Locating Opportunities for
Federal Contracts
October 10th 2013 – Sault Ste. Marie
Presented by Benjamin Blanc
TPI PTAC
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Located in the Oneida Skenandoah Complex in Green Bay,
Wisconsin
• The mission of TPI-PTAC is to act as a resource for American Indian
Tribes and American Indian owned businesses.
• We provide technical assistance for American Indian development.
TPI-PTAC provides resources for Tribes to build their economic
capacity by contracting with the Federal, State and Local
Governments.
• Our mission is also to support economic development, sustainability
and enhance sovereignty.
TPI PTAC
- 8 States: IA, MI, MN, WI, ME, MA, NY and IL since April
2013
- Helped Native owned business to get over $6M in Federal
contracting in 2012.
How to begin
• How do you find which agencies are buying?
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Read the newspapers and watch the news
www.usaspending.gov
General business network
www.sam.gov
Networking
• How do you find out who your potential competitors are?
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Read the newspapers and watch the news
www.usaspending.gov
General business network
www.sam.gov
– Networking
How to begin (cont.)
• What is this going to cost you?
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Developing a strategy
Marketing and sales materials targeting the market
Events / travel / networking
Potential certifications relating to performance or capability
Paper, web and related materials
• What are the potential obstacles?
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Time
Money
Capabilities
You really have what they really want
Contacts – specific knowledge
Past issues
Is this Market Right for you?
What many think government
contracting is:
What Government contracting really is:
Market Research FPDS-NG
Market Research –
USAspending.gov
USAspending.gov Advanced
Search
USAspending.gov Advanced
Search (cont.)
USAspending.gov Advanced
Search (cont.)
USAspending.gov Advanced
Search (cont.)
From this research you will be able to TARGET
AGENCIES THAT PURCHASE WHAT YOU SELL
 Manufacturing
 Department of Defense www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/doing_business/index.htm
 Construction
 US Army Corps of Engineers www.usace.army.mil/CESB/Pages/Default.aspx
 US Department of Ag/Forest Service www.da.usda.gov/smallbus/
 Naval Facilities
https://portal.navfac.navy.mil/portal/page/portal/navfac/navfac_forbusinesse
s_pp/smallbusiness/
 Commercial type goods and services
 General Services Administration www.gsa.gov
 Mixed
 Veterans Administration http://www.va.gov/OSDBU/
 Research and development
 SBIR-STTR Program www.sbir.gov
Training Videos
Guides
FAQs
Federal regulations require that contracting officers
publicize proposed contract actions expected to exceed
$25,000 through the on-line Government point of entry,
FedBizOpps
DLA Internet Bid Board System
DIBBS
• Defense Logistics Agency - https://www.dibbs.bsm.dla.mil/
Mostly Manufacturing
85% of DLA’s soliciations are automated via DIBBS
DLA Internet Bid Board System
DIBBS
• Defense Logistics Agency - https://www.dibbs.bsm.dla.mil/
DIBBS is a web-based application to:
• View and submit
quotes
- Free
Webinar Through NIST on using DIBBS
• View RFPs - Contact Samm Bowman for FY2014 calendar
• View Long Term Contracts
opportunities
- 301-975-5978
or samm@nist.gov
• View Award Information
• View provisions, clauses and packaging specs
• View price history – on some solicitations
• Access Technical Data via cFolders
• Access Acquisition Forecasts using Supplier Requirement Visibility
Application (SRVA) tool – must have login & password
• Access the Automated Best Value System (ABVS) – Performance Score
used in award decisions
• Access Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) – another
Performance Score used in award decisions
Other Manufacturing Procurement
Websites
http://contracting.tacom.army.mil/
https://www.neco.navy.mil/
Need registration
Suggested reading : Vendor Manual
See The Office of Small Business Programs
https://contracting.tacom.army.mil/sbo/prime
contractor.htm
Can register as an available subcontractor
https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/
The ASFI provides industry with a single point of
access to all U.S. Army contracting opportunities
Guides available to download for training
CONSTRUCTION AND RELATED including
environmental, trades, A/E, other
– http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/ US ARMY Corps of Engineers,
St. Paul District
– http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/ US Army Corps of Engineers,
Rock Island District
– http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/index.cfm?chn_id=1081 US
Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District
– http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ US Forest Service
– https://www.smallbusiness.navfac.navy.mil Naval Facilities
Engineering Command
– http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104444 US General Services
Administration – Public Buildings Service
– ISSUES to be aware of GREEN, Labor, Proximity to Job, Bonding,
Financing, Documentation,…….
COMMERCIAL GOODS & SERVICES
http://www.aafes.com/pa/selling/default.asp
Need to complete a source list application
https://www.mynavyexchange.
com/command/contractor_ven
dor/PUBS/html/cv-guide.html
http://www.cg-exchange.com/
More CONSTRUCTION AND RELATED including
environmental, trades, A/E, other
• http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104444
General Services Administration GSA
Includes MAS Items and GSA Global Supply Items
General Services Administration GSA
• Governmentwide contract vehicle for commercial products,
services and solutions
• Known as “Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), “GSA Schedule”
or “MAS”
• Solicitations posted on FedBizOpps
• Awarded using FAR part 12 procedure
• Since July 2013 the Government can use reverse auction to
select a product/service from a schedule
www.gsa.gov/r5smallbusiness
www.gsa.gov/sbu
Other opportunities
http://www.va.gov/oal/business/dbwva.asp
Reverse Auction: Definition
• In a reverse auction, a single buyer makes
potential sellers aware of their intent to buy a
specified good or service
• During the course of the actual reverse auction
event, the sellers bid against one another to
secure the buyer’s business, driving the price to
be paid for the item downward. Thus, the
winning bidder is the seller who offers the lowest
price.
A Brief history of Reverse
Auction
Reverse auctions existed well before the internet, mostly for raw
material but it really gained popularity in the late 1990s as a result of
the emergence of Internet-based online auction tools.
Freemarkets, Ariba, SAP developed their software and/or acquired
Reverse Auctions software companies in the early 2000.
Fedbid is currently one of the major Reverse Auction company for the
Federal Market but not the only one: DLA uses Procurex and Ariba,
The VA procured R-A enterprise software licenses and services to
Dnutch Associates, Lightgov is another one though more geared
toward local governments. Recently, on July 1st 2013, GSA introduced
a Reverse Auction system for their Schedules.
What is purchased?
The Reverse Auction process is often used for Commercial
Items acquisition
(see FAR part 12).
Example of categories purchased using Reverse Auctions
according to FedBid:
- IT hardware and software
- Medical supplies
- Lab Equipment
- Furniture
- Communication
- Services…
What is purchased?
In Fed Biz Opps, most procurements using Reverse Auction
do not range price as the sole factor:
“(…) The award decision is based on evaluation factors that
are tailored to the acquisition. Evaluation Factors: FACTOR
#1: PAST PERFORMANCE #2: PRICE #3: DELIVERY.
PRICE AND PAST PERFORMANCE ARE CONSIDERED
EQUAL, BOTH ARE GREATER THAN DELIVERY(…)”
In fact once the auction is completed, the buyer may choose
any of the competitors in Fedbid, not necessarily the lowest
price.
Other reverse auction sites
The DLA reverse auction process is a pricing
technique during discussions to establish the final
offered prices from each offeror. Other factors are
evaluated in a proposal
The GSA reverse auction is only used for items
listed on a GSA Schedule and companies bidding
must have a GSA Schedule that includes those
items.
Benefits for Agencies
• Comply with the FAR requirements
– Promote Competition
– Transparency in the acquisition process
– Make process faster and more efficient
– Improve access to government contract for
small businesses
• Produce significant level of savings
– In general between 10/12% (compared to
independent government cost estimates)
Benefits for suppliers
• Opens the Federal Market
• Increase participation from small business
and not only for set aside procurements
• Can use the R/A as a Market Research
tool
• Can help suppliers to make sure that their
operations costs are on par with their
competitors
BIDMatching
• TPI PTAC and every MI PTACs offer a free
BIDMatching service
– The PTACs ’ systems search International, Federal, State
and Local procurement databases and email you relevant
solicitations based on information specific to you company
– Sites searched:
• 42 International Sites
• 45 federal sites
• 2,011 state and local sites
• Contact Ben Blanc or Denise Hoffmeyer for
assistance
Questions?
• Benjamin Blanc
• TPI PTAC
• Procurement Specialist
• office # 920 583 2027
• Cell # 920 251 7681
• benjamin@tpiptac.com
• www.tpiptac.com