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What kind of business are you in? What products or services do you want to provide and to which agencies? How large is your business? Are you disadvantaged, woman or minority owned? Many of the questions you are asking are way beyond the scope of CD. Previous posters have given you a lot of the sources.
A rule of thumb is that if an opportunity in your firm's wheelhouse appears on FedBizOpps and you've had no prior contact with the government agency client, forget bidding. It's too late. Companies generally market their services to government program managers/procurement specialists as far as 18 months to two years prior to the expected RFP release. A firm's RFP response is simply justification for a decision already made by the government to hire said firm.
This is a topic I am happy to forget, after 40 years of responding to RFPs. When I work now - which isn't much - I do it under a subcontract from a Project partner firm/institution. All I have to do is sign my contract with them and do the work, behind the scenes.
A rule of thumb is that if an opportunity in your firm's wheelhouse appears on FedBizOpps and you've had no prior contact with the government agency client, forget bidding. It's too late. Companies generally market their services to government program managers/procurement specialists as far as 18 months to two years prior to the expected RFP release. A firm's RFP response is simply justification for a decision already made by the government to hire said firm.
You are generally right, by OP can look for RFIs which are when for the USG does market research.
It's possible to come in blind and win a small business award. You can also get on the GSA schedule and provide goods.
Hello. I am wondering if anyone can link me to a website or guide on the Government Contracting world. I am interested in learning more about how it all works.
Things I want to know about:
-Bidding process for contracts
-Proposals
-Billing rates
-Prime contractor vs subcontractor
Thanks
Hi I spent 4 months devouring information about how to become a millionaore off of SDVOSB contracts.
First, you need to read, read, and read. Then you need to go to the SBA and meet with them and sign up for any courses about the process.
Then you need to go to the Small Business Day's in DC and then take a seminar on how to respond to an RFP.
for the put butts in seats contracts the billing rates are standard..like a PM with a Secret for an IT contract makes 72$.
You are generally right, by OP can look for RFIs which are when for the USG does market research.
It's possible to come in blind and win a small business award. You can also get on the GSA schedule and provide goods.
You're right, RFIs seem to be all the rage these days, mainly for the feds to determine if there are enough qualified small businesses to do issue RFPs as small business set asides. "Bluebirds" is the term we use for those blind bids that win. Getting on a GSA schedule is possible, but a time consuming exercise.
You can find a lot of information on Fed Biz sites. Google Fed Biz.
For wages Google Davis Bacon. HOWEVER I think it depends on the contract whether Davis Bacon wages apply. EG: if I hire a contractor to perform a repair/service and it's under credit card, I really don't care what he pays his people. (I mean I do but I don't)
Then there's Bid-Build, Design-Bid-Build, IDIQ, FSC, Performance Based Contracts....
You're right, RFIs seem to be all the rage these days, mainly for the feds to determine if there are enough qualified small businesses to do issue RFPs as small business set asides. "Bluebirds" is the term we use for those blind bids that win. Getting on a GSA schedule is possible, but a time consuming exercise.
I guess I'm totally confused? How it works in my world:
When a contract is out there for bid and a perspective bidder has a question that needs clarification, they submit an RFI - Request for Information. The RFI and the response is then sent out to all the perspective bidders so there is no favoratism. OR a contract that is underway - the contractor might have an RFI to deal with something not covered in the contract.
We send out RFP's - Request for Proposal - to companies that already hold service contracts when we want something done that's out of the contract scope. If those service contractors find something broken outside of their contract they can submit a URFP (unsolicited).
You're right, RFIs seem to be all the rage these days, mainly for the feds to determine if there are enough qualified small businesses to do issue RFPs as small business set asides. "Bluebirds" is the term we use for those blind bids that win. Getting on a GSA schedule is possible, but a time consuming exercise.
One thing I would like to ask you as you seem to have an understanding, Sir.
People yap and yap about schmoozing. Like meeting the SBA Rep at the Agency...going to those "procurement industry days in DC"..but the way contracts are written it seems to me that it's not an inside game.
I guess my question is, does who you know really matter? or better yet, is just ok: this firm can do the work as opposed he is my buddy?
There is niche stuff..like my buddy used to work for a particular bureau at department of state and his company provides services to that bureau but it's just because he knows what they need and offers them solid solutions...he understands how to do monitoring and evaluation of African CVE programs because he designed countering violent extremism programs in the Maghrib for a DOS contractor.
His Responses are almost too good because the bid evaluation team is in DC and not in the field! Like asking a major in pentagon what the war fighter needs as opposed to a battalion commander in the field.
Also, is it possible to get a proof of concept funded? Like when you send the govt an idea and they decide to turn it into the contract?
Finally, to the OP....dont be dissuaded by the level of depth that I am writing about...they have plenty of SB set-asides where you just place 12 IT people in seats and bill them out at 100 an hr but pay them 48 and you pocket the rest minus your overhead.
its like having 12 people working for you all giving you 23 bucks and hour...you can do that out of your basement with a laptop.
I guess I'm totally confused? How it works in my world:
When a contract is out there for bid and a perspective bidder has a question that needs clarification, they submit an RFI - Request for Information. The RFI and the response is then sent out to all the perspective bidders so there is no favoratism. OR a contract that is underway - the contractor might have an RFI to deal with something not covered in the contract.
We send out RFP's - Request for Proposal - to companies that already hold service contracts when we want something done that's out of the contract scope. If those service contractors find something broken outside of their contract they can submit a URFP (unsolicited).
I may be presumptions but allow me to take a crack at it:
Agency SBA reps are always looking to meet their SB quotas--vets, disabled vets, women, 8a, etc...they screen contracts that they think a small business can do and release an RFI to see if three companies do in fact have the capability to perform this service...or rather they expect to get three suitable responses.
For instance, USAID recently hit up my buddy's firm for an RFI to see if he could conduct a open source media monitoring in a particular region. he replied and said he could but the govt cant release the contract unless it thinks they will get 2 more responses when the RFP is released.
If they don't they will either release it as non-protected contract or sole source it to an 8a....
I hope this helps
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