RFP | The Contracting Education Academy

March 2, 2018 By cs

George Carlin and the effects on solicitations, contracts

I read an article by Matthew Berry, ESPN senior writer on ESPN.com on Love, Hate and seven dirty words.

I did not know he worked in Hollywood, where his first job was working as George Carlin’s [the famous comedian] assistant. I remember hearing the, “Seven words you can never say on television,” skit. Most of those words I had heard on the playground, but couldn’t admit to my parents.

Berry stated in the article that Carlin told him: “Words are just words, he would argue, it’s the context of those words that’s the key. The motivation and intent behind what someone was saying was the key. The idea that one word was bad while another was safe was insane to him.”

So how does this apply to solicitations and contracts?

How the government states requirements, proposal preparation instructions, and evaluation criteria matter. What most solicitations and contracts lack is context.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/commentary/2018/02/george-carlin-and-the-effects-on-solicitations-contracts/

February 21, 2018 By cs

A baby-step solution for improving the defense acquisition system

It’s not the hard solutions to problems that tie bureaucracies in knots. It’s the simple solutions that bureaucracies make hard.

For example, there is a very simple step that could boost the efficiency of Defense Department purchasing of weapons, equipment and services. Its most important characteristics are that 1) it is doable, and 2) it relies on normal order. In other words, the acquisition community can embrace it without legislation or policy adjustments. Furthermore, it can be applied to small acquisition programs as well as large.

The solution is to establish a source selection schedule and keep to it. Simple. Right? Program leaders must merely think through carefully what it will take to publish a Broad Area Announcement or Request for Information or Market Survey, a Draft Request for Proposal and a Final Request for Proposal. Refine a draft schedule until you are confident it can be met. Then publish the schedule and stick with it. I know what you are thinking: “Isn’t that what the program manager or Program Executive Office is supposed to do?” Yes, of course, that is what the program manager or PEO is supposed to do. But, nine times out of ten the schedule is never executed as published, if the schedule is published at all.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/02/baby-step-solution-improving-defense-acquisition-system/145945

February 16, 2018 By cs

Are RFIs a waste of time and money?

All too often I hear stories of how federal agencies issue requests for information simply as fishing expeditions with no real intent on following up with a formal solicitation.

I believe RFIs are a critical tool in helping agencies conduct market research, identify interested companies and eventually narrow the pool of potential bidders, but if the RFI doesn’t turn into a contract opportunity, is government living up to its end of the bargain? The same might be said for BPAs, IDIQs and other contract vehicles that are “awarded” but not used to their full potential post-award.

I’d be the first one to tell you government should interact more with business to better understand innovative service offerings or emerging technologies. RFIs are one tool to do that, but when an RFI is released and companies scramble to respond, they expect a contract opportunity at the end of the process.

Keep reading this article at: https://fcw.com/articles/2018/01/25/comment-value-rfis.aspx

February 9, 2017 By cs

GSA seeks proposals for huge governmentwide charge card contract

The General Services Administration (GSA) is seeking proposals for a massive new contract it will award this summer for its governmentwide charge card payment program.

The agency issued a request for proposals on Wednesday for GSA SmartPay 3, the next iteration of a nearly 20-year-old program that provides the government with purchase, travel, fleet, and integrated payment solutions. The contract runs through Nov. 28, 2021, with a potential extension to 2031.The current contract for GSA SmartPay 2 expires on Nov. 29, 2018.

The estimate total value for the SP3 contract is $700 billion, according to the RFP.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.govexec.com/management/2017/02/gsa-seeks-proposals-huge-governmentwide-charge-card-contract/135141/

June 1, 2016 By cs

State government’s use of 4-tiered RFP procurement method called a model

In 2013, with a renewed emphasis on bolstering the state’s tourism industry, Tennessee leaders began a procurement process to secure new advertising services. The innovative process serves as a model of modern procurement, and can be easily replicated by other states.

As a result of the services provided by the new vendor, as well as other activities, Tennessee generated an estimated $1 billion in increased tourism spending from 2013 to 2014. And, one of the ad campaigns that resulted from the procurement received the advertising industry’s prestigious Cannes Lion award. Tennessee is the first state to ever receive this award.

The primary objective was to procure best-in-class marketing and advertising services for the Tennessee. The firm would be charged with modernizing the state’s marketing and advertising campaigns by utilizing current technology, such as social media, to drive interest and tourism from around the world.

The second objective was to use a procurement method that would ensure that the awarded contractor was highly qualified, while still allowing cost to be a factor in determining the award. This was the first time the state had altered its request for proposals process and incorporated a four-tiered approach to determine the successful vendor.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.routefifty.com/2016/05/tennessee-procurement-marketing-advertising/128326

I read an article by Matthew Berry, ESPN senior writer on ESPN.com on Love, Hate and seven dirty words.

It’s not the hard solutions to problems that tie bureaucracies in knots. It’s the simple solutions that bureaucracies make hard.

All too often I hear stories of how federal agencies issue requests for information simply as fishing expeditions with no real intent on following up with a formal solicitation.

In 2013, with a renewed emphasis on bolstering the state’s tourism industry, Tennessee leaders began a procurement process to secure new advertising services. The innovative process serves as a model of modern procurement, and can be easily replicated by other states.

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