbo.gov). The Synopsis contains useful information regarding the procurement, which can be used to guide the proposal development process. A draft RFP, which is available early on for Industry review and comments, also provides a good preview of the final RFP prior to its release. Last but not least, Government-provided answers to Industry questions are very helpful.

 Read the rest of the article>>

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, audit/reviews, and DCAA representation) 
  • Insurance needs (including Defense Base Act/Foreign Exposures)
  • Legal services (such as Intellectual Property Strategies & Contract Negotiation)
  • 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:
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.