Dinora Gonzalez GSA Regional Small Business Technical Advisor dinora.gonzalez@gsa RESOURCE & ADVOCATE

1. Dinora Gonzalez GSA Regional Small Business Technical Advisor dinora.gonzalez@gsa.gov RESOURCE & ADVOCATE General Services Administration Southeast Sunbelt Region 4 General Intake Number: 404.331.5103

2. Doing Business With GSA via the GSA Schedules and Other Partnering Initiatives

3. As a courtesy to the class. . . Please turn all cell phones off, or place them on vibrate. Thank You! 3

4. Today’sDiscussion. . . About GSA About the Multiple Award Schedules Program Mentor Protégé Program Finding Mentors & Teaming Partners Partnering Strategies Q&A / Summary 4

5. Regional Office of Small Business Utilization (ROSBU) Overview of Services and Support

6. 11 Regional Center Locationswww.gsa.gov/smallbizsupport

7. General Services Administration Key Player in the Federal Procurement Process

8. U. S. General Services Administration The federal government’s procurement expert: Contracts with the business community for products & services in support of our customer agencies; Manages the Multiple Award Schedules Contract Program; The Federal Landlord of all federal buildings and courthouses davida.gibson@gsa.gov 404-909-1297 Sells / auctions surplus federal property, such as real estate and vehicles to the public. www.govsales.gsa.gov

9. Procurement Basics Review

10. Credit Card Purchase (The quickest and simplest method) Purchase Order for amounts under $150,000 (Buyer obtains at least 2 quotes) Public Bid (Long, Lengthy and Expensive process) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ): Contract which allows buyers to select from a pre-approved price list / vendors. Example: GSA Schedule Contract OR a Blanket Purchasing Agreement (BPA) Subcontract with a Prime Contractor already has a Federal Contract. Subcontract with a “Preferred” Small Business , i.e, (8(a); Alaskan Native Methods of Purchasing

11. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Resources • www.acqnet.gov • FAR Part 8: GSA Schedules Program • FAR Part 13: Simplified Acquisition Procedures • FAR Part 14: Sealed Bidding • FAR Part 15: Negotiations • FAR Part 19: Federal Small Business Programs 11

12. Multiple Award GSA Schedules Program

13. What is a GSA Schedule Contract? Pre-negotiated contracts where prices; contract terms; and, conditions have been agreed to in advance and are considered “fair and reasonable” by the government; Agreements between the federal Government and eligible vendors who agree to honor negotiated prices, terms and conditions IFand WHENanagency places an order.

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19. To Submit Your Offer: Download and fill out the appropriate solicitation with pricing and technical capabilities as specified by the solicitation: www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov Go through a Past Performance Evaluation; Process takes approximately 3-6 months Contract award good for 5 years with 3 (5 years) options

20. Getting Started: Schedules Sales Query (SSQ) • http://ssq.gsa.gov • *Creates Sales Reports by: • Schedule & SIN Numbers • Quarter and Fiscal Years • Your Competitors • Total 11 Reports National Customer Service Center 1-800-488-3111

21. http://ssq.gsa.gov

22. Participation Criteria Sales $25,000 in sales per year (or show potential) Registration / Certification Central Contract Registration: www.ccr.gov Duns & Bradstreet: www.dnb.com 866-472-7362 Online Representations and Certifications: www.bpn.gov Experience / Performance History Open Ratings (http://www.openratings.com) Accept Credit Card as payment

23. What if you need help? Procurement Technical Assistance Centers www.dla.mil/db/procurem.htm (listed by State) OR - www.aptac-us.org FREE COUNSELING

24. InitiatingPartnering Opportunities for Small Business

25. Benefits and Challenges

26. Federal Subcontracting Program

27. Section 8(d) Small Business Act: Offers exceeding $650,000 ($1,500,000 for construction) Requires the apparent successful offeror to negotiate a subcontracting plan acceptable to the contracting officer Not Required from small business concerns FAR 19.702 Requires “Good Faith Efforts” on behalf of the Prime Contractor. Establish procedures to ensure timely payment to its subcontractors Statutory Requirements

28. Small Business Liaison Officer (SBLO) Program Administrator: General overall responsibility for the contractors subcontracting program to include: Developing, preparing, and executing the Prime’s subcontracting plan; Monitoring vendor performance http://www.sba.gov/subnet & www.fbo.gov

29. Teaming Arrangements Allows you to offer your schedule contract items/services, while combining the items/services of another schedule contractor Different than subcontracting arrangement. Benefits Ability to combine individual capabilities Marketability: Provide Total Solution Sharing of risks and rewards 29

30. Mentor Protégé Program

31. Mentor Protégé Program • GSA Mentor-Protégé Program was officially established on September 14, 2009 • Under the Mentor-Protégé Program, eligible small businesses can act as suppliers; provide services or be subcontractors for any Mentor with an approved contracting vehicle and a subcontracting plan negotiated with GSA

32. Eligibility Requirements For Mentors • Mentors can be either Large or Small Businesses • Mentor must have either a GSA Schedule or an active GSA contracting vehicle (BPA, GWAC, etc.) • Large Businesses must be performing under an approved subcontracting plan (not applicable if Mentor is a Small Business) • Have capability and capacity to Mentor • Must be eligible for the Award of Federal contracts • Not listed on the “Excluded Parties List”

33. Eligibility Requirements For Protégés • Protégé must be a small business according to the SBA size standards in the North American Industrial Codes (NAICs) • Mentorship would be constructive and practical • Be eligible for the award of Federal contracts • Not listed in the “Excluded Parties” List System • Not barred from participation in Mentor-Protégé Programs

34. Program Details • GSA DOES NOT MATCH - Mentors and protégés must select each other for the program • Mentors are permitted to have more than one Protégé in the Program at one time (A separate Mentor-Protégé Agreement must be submitted for eachMentor-Protégé relationship) • Protégés are allowed to only have one Mentor while in the Program at a time • The GSA Mentor-Protégé Program is a non-credit, non-reimbursableprogram • GSA will not provide the Mentor firm with monetary reimbursement for the cost of developmental assistance incurred supporting the Protégé firm

35. Application Requirements All Mentor-Protégé Applications mustcontain the following to be considered for approval: • A signed Mentor-Protégé Application (GSA Form 3695) • A signed Mentor-Protégé Agreement • Protégé Needs Assessment performed by the Mentor Firm (recommended) Applications will be evaluated for approval by the Mentor-Protégé Program Manager based on the extent to which the Mentor plans to provide developmental assistance to the Protégé

36. Application Process • Mentor identifies a potential Protégé • Mentor enters into a Mentor-Protégé Agreement with Protégé • Mentor submits application – The approval process takes approximately 30 business days • Acceptance into Program – After the application has been reviewed and approved, the Program Manager will alert the Mentor firm, in writing, as well as provide them with an Acceptance Letter that can be used in proposals and to market to potential customers

37. GSA’S MENTOR PROTÉGÉ PROGRAM Anthony Eiland Mentor Protégé Program Manager Anthony.eiland@gsa.gov (202) 208-0257

38. Locating Partnering Opportunities • Reach out to GSA MAS contractors through the Schedules eLibrary Database – Large businesses have a subcontracting requirements www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov • Review Awarded Contractors on Fedbizopswww.fbo.gov • Select Reputable Business Development Database Services, i.e, www.vetbiz.gov; www.ccr.gov • Small Business Conferences

39. Helpful Guidance • Put everything in writing • Consider • Rotating Prime Representation • Length of Commitment • Terms and Conditions for Exiting the Partnership • Check in often to make sure both sides are experiencing success– re-evaluate the partnership every 6 months to a year to make sure you continue to grow and prosper • Consider building a relationship through small projects • Determine value add – both sides should benefit from the partnership

40. Locating Buyers Federal Procurement Data System: https://www.fpds.gov FEDBIZOPPS: www.fbo.gov www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov Federal Acquisition Jumpstart: Procurement and acquisition sites by contracting activity: (Goggle it)

41. Locating Buyers: www.USASpending.gov Tracks prime contracts awarded and the names of subcontractors that have been awarded federal contracts from prime contractors along with the dollar amounts they have received. Allows public to track the extent to which subcontractors are carrying out the work originally secured by prime contractors. .

42. Getting Started: Schedules Sales Query (SSQ) • http://ssq.gsa.gov • *Creates Sales Reports by: • Schedule & SIN Numbers • Quarter and Fiscal Years • Your Competitors • Total 11 Reports National Customer Service Center 1-800-488-3111

43. Important Sources of Support • Small Business Administration: Procurement Commercial Reps (PCR’s) • SBA provides business counseling, training and business development specialists providing free and low-cost services in your area.www.sba.gov 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722) • The Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers PTACs are dedicated to assisting businesses seeking to compete successfully in federal, state and local government contracting.   http://www.aptac-us.org/new •  Federal OSBU Agency Offices • The Small Business Act as amended by Public Law 95-507 established the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business (OSDBU) to promote the maximum practicable use of all designated small business categories within the Federal Acquisition process. • http://www.osdbu.gov/offices.html

44. www.gsa.gov//smallbusiness to access the Agency’s: Procurement Forecast Points of Contact & Small Business Events Sub-Contracting Opportunities For a listing of all the OSDBU’s: http://www.osdbu.gov/offices.html Regional Office of Small Business Utilization Southeast Sunbelt Region 4

45. Important Sources of Support

46. Website Shortcuts

47. That’s all folks. . . It’s been a pleasure serving you!

48. Questions?

49. Regional Office of Small Business Utilization (ROSBU) GSA, Southeast Sunbelt Region 4 401 W. Peachtree Street, Suite 2700 Atlanta, GA 30303 Office: 404.331.5103 / r4smallbiz@gsa.gov

50. Determine your NAICS code The North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) (Pronounced NAKES) What is it? A 5-6 digit number that identifies your product, service or industry. It also determines size standards. All vendors must use the appropriate NAICS code for the product or service they want to offer. http://www.sba.gov/size Phone: 301-763-INFO (4636) www.census.gov