Marketing To Achieve A Small Business
Set Aside Contract
Alliance South Conference
Atlanta, GA
1
Dinora Gonzalez
DG Federal Procurement Advisors, LLC
. . .your connection to federal contracts
dgsmallbusiness@gmail.com
614-434-6672
DG Federal Procurement Advisors, LLC
2
Art Brown
LeScott Enterprises, Inc.
art@lescott.com
770-732-9392
DG Federal Procurement Advisors, LLC
3
Small Business Set Aside
Contracting Program
4
Small Business Set Aside Programs*
Small Business Set Asides are acquisitions reserved exclusively for
participation by small business concerns.
Procurements of $3,000 - $150,000 are automatically reserved for
SBC unless the CO determines that there is no reasonable
expectation of obtaining offers from at least two responsible SBC
that are competitive in terms of market prices, quality and
delivery. (Rule of Two)
*FAR Part 19.5
5
Small Business Set Aside Programs*
If only one acceptable offer is received the contracting
officer is REQUIRED to make an award to that firm.
If no acceptable offers: CO can WITHDRAW the set
aside and solicit on an unrestricted basis.
There are no small business set asides for contracts $3000
or less.
*FAR Part 19.5
6
SBA’s “Parity” Programs
There is no order of precedence among the 8(a), HUBZone,
SDVOSB, and WOSB/EDWOSB Set Aside programs.
However, if a requirement has been accepted by SBA under the
8(a) Program, it must remain in the 8(a) Program unless SBA
agrees to its release in accordance with 13 CFR 124, 125, and
126.
FAR Part 19.203
7
Small Business Program Parity
8a
HUBZone
WOSB/EDWOSB
SDVOSB
Small Business
Unrestricted Competition over $150,000
8
Summary of Small Business Set Asides
Procurement Method Eligibility & Dollar
Thresholds
FAR Reference
Independently owned and operated, for
profit, not dominant in its field according
to NAICS Code
Automatically set aside for procurements $3K $150K
FAR 19.3, FAR
19.5
51% owned and controlled by a socially
and economically disadvantaged
individual, includes automatic SDB
Certification
Competitive: If > $4mil / $6.5 (Mfr)
51% owned and controlled by U.S.
citizens, principal office located in
HUBZone, 35% of employees must live in
HUBZone
Full & Open with a price evaluation preference of
10%
Small Business Category
Definition
Small Business
8(a)
Historically Underutilized
Business (HUB) Zone
Small Business
Set aside based on “Rule of Two” if >$150K
Sole Source: If < $4mil /$6.5. CO may accept –
OR if only one source available that can perform.
FAR 19.12, FAR
19.8
FAR 19.13
Competitive: If > $4mil / $6.5 (Mfr)
Sole Source: : If < $4mil /$6.5 OR if only one
source available that can perform.
Service Disabled VeteranOwned Small Business
51 % owned and controlled by one or more Competitive: If > $3.5mil / $6 (Mfr)
service-disabled veterans
Sole source: If < $3.5mil / $6mil (Mfr). OR if
only one source available that can perform.
FAR 19.14
Woman-Owned Small
Business / EDWOSB
51% owned and controlled by one or more
women / Economically Disadvantaged
women
FAR 19.15
Only eligible NAICS / NO Sole Source
Competitive: If > $4mil / $6.5 (Mfr)
9
Marketing Strategies for Pre Selling:
 Begin as early as possible
Historical Information; Current contracts; Competitors;
Use e-tools
Relationship building with decision makers:
“Interview” the Federal Client to find their
procurement needs.
10
Interviewing Your Federal Clients:
Get to know their situation and how you can assist them.
What purchasing vehicle(s) do you use
Who are they currently using?
What is your role at this agency?
What is the protocol at this agency?
Make the appointment all about them, not you!!
11
Make yourself Approachable!!!
Properly registering on the central contractor registration (CCR)
and Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS)
Adding and broadening their North American Classification
System (NAICS) codes
Exploring if they qualify for any other SBA's small business
programs
Look at contracting vehicles such as the GSA Schedule
program.
Consider teaming with other firms
12
Navigating the Internet to Identify
Opportunities for Your Preference
Certification
Presented to:
Alliance South
April 17, 2012
Arthur L. Brown
770-732-9392
art@lescot.com
EC
Research Your Market to Find Answers To:
 Who are my customers
 Where are they located
 What does/will make them by my
product/service
 What is my optimum selling price
 What should my
advertising/promotional message
consist of
 How do I get to them
How Search Engines Work
 There
are oodles of servers, billions of pages and
a gazillion words and pictures on the Internet
 The Web: Growing Exponentially
 Best guess is somewhere over several trillion
pages and growing by a billion pages daily
Search Tool Category Examples

Search Engines
Google – http://google.com
Yahoo – http://www.yahoo.com
MSN – http://www.msn.com
Ask - http://ask.com
Cuil - http://www.cuil.com/search
Bing - http://www.bing.com/

Directories
Reference
USA - http://www.referenceusa.com
Thomas Register – http://www.thomasnet.com
Central

Contractor Registry – http://www.ccr.gov
Listing of International Search Engines
http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/
Market Research Methods
 Primary Research
 Provide online surveys, questionnaires, online
focus groups
 Study your traffic logs
 Example:
http://www.zoomerang.com/login/index.zgi
http://www.surveymonkey.com/
http://www.zoomerang.com/
Start by Defining Your Business Classification
 North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) Code http://www.naics.com/search.htm
 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code http://www.naics.com/search.htm
 Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number http://www.dnb.com/US/
 National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) http://www.nigp.org/
http://vendornet.state.wi.us/vendornet/asp/CC13_Process.asp
Market Research Methods (cont’)
 Secondary Research Sources
 Company Data
 Industry Sources/Associations
 Governmental Agencies
 Universities/Libraries
 Search Engines
 Trade Journals
 Investment Industry Analysis
 Internet Analysis
http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/index.html
Marketing Strategy Development
A marketing strategy is a target market and a related marketing mix
A target market is a similar group (market segment) of customers
to whom you wish to appeal
A marketing mix consists of a group of controllable variables
(product, place, promotion, price) which are put together to satisfy
a target market
Historical Acquisitions
Projected Acquisitions
Current Acquisitions
Procurement Research Sources
 Historical Purchases
 E-Procurement Database – http://www.fpdsng.com/
 Current Purchases
 Fedbizopps - http://www.fedbizopps.gov/
 Subnet - http://web.sba.gov/subnet/search/index.cfm
 NECO - https://www.neco.navy.mil/secure/register/register.cfm
 Army Single Face to Industry - https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/
 Projections
 Agency Procurement Forecasts https://www.acquisition.gov/comp/procurement_forecasts/index.html
https://www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/
http://web.sba.gov/subnet/search/index.cfm
http://dsbs.sba.gov/dsbs/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm
Administrative Management
Consulting Firms Located in
Fulton County – NAICS
541611
https://www.rfpsource.ca/e/index.cfm
Sources to Identify Target Markets/Commercial
 Build/Existing Contact Database
 Access/Purchase Database
 Reference USA
 http://www.referenceusa.com/
 Thomas Register
 http://www.thomasnet.com/
 Yellow Pages
 http://www.yellowpages.com/
http://www.referenceusa.com/Static/Home#businessDatabases
Management Consulting Firms Located
in Fulton County
Banks Located in Fulton County
identified as NAICS Code 522110
"The past is history, the future a mystery,
and the present is a gift. Spend it wisely."
SBA 8(a) contractor offering HR and Administrative Support Solutions
DeVan C. Brown, President
• SBA 8(a) Program
•
•
•
I’m approved! Now what?
Why isn’t my phone ringing?
Does the 8(a) program work?
Questions?
57