APMP-NCA: Critical Aspects of a Successful Black Hat Speaker Series
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 The Westin Tysons Corner 5:30 PM [...]
The Coming of ALLIANT 2- Are You Ready?
Like a supernova, ALLIANT 2 outshines all other IT programs [...]
What NOT to Do in Your Contract Recompete
This is published courtesy of OCI business partner the Rebid [...]
Alliant 2 Update
GSA Interact predicts that the final RFP date for the mammoth Alliant program will not be released until this fall. Draft RFPs (DRFPs) for both the Alliant 2 Unrestricted and Small Business procurements are available on FedBizOpps.gov. Bloomberg Government quotes director Fornecker in tweeting that, “final RFPs are expected to be released this fiscal year.” Many commentators feel the final RFP will not come out until after the first of the year.
Net net of all this is that bidders still have time to correct deficiencies, fill gaps, complete team building, and generally do those things required to be positioned to win.
Multiple- Award Contracts (MAC), the Old New Game in Town
Recently Bloomberg Government (BGOV) hosted a meeting with contractors and the government focused on the importance of MACs to the Federal Government spending process. For fiscal 2014 BGOV reported one in four contract dollars flowed through a MAC with a total of $115 billion. BGOV also reported that MAC sales favored services over product purchases.
Starting in the early 1990s the government began to promote the use of MACS as a way to simplify their buying processes. Use for DoD acquisitions has grown steadily since them. More recently, Civilian agencies have also expanded use of MACs for their acquisitions based on their unique missions. This trend continues on the up swing as both the Air Force and Army have signed MOUs with GSA OASIS, a major new GWAC/ MAC.
Proposal Industry Hit with Start – Stop Situation
The federal proposal industry is being hit with a new [...]
Compliant or Compelling Proposals
In the Federal Proposal world we all understand that a bidder must be compliant to the proposal requirements under Section L-Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Bidders. Compliance is why you as a winning contractor have a Proposal Professional on staff or have a go to Staff Augmentation firm like OCI on your rolodex. But it never ceases to amaze me that bidders who spend thousand of dollars either internally or externally on bid preparation do so without a compliance matrix or compliance outline and a proposal calendar with due dates to complete the proposal in a compliant manner.
Understanding Section L and how Section M-Evaluation of Factors for Award may conflict each other is as important as a complete understanding of Section C-Performance Work Statement / Statement of Work. We all want to know how we will be evaluated at our own job, so it is understandable to want to know how your bid will be evaluated against your peers. I also find it amazing that the RFPs from the government use the term “Capability” and “Experience” when what they really want is “Proof of Experience.” Which takes me to one of my favorite Poems by Rudyard Kipling-
Upcoming Industry Day: ITES-3S and ADMC-3
Army CHESS Industry Day for ITES-3S and ADMC-3 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10th at Fort Belvoir, VA. Only preregistered attendees will be admitted. Register at http://www.cvent.com/d/mrq26n/.
These Army Multi-award, IDIQ vehicles are in their 3rd generation and will be valued at $12 Billion with the RFP release estimated for September.
There are 24 new service areas under ITES-3S which include everything from Benchmarking and Operational Capability Demonstrations to IT Research and Development under NACIS 541519.
How to Get the Time You Need to Write a Great Proposal (Even If the Customer Only Allows 2 Weeks)
Have you ever felt you could have written a much better proposal if the customer had only allowed more time? But what can you do if there is no draft RFP?
A good choice is to develop a Mock RFP. This gives you a specific target to crystalize your thinking. It helps you systematically think through each facet of your solution and identify your gaps while there is still time to fill them.
Start by finding related RFPs. The best is the old RFP. GovWin is a good source to find old RFPs. The Statement of Work in that old RFP can provide a useful starting point.
Are Programs Really “Slipping to the Right” More Than Before?
How many times have all of us heard the bitter lament, “This year RFP releases are slipping to the right worse than ever before.”? At a recent trade meeting, competitors were expressing the view that the change in the market caused by Sequestration has made program releases slower than before. This study is first in a series undertaken in an attempt to answer the question with empirical evidence. Are programs really slipping more? Or is this just an illusion shared by many of us who are frustrated by delays that are a common pattern of the market?