Tim LinkerNC Procurement Technical Assistance Center

NC State University

PTAC Program was Established by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in 1986.

Headquartered at NC State, NC PTAC functions as the government procurement extension service of the University of North Carolina System.

NC PTAC assists with all levels of government contracting (local, state, and federal).

From 2004-2006, NC PTAC assisted NC business in obtaining $4 billion dollars of government contracting.

Finding available resources to identify government opportunities

Understanding government rules and regulations

Completing necessary government registrations Completing government certifications Understanding solicitation requirements Responding to a solicitation Reviewing completed bids Researching award histories Getting paid

Creating a win-win team.Creating a win-win team.

What is required for the particular project?◦ Are you building a hospital, commissary, or water

treatment plant? What are your core competencies and where

will you need assistance? Who are you working with now or in the past?

◦ Has it been successful or worked well? What are your potential partner’s strengths

and weaknesses? ◦ Key: Does your potential partner have the ability to

act as a team player and possess the requisite knowledge base?

1. Skill Level2. Reputation3. Relevancy/Past Performance4. Rapport/Communication5. Technical Competence6. Commitment to Creating the Best Value7. Commitment to Containing Costs8. Resources

Explicitly define the roles and responsibilities for each partner.

What is the best way to bind the partners together for this project?1. Teaming Agreemento AGC Document No. 499, Teaming Agreement for

Design-Build Project2. Joint Venture (JV)3. Partnership4. Limited Liability Corporation (LLC)5. S-Corporation

Determining who is the lead on the project◦ Which partner discovered/marketed the project,

and do they have an existing relationship with the buying entity?

◦ Who brings the greatest amount of resources to the project ?

◦ Who has the greatest amount of risk involved in the project?

◦ Who has the greatest amount of integration experience?

The art of convincing the Government Evaluators that your proposal is the best.

Your team must be able not only to comprehend a RFP, but accuratelyto demonstrate that comprehension whileproposing and describing an effective solution to the issue at hand.

Get the correct solicitation and keep checking for amendments or modifications.

Determine the solicitation and contract type. Assemble all the attachments and materials

incorporated by reference (FAR clauses, etc.). Read the entire solicitation… twice.

◦ Many companies do not fully comprehend what they are being asked to provide and, consequently, are not able to provide a proposal that completely meets the requirements of the solicitation.

Federal solicitations provide you with details of what the government wants and with details of how it will evaluate your proposal.

For instance, Solicitation # (R3-07-19a)◦ Lost Lodge Ranger Station, US Forest Service, USDA

Section C, Statement of Work: Provides a detailed description of what the government is seeking. Design on the construction of four buildings (23K sq. ft. total)

Section M, Evaluation Factors of Award Technical Approach: 25 %, LEED Silver Certification and

Energy Star methodologies Past Performance: 75%, Quality of Product/Service,

Timeliness of Performance, Business Relations

Make a proposal requirements task list and a contract performance task list.

Create a plan that details what the responsibilities of each team member are and when each task is due.

Focus on meeting the proposal due date. Provide all the required information in enough

detail so that the evaluators know that you understand the requirements thoroughly.◦ Follow the solicitations format!

Page limits, numbering, section titles, etc.

Gather, assemble, compile, and edit all the items specified by the task lists you created.

Arrange them in the specified sequence. Prepare a brief cover letter or executive

summary. Provide the required number of copies of

the proposal in the layout the solicitation dictates.

Follow all the instructions. Follow the sequence. Focus on the customer’s mission and goals. A proposal’s purpose is to describe in detail what you can do to support the mission. Check and recheck your cost data. Start with the executive summary and end with a full-scale bragging section. In

between, provide supportable facts.

Responsive: Did your submit the requireddocuments in the required format?

Responsible: Is your company qualified andeligible to receive the contract/award?

Competitive: Is your price “fair and reasonable” under the circumstances?

Technically Acceptable: Does your productmeet the customer’s requirement?

What you need to know.

The federal government has social goals that it tries to satisfy through Preference Programs. ◦ Federal goals

1. Small Business: 23%2. Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)/8(a): 5% *3. Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB): 5%4. Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone: 3% *5. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB):

3% Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.702

requires that all construction projects over $1 million dollars must have an approved subcontracting plan.

* Small Business Administration (SBA) Certified Preference Programs

FAR Clause 52.219-9 provides a model subcontracting outline◦ Elements include:

Type of subcontracting plan: Master, Individual Goals for each type of segment: VOSDB, SDB, WOSB,

etc. Description of supplies and services to be subcontracted Method of identifying sources and developing goal

percentages Individual responsible for the subcontracting program Description of the efforts to identify subcontractors Various assurances of reporting and clause flow down Record keeping requirements

920 Main Campus Drive, Venture II, Suite 101

Centennial Campus, NCSURaleigh, NC 27606

919.424.4453, tlinker@sbtdc.orgWWW.NCPTAC.ORG