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December 20, 2016 By AMK

President-elect Trump and federal procurement: Who woulda thunk it?

Those of us working around government contracting have the burden of operating way off in the wonky weeds.

procurement-is-percolating Normally, people outside the procurement system have no knowledge of or interest in government contracting. This can be frustrating for anyone who likes to have their work generate wider buzz, though for others the obscurity provides an opportunity to work with less distraction and hoopla.

President-elect Donald Trump is nothing if not a showman, so government contracting is far, far down any list of areas in which he might be expected to engage.

Keep reading Steve Kelman’s blog at: https://fcw.com/blogs/lectern/2016/12/kelman-trump-acquisition-issues.aspx

June 1, 2016 By AMK

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

May 20, 2016 By AMK

Defense IT contract rekindles pricing complaints

What’s not to like about the U.S. government offering information technology vendors $17.5 billion for products and services?

The opportunity is attractive, and many vendors have expressed interest in a U.S. Department of Defense contract that covers the acquisition of a broad range of IT capabilities. Offered through the Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA, a request for proposals for the Encore III contract was issued in March. Bids were accepted through late April.

However, the contract generated angst about the terms DISA will use to select vendors. The complaints include a public letter to the department from business organizations representing IT companies.

In fact, DISA may have to suspend the RFP as a result of legal challenges. Booz Allen Hamilton and CACI separately have submitted protests to the General Accountability Office related to what they consider unacceptable provisions of DISA’s proposal.

The terms of the RFP are “ambiguous, inconsistent with law, and unsuitable for the type of procurement,” said Sharon Larkin, an attorney with Steptoe & Johnson, representing CACI.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/83492.html

March 21, 2016 By AMK

One huge change to federal IT contracting coming this spring

The General Services Administration (GSA) is launching a new era in federal information technology acquisition this spring.

That’s when GSA releases requests for proposals for Alliant 2 Unrestricted and Alliant 2 Small Business, the next generation of the agency’s government-wide acquisition contracts.

The Alliant 2 contracts will likely be the largest federal IT services contracts of the next decade as measured by volume of orders. Unrestricted has a $50 billion ceiling over 10 years, while Small Business has a $15 billion ceiling.

The Alliant 2 contracts are also the first federal IT deals that use an objective method of selecting winners. Most IT companies have never seen anything like it.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2016/03/one-huge-change-federal-it-contracting-coming-spring/126679

December 4, 2014 By AMK

GAO report reveals bid protests continue to increase

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released its annual report on bid protests filed during the year and their disposition. The latest report (B-158766, dated November 18, 2014) covers FY 2014.

The report reveals that the number of bid protests continue to be on the upswing while the number of protests ruled to have merit is declining. In addition, the overall “effectiveness rate” (i.e., where the agency involved grants some type of remedy or corrective action in response to the protest) remains flat.

Statistical details derived from the recent GAO report, compared to reports from the previous four years, can be seen in the chart below.

The number of cases filed in FY 2014 – 2,445 bid protests, 50 cost claims, and 66 requests for reconsideration – were up by 5% compared to FY 2013. Of the total cases filed, only 556 were decided on their merits, and only 72 (or 13%) were sustained.

The most prevalent reasons for sustaining protests were: failure to follow evaluation criteria, flawed selection decisions, unreasonable technical evaluations, and unequal treatment.

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) was used in only 96 cases.

The GAO report reveals that while protesters faced a decreased likelihood of success on the merits in a final decision from the GAO, agencies appeared to be slightly more inclined to take corrective action than in years past. In the end, nearly half of all protesters were afforded some type of relief.

What these data do not specifically address is that the majority of protests do not reach a decision on the merits due to voluntary corrective action. Corrective action is commonly taken voluntarily by agencies because of flaws in evaluating bids and proposals. This has implications for both potential protestors and agencies in post-award debriefings.

A copy of the GAO’s latest bid protest report can be downloaded here: GAO Bid Protest Annual Report to Congress – FY 2014

Those of us working around government contracting have the burden of operating way off in the wonky weeds.

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.

What’s not to like about the U.S. government offering information technology vendors $17.5 billion for products and services?

The General Services Administration (GSA) is launching a new era in federal information technology acquisition this spring.

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