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How to MARKET to HHS (AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES). Teresa L.G. Lewis, Director Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!. http://www.youtube.com/user/HHSOSDBU. www.facebook.com/HHS. @HHSOSDBU.
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How to MARKET to HHS (AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES) Teresa L.G. Lewis, DirectorOffice of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Mission of Health and Human Services • The U.S. Government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americansand providing essential human services, especially those who are least able to help themselves. • HHS encourages the use of small businesses to achieve its mission.
300 PROGRAMS Some highlights include: Health and social science research Preventing disease, including immunization services Assuring food and drug safety Medicare and Medicaid Health information technology Financial assistance and services for low-income families Improving maternal and infant health Head Start (pre-school education and services)
HHS StatsEmployees: Approx 85,000Grants: $400 Billion avgContracts: $19.5 Billion
WHAT HHS BUYS • OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES • BIOMEDICAL (ADVANCED) • OTHER ADP & TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES • AUTOMATED INFORMATION SYSTEM SERVICES • OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES
GRANTS • HHS issues an average of more than 80,000 grant awards each year • In FY2013, HHS made > 78,000 awards totaling $344 billion • HHS awarded more than 4,000 grants to Small Business Organizations for a total of more than $1.7 billion
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES? • Government Organizations • Native American/ Tribal Organizations • Non-Profit Organizations • Educational Organizations • Small Businesses Who’s “eligible” to Search and FIND Grant opportunities? EVERYONE!
HHS GRANTSMANAGEMENT PROCESS • 1. Planning • 2. Announcement • 3. Application Evaluation • Recipient and Screening • Independent / Objective Review • Business Management Evaluation • Cost Analysis • 4. Negotiation • 5. Award • 6. Post-Award Monitoring • Formal Actions • Audit Resolution • Conflict Resolution • 7. Closeout Pre-Award Post-Award
KEY GRANTS SYSTEMS Pre-Award • Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance (https://www.cfda.gov/) • Other Agency “Forecasting Tools” such as: • HHS Grants Forecast (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/hhsgrantsforecast/) • System for Award Management/Central Contracting Registry (https://www.sam.gov/sam/) • Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/) Post-Award • USASpending.gov(http://www.usaspending.gov/) • Other Agency “Transparency” systems such as: • Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) (http://taggs.hhs.gov/) ALL ALLOW PROSPECTIVE GRANTEES AND INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SEARCH BY KEY WORD
RECOMMENDED TECHNIQUES • Read solicitation carefully • Focus heavily upon the “Instructions to Offerors,” or its equivalent • Identify: • The contracting officer (CO) to whom responses and questions about the solicitation are to be sent • Due date and time for responses • The method for response delivery (e-mail, agency mail room, etc.) • Location (the complete and accurate mailing address, if applicable) to which responses are to be sent: • Agency Name • Correctly spelled name of the response recipient • Organizational Unit within the Agency – including organizational code • Physical address (including, as applicable, building number, floor, mail stop, street, city and zip code)
Review the requirements document (Statement of Work, Performance Work Statement, etc.) • Identify all required deliverables, associated due dates, place of delivery and recipient • Identify all places of performance (government site, contractor site, etc.) and travel requirements, as applicable • Note any level of effort or other information that states specific requirements that drive costs • Unusual requirements
If numerical data is provided (for example, columns of labor hours required), perform a mathematical verification of the data, if applicable • Verify the accuracy of data such as the mileage of distances, as applicable • Note any information that seems to be lacking or that you deem necessary in order to provide an adequate response • Request missing information from the contracting officer immediately – note the time, date, location, method of delivery (generally, e-mail) and recipient for such requests
Submit questions, requests for information, etc., as quickly as possible, but no later than the due date so as to allow adequate time for the agency to respond • If the due date for questions has passed, submit them anyway – you may get the agency’s answer timely • Avoid including proprietary data or information that may disclose your technical approach • The agency will generally be required to provide your question and their answer to all prospective responders • They should eliminate proprietary information, but might not – be careful
Address all technical requirements • Include a technical and business proposal, if directed by the solicitation • Provide a narrative regarding key business and technical assumptions as deemed necessary by the circumstances • If you don’t address a requirement, explain your reason for not addressing • Provide the appropriate level of pricing information to demonstrate what your approach will cost the government • Use a quality control process to ensure that all items are priced, where needed, and to verify the mathematical accuracy of all numerical data that constitutes your price PREPARING YOUR RESPONSE
Identify your technical and business points of contact, as well as other key individuals, including business partners or subcontractors • Include an “expiration date” for the validity of your pricing and overall response • Ensure that an authorized organizational official’s contact information is provided, and signs the response • Always include a total or “bottom line” price • Provide assumptions for major technical and pricing issues • Always observe page limitations, if any – the government will not evaluate pages beyond the limitation
Do not include extraneous marketing material – include only documentation that supports your technical or business approach • Respond fully to requests for past performance information • Be sure to prepare and submit the required number of printed copies of your response • Deliver your response on time, to the correct location and to the correct recipient
236220Commercial and Institutional Building Construction • 238140Masonry Contractors • 492110 Couriers and Express Delivery Services • 511130 Book Publishers • 512230Music Publishers • 541211 Offices of Certified Public Accountants • 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services • 541612Human Resources Consulting Services • 541614 Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services • 561210 Facilities Support Services • 561410 Document Preparation Services • 561720Janitorial Services • 722320Caterers
Budget in Brief Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Transition from Homelessness: $139 million for services for individuals facing homelessness and suffering from substance abuse or mental illness. Consumer and Beneficiary Education and Outreach: $412 Million for beneficiary education and outreach activities, including $335 million for the National Medicare Education Program, $71 million for consumer support for the Marketplaces, and approximately $6 million for other outreach.
EFFECTIVE CAPABILITY STATEMENT One Page/PDF Tailored for Audience NAICS Core Competencies Past Performance Value Proposition Bullet Points Spell Check Remove Jargon Visually Interesting
THE GATEKEEPERSVENDOR OUTREACH SESSIONSINDUSTRY DAYSMENTOR-PROTEGESTRATEGIC PARTNERING
EXISTING CONTRACTS • NIH Information and Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) • Chief Information Officer Solutions and Partners (CIOSP-3) • $20 Billion set-aside for small businesses • $20 Billion for small business to compete with other than small • Streamlined ordering process for program officials • GSA FSS and GWAC Contracts • NASA SEWP • DHS EAGLE
1. LEGISLATIVE GUIDANCE • Statutory Law • http://thomas.loc.gov • Small Business Act (Public Law 85-536, as amended) • http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/tool_serv_sbact.pdf
2. REGULATORY GUIDANCE • Title 13 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (13 CFR) • Section 121 – SB Size Regulations • Section 124 – 8(a) BD/SDB Programs • Section 125 – Subcontracting • – Limitations on Subcontracting • – SDVOSB Program • Section 126 – HUBZoneProgram • Section 127 – WOSB Program • Section 134 – Appeal Procedures • http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov
3. RECENT GUIDANCE • Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 • National Defense Authorization Act of 2013
Customer Needs • Performance Requirements • Large Businesses • Small Businesses • Problem Solution • Innovation • Proven Experience • Strong Financial Position • Go Green
SMALL BUSINESS ARE THE OF THE ECONOMY
OSDBU CONTACT 200 Independence Avenue, SW Room 537 Washington, DC 20201 Website: www.hhs.gov/smallbusiness Phone: 202.690.7300 Email: sbmail@hhs.gov