Fed Contracting June 26 2009 Final

How to Market and Develop Business with the Federal Government

ABC Virginia Continuing EducationJune 26, 2009

Ashley McCarron Campbell, Marketing Project LeadBalfour Beatty Construction – Washington, DC

Dave Carrithers, Vice President of MarketingCentennial Contractors Enterprises - Vienna, VA

A Little Help In Fed Translation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD4roXEY8hk

• You Can’t Market To Federal Clients

• All The Decisions Are Made In DC

• You Can’t Talk To Contracting Officers (KOs)

• It Is To Hard To Get In The Door & Too Do Work

Myths Of Federal Marketing

• You Must Market To Federal “Individuals”

• Over 90 Percent Of The Buying Decision Is At The Local Sites/ Zones/ Regional Level

• You Must Find And Build A Relationship With The Local Contracting Team

• Think Differently, Think Long Term – Must Build A Record Of Past Performance – Start Small

• Must Network

The Truth

• IDIQ – Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity Contracts

• MACC/MATOC – Multiple Award Construction

• Design-Build - (75% or greater of all new construction going this way in Federal environments)

• Design-Bid-Build

• Job Order Contracting (JOC) – Focuses on Renovation and Repair

• GSA Schedule

Types Of Contracts

• SAME – Society Of Military Engineershttp://posts.same.org/belvoir/ http://www.same.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3657

• DBIA – Design-Build Institute Of Americahttp://www.dbia.org/conferences/expo/

• USACE Small Business Fairshttp://usacesbconf.org/2007/PDF/Presentations/

• National Contract Management Associationhttp://www.ncmahq.org/

• Federal Allies Institute https://www.federalallies.org/

• National Institute Of Building Scienceshttp://www.nibs.org/AnnualMeeting/index.html

Where To Meet Live Feds

1. Personal Side: Building A Personal Connection To The Organization, The People and Their Needs

2. The Protocol/Tactical Side: Following Procurement Procedures and Processes

Two Sides To The Same Coin

Side Note:

-Do Not Debate FARS

-Need To Say Thank You Formally, Recognition of KO KEY

-Not An Overnight Result

-Less Than $25k can award on the spot

Important To Remember

Important To Remember

What Is Your Value Statement?

• Multiple Federal Agencies– Department of the Navy– Department of the Army– U.S. General Services Administration– Others

• Department of the Air Force• Department of Veterans Affairs• Department of Transportation• Department of Homeland Security• And many more (over 100 different federal agencies and

branches of agencies)

Federal Clients

• Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC)– Mission is to provide facilities and public works to the

Navy, Marine Corps and other DoD agencies– Six business lines:

• Capitol Improvements• Public Works• Environmental• Asset Management• Expeditionary• Contingency Engineering

Department of the Navy

www.navfac.navy.mil/

• NAVFAC Organization– NAFAC Atlantic Command – seven reporting Facilities

Engineering Commands• NAVFAC Europe• NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic• NAVFAC Midwest• NAVFAC Northwest • NAVFAC Southeast• NAVFAC Southwest• NAVFAC Washington

– NAVFAC Pacific Command – three reporting Facilities Engineering Commands

• NAVFAC Far East• NAVFAC Hawaii• NAVFAC Marianas


• NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic (MIDLANT)– Headquartered at the Norfolk NAS in Norfolk, Va.– Serving Maine to North Carolina– Commanding Officer Cpt. David Boone– Over $1.5 billion a year in services– Business lines offered

• Capitol Improvements (CI)• Environmental (EV)• Asset Management (AM)• Public Works (PW)


• NAVFAC Washington – Headquartered at the Washington Navy Yard– Commanding Officer Cpt. James Stader– Over $1 billion a year in services– Serves 11 major claimants, 23 Naval activities and 18

other DoD clients, including:• Anacostia Annex

• National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda

• NSA Annapolis

• U.S. Naval Academy

• Marine Corps Base Quantico

• NSA Patuxent River

• Andrews AFB

• Bolling AFB

• WHS

• NCPC


• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)– Headquartered in Washington, DC– Mission is to provide public engineering services and

strengthen U.S. security and economy, and reduce risk from disasters

– Design, construction and management of facilities for the Army, Army Reserve, Army National Guard, Air Force and other DoD agencies

– Provides Civil Works and Military Programs– Majority of employees are civilian

Department of the Army

• USACE Organization– Eight permanent divisions

• South Pacific• Northwestern• Southwestern• Mississippi Valley• Great Lakes and Ohio River• South Atlantic• Pacific Ocean• North Atlantic


http://www.usace.army.mil/Pages/Business.aspx

• USACE North Atlantic Division (NAD)– Headquartered at Fort Hamilton in New York– Maine to Virginia (including the District)– Six districts

• New England• New York• Philadelphia• Baltimore• Norfolk• Europe


• U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)– Among other services, GSA provides workplaces by

constructing, managing and preserving government buildings and by leasing and managing commercial real estate

– Multiple offices (23) under GSA, the most relevant to us is the Public Buildings Service (PBS)

– PBS initiatives include:• Design and construction• Leasing• Donate or sell real estate for federal agencies• Support sustainable design initiatives• Preserve historically significant buildings

U.S. General Services Administration

• U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)– Regions:

• Northwest/Arctic• Rocky Mountain• Pacific Rim• The Heartland• Greater Southwest• Southeast• Mid-Atlantic• Great Lakes• New England• Northeast and Caribbean• National Capital


• GSA Mid-Atlantic Region– Serves:

• Delaware• Maryland (excluding PG and Montgomery Co.)• Southern NJ• Pennsylvania• Virginia (excluding Northern Virginia)• West Virginia• Europe, Africa and the Middle East


http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_OVERVIEWandcontentId=8106

http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?P=FX8&contentId=11887&contentType=GSA_OVERVIEW

• GSA National Capital Region (NCR)– Serves Federal agency clients in:

• Washington, DC• Montgomery and PG counties Maryland• Cities of Falls Church and Alexandria Virginia• Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties


LOCATING OPPORTUNITIES

• www.CCR.gov – primary database for the Federal government to store data for all agencies

• www.defenselink.mil – official website of the DoD and a good starting place for finding information regarding the military– www.defenselink.mil/contracts - a listing of $5M+ contracts

updated each day

• www.acq.osd.mil – DoD Dept. of Small Business Programs website; excellent source of information regarding small business contracting

• www.NAVFAC.navy.mil

• www.USACE.army.mil

• www.GSA.gov

• www.BRAC.gov

Informational Websites and Resources

• Federal agencies procure contractors through a single source – the Federal Business Opportunities website

• www.FBO.gov

• Also contains American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA aka stimulus projects) opportunities

• Extremely powerful tool if utilized correctly

Locating Opportunities

• Getting started with FBO– No registration is required, but by doing so

you can use search agents, have a watch list and see interested vendors lists

– To register you’ll need:• DUNS number• To be registered in the CCR• TIN / MPIN

– Create a username and password– Log in as a Vendor / Citizen

FBO.gov

• Quick Search – you can use this function for a simple search without logging in.

FBO.gov – Searching Without Registration

Type in key words. The most recent results will show first.

construction

• Quick Search results– Click on an

opportunity to view details



• Note basic elements of a notification

• Synopsis provided

• Complete view of all information and modifications provided

• General information is provided on the right


• Further down the screen you’ll notice points of contact

• If you have questions regarding a notice, the Contracting Specialist or Officer (CO) will assist you

Side Note: Excellent Way To Build A Starting Point For A Contact– Maybe Not On This RFP But It Is OK To Call And Ask About Past Awards, Future Needs, Introduce Your Self


• Perform an advanced search

– Return to your results page

– Click on the Advanced Search tab


• Type in key words• Choose document type

(active)• If you want to search by a

specific agency, click the option button and choose a specific Federal agency; you will then have the option to choose a specific office location

• Choose the opportunity/procurement type

• Narrow by dates


• Zip code can be set• Choose a set-aside

code if you are a small business

• Check all classification codes of interest

• Choose your NAICS Code

• Choose whether or not to include ARRA opportunities


• Search for opportunities by agency

FBO.gov – Full Utilization

• Home page, once logged in

• View Watch List– Allows you to mark

projects that you are interested in

– FBO will send you updates if the notices of these projects are modified


• You can add any notice to your Watch List by clicking the Add to Watch List button


• Set up search agents

– Allows for quick access to frequently used searches

– FBO can auto-run your search agents as directed

TIPS FOR PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Parts and Pieces of a Standard RFP

• Each Federal agency uses a specific format for Request for Proposals (RFP), also referred to as a Request for Qualification (RFQ) in Phase I of a two-phase procurement

• RFPs differ not only by agency, but by delivery method and procurement type

– Design-Build vs. DBB vs. Construction Manager for Construction (CM@Risk)– Best value vs. price only

• Typical components include:– Contractor qualifications– Past performance on relevant projects– Technical approach– Organization charts– Key personnel– Subcontracting plans/utilization of small business

Tips for Developing a Winning Proposal

• Identify “win themes”– What are the differentiators that make your firm stand out from the competition?

• Experience• Price• Approach• Relationships• Teaming experience

• Give them what they want!– Lay out your proposal response strictly following the structure of the RFP– Include all information, even if it is requested in multiple areas– Be clear, concise and to the point– Sell your firm, but remember this isn’t a “sales pitch” – use hard evidence of

success, not just boilerplate– Respect all page limits, guidelines and due dates – no late proposals!– Use graphics and visual aids where possible– Always check your references before including contact information– Submit RFIs if the RFP is unclear, always respecting FAR

Tips for Non-prime Contractors

• If you are a subcontractor interested in working on design-build pursuits with a Prime contractor:

– Identify a target team early in the procurement– Reach out to strong, existing relationships– Don’t make your first contact with a Prime be a phone call to request to be on their

team – design-build is about relationships– Establish your qualifications – why should you be a key team member? – Understand the project and identify unique value-added services you can bring to a

team, as well as your scope of work– Identify possible interested firms, both prime and non-prime, by networking and

through the Interested Vendor tab of FBO– Understand the level of commitment (are you going to be exclusive?)– Be positive and persevere. Get your foot in the door by going above and beyond on

a pursuit and you could become a go-to team member. – If you’re a small business, consider your status a benefit to the team and position

your firm accordingly


• To pursue opportunities with Balfour Beatty, please register with us to be prequalified.

– http://www.balfourbeattyus.com/Subcontractors.htm

• If you are a small business and need assistance, please feel free to contact our Small Business Administrator, Layli Pietri. She can also provide you with information on how to become SB certified with the Federal government if you meet the requirements and need guidance.

Layli PietriSmall Business [email protected]


• If you are a subcontractor interested in working on Job Order Contracting:

http://www.cce-inc.com/subcontractors.html

- Fastest way to start building a Federal track record

- Find Local Site Offices & Meet Team- Look for other JOC contractors:

- http://www.eziqc.com/About.aspx - http://www.kbr.com/industries/government_services/job_order_contracting.aspx - http://www.all-star.com/user/contact.asp?sessionid=%95

To Learn More About JOC

The Center For JOC Excellence

www.JOCexcellence.org

Mid-Atlantic Chapter:

http://www.jocexcellence.org/midatlantic.htm

Register and attend July 15th Session @ GMU

Key: Don’t Get Frustrated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knu14TlvCQE

Thank You For Your Time!

Dave Carrithers

Centennial Contractors

[email protected]

www.CentennialNOW.com

Ashley McCarron Campbell Balfour Beatty Construction

703- 218-1331 [email protected]

http://www.balfourbeattyus.com

Fed Contracting June 26 2009 Final

Documents

Transcript of Fed Contracting June 26 2009 Final