Federal Sales Blog

Note from Eileen Kent:
If you're still wondering whether or not a GSA schedule makes sense, here's a public statement which might just help you decide that NOW's The Time To Get a GSA Schedule. If you have one, it's time to start knocking down doors!

Good Luck!
Eileen

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Chief Human Capital Officer Lovelace Testimony on Presidential Transition

STATEMENT OF
GAIL T. LOVELACE
CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER
U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT OF GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT, THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2008



Good afternoon Chairman Akaka, Ranking Member Voinovich, and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today on behalf of the General Services Administration (GSA). My name is Gail Lovelace and I serve as GSA’s Chief Human Capital Officer and have been asked to serve as GSA’s Senior Career Executive for Presidential Transition. The Presidential Transition is the top priority for GSA, as stated by our Acting Administrator, Mr. Jim Williams, during his confirmation hearing before the full Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Acting Administrator Williams, and all of us at GSA, are fully committed to a successful and smooth transition from the current Administration to the next.

As a former Political Science major, I believe that the transition from one Administration to the next is an exciting time for our Government. I am honored to be able to play a role in ensuring a smooth transition as envisioned by the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. As stated in that Act –

“The Congress declares it to be the purpose of this Act to promote the orderly transfer of the executive power in connection with the expiration of the term of office of a President and the inauguration of a new President……”

As an agency, part of GSA’s mission is to leverage the buying power of the Federal Government to acquire best value for taxpayers and our Federal customers. We exercise responsible asset management. We deliver superior workplaces, quality acquisition services, and expert business solutions. In accordance with the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, our responsibility during Presidential Transitions is to provide many of these same services, including providing suitable office space appropriately equipped, furnished and supplied to the President-elect, Vice President-elect and members of the incoming and outgoing Presidential Transition Teams, upon request. We started early in our preparation for the upcoming transition and have good teams in place. We have secured suitable space in Washington, D.C. for a Presidential Transition Team and are currently well-positioned to provide furniture, parking, office equipment, supplies, telecommunications, mail management, travel, financial management, vehicles, information technology (IT), human resources management, contracting and other logistical support as necessary and appropriate. A key component will be the use of IT resources. We have also partnered with the Secret Service and the Federal Protective Service, both part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), so they can provide security for the President-elect, Vice President-elect, other protected persons, and the Presidential Transition space. We recognize that a transition can be perceived as a time of vulnerability for our country and so we are taking appropriate steps along with DHS and other national security agencies to ensure continuity of Government during this time as well as having identified alternate locations and workplace solutions for the Presidential Transition Team in the event of an emergency.

In accordance with our statutory responsibilities, under 40 U.S.C. 581(e), GSA also provides space, services and logistical support to the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) and the team that plans and stages the various events that make up a Presidential Inauguration. Our GSA Inaugural Support Team began preparations in August 2007 and has been in full operation since April 2008. Approximately 200 employees of the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (AFIC) have occupied the workspace we provided since June. GSA provided space, IT and telecommunications support as well as several hundred pieces of surplus furniture. AFIC has been very appreciative of GSA preparing their space in a timely fashion so they can prepare for the Inaugural events. AFIC has also stated their specific appreciation for the money GSA has saved them by diligently searching for and providing surplus furniture. GSA currently is preparing space and other logistical support for up to 600 staff members of the PIC.

GSA provides similar logistical support services to President Bush and Vice President Cheney to help them establish their offices when they depart the White House. These services are provided for a 7-month period beginning December 20, 2008. GSA assists in establishing the former President’s office and assists in managing the funds for that office, as we do for all former Presidents. Our team devoted to the outgoing Administration has completed preliminary planning and began coordinating with the Executive Office of the President, the White House Office of Administration, and other agencies in February of this year.

The Presidential Transition Act of 2000 amended the Presidential Transition Act to expand the services that GSA provides to support the incoming Presidential Transition. We coordinate and help to plan and implement orientation activities for key Presidential appointees. The objective of orientation is, and I quote from the Act, “to acquaint them with the types of problems and challenges that most typically confront new political appointees when they make the transition from campaign and other prior activities to assuming the responsibility for governance after inauguration.” Orientation activities focus on broad-based executive-level information and may include informal discussions, workshops and other group sessions. Other agencies and non-government organizations may assist in the planning and implementation of these activities. The decision on how this will be carried out rests with the incoming President or his designee.

The Presidential Transition Act of 2000 also authorized GSA to develop a transition directory, in consultation with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The directory provides information about the officers, organization, and statutory and administrative authorities, functions, duties, responsibilities, and mission of each department and agency. It also provides a variety of other information that may be useful to appointees and members of the Presidential Transition Team.

GSA has already prepared information about appointee orientation for the Presidential Transition Team. We are actively working with NARA to create a Transition summary document and to design and construct the website that will house more detailed information. We have also reached out to the Office of Presidential Personnel, the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Government Ethics to ask for their assistance in completing this directory.
In accordance with GSA’s role in supporting Presidential transitions – for both incoming and outgoing Presidents -- the FY 2009 President’s Budget requested $8,520,000 for this orderly transfer of executive power. Transition funds become available to the incoming administration beginning the day following the day of the general election and ending 30 days following the Inauguration. Funds are available for expenses of the outgoing President from 30 days before, until 6 months after the term of office expire.

GSA serves as the transition manager and advisor on behalf of the President-elect; however, the allocation of the funds is determined by the President-elect and his designee(s). In the event of a Continuing Resolution (CR), GSA will need to make sure that funds will be available for obligation by the incoming Administration the day after the general election, which will require a special provision in the CR. The Appropriations Committee has been notified, and we are hopeful Congress will ensure funds are in place for the transition.

Looking inside Federal agencies, the former and recently retired Acting Administrator and I have met with many agencies, individually and in groups, to explain GSA’s unique role with them and to share our thoughts and ideas about what it takes to be ready for a transition. I will continue to do this as needed. We have created a special section of our gsa.gov website to share information about Presidential Transition with other agencies and the public. We are preparing additional guidance for agencies, building upon our past experiences with transitions. We are actively working with Clay Johnson, OMB Deputy Director of Management, to bring all agency Transition Directors together for a special session focused on the upcoming Transition.

This is an exciting time for our Government. It is a great testament to our Constitutional system of government, but it can also present many challenges. At the same time, agencies must pave the way for a smooth and orderly departure of outgoing appointees, as well as prepare information and orientation activities for incoming appointees, they must ensure that essential programs and services continue unimpeded. As one of our GSA employees recently described it, “We have to keep the train on the tracks and running on time.”

Like all other agencies, GSA is diligently working to ensure a smooth transition within our agency. We started early in preparing for the transition of our agency's political leadership; we have already conducted several briefings for our current political appointees on what the change of Administration may bring. Transition guidance that was issued by the Executive Office of the President on July 18, 2008, provided us and our fellow agencies with excellent reinforcement on the importance of ensuring a smooth transition. This guidance established target dates for specific activities that will help to ensure an orderly succession in leadership, continuity of operations and public service, and also help non-career employees exit successfully.

In addition to our incoming and outgoing Presidential transition teams and our Inaugural team, GSA empowered four teams to plan for a successful internal agency transition. The first team is focused on support to current GSA political appointees who will be leaving. The second team is identifying the actions that must be taken prior to and during the Transition to ensure the continued success of GSA programs, operations and service, including continuity of leadership, transfer of knowledge, and communication with employees. Our leadership succession plan outlines a detailed set of recommendations to make sure there are no gaps in organization leadership. The third team is identifying necessary logistical and information support to members of the Presidential Transition Team that gather information about our agency, such as organization, policies, programs and key issues. And the fourth team is focusing on how to ensure a smooth transition of new appointees into leadership positions within our agency. As an agency, I believe we are well-positioned to ensure a smooth transition inside GSA.

Chairman Akaka, Ranking Member Voinovich, and Members of the Subcommittee, I want to thank you again for the opportunity to address you this afternoon. Working together as a team, I am sure that the Federal Government will continue with the smooth system of Presidential transitions that began when George Washington departed and John Adams assumed the office of the President of the United States.

The SBA released the results of the government's small business contracting for 2007 at the Federal Procurement Data System recently (Link) and if you are a small, disadvantaged, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, disabled veteran owned or HubZone organization, I highly recommend you review which agencies have made a commitment to meeting their goals and which ones could use you to fill in the gaps.

Here are some general statistics. According the report, there was a total of $378,507,701,469.81 worth of federal dollars, which were categorized in the report as "eligible dollars for small business in 2007." $83,274,871,888.47 was actually spent on small business' products and services in 2007.

That is only 21% of the federal budget spending eligible for small businesses actually spent on small businesses.

The Small Business Administration was created to make sure the government meets its statutory goals award small businesses a percentage of the overall contracts. Here are the statutory goals:

SBA GOALS:
Small Business 23%
Small Disadvantaged Business 5%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 5%
Veteran Owned Business 3%
Disabled Veteran Owned Business 3%
Woman Owned Business 5%
HUBZone Business 3%

Actual Overall Result in 2007:
Small Business 22%
Small Disadvantaged Business 6.6%
8(a) 2.7%
Small Veteran Owned 2.9%
Small Disabled Veteran Owned 1%
Woman Owned 3.4%
Hub Zone 2.24%

Agencies attempt to overachieve:
In an attempt to overachieve these goals, many agencies created higher goals for their own organizations. Some agencies, such as the Veteran's Administration have also been especially focused on specific goals due to their lack of achieving some of the sensitive goals in past years. For example, in 2004, the VA hit .3% of their Small Disabled Veteran Owned Business Goals (rather than 3%) and in 2007, they hit 7% which is remarkable. They overachieved their goal 2x!

As a small business with any preferences, you need to know how the agencies are stacking up on meeting these challenges. With that in mind, you might be able to help them overachieve their goals in 2009.

Here are several agencies' results for 2007:

DOD: (1 Out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 20.5%
Small Disadvantaged Business 5.7%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 2.4%
Small Veteran Owned Business 2.4%
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business .69%
Woman Owned Small Business 2.8%
Small Hub Zone Business 2.2%

DHS (5 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 35.8%
Small Disadvantaged Business 13.5%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 3.8%
Small Veteran Owned Business 5.4%
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business 1.4%
Woman Owned Small Business 7.9%
Small Hub Zone Business 3%

GSA (6 out of Seven Goals Reached)
Small Business 32.2%
Small Disadvantaged Business 13.4%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 6.1%
Small Veteran Owned Business 4.94%
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business 2.25%*
Woman Owned Small Business 6.7%
Small Hub Zone Business 5.7%


Department of Commerce (5 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 46%
Small Disadvantaged Business 16.5%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 5.0%
Small Veteran Owned Business 9%
Small Disabled Veteran Owned Business 2.3%
Woman Owned Business 10.5%
Small Hub Zone Business 1.9%

Department of Interior (6 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 59.3%
Small Disadvantaged Business 21.2%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 11.4%
Small Veteran Owned Business 6%
Small Disabled Veteran Owned Business 1.4%
Woman Owned Small Businesss 10.5%
Small Hub Zone Business 11.2

Veteran's Administration (5 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business - 32.8%
Small Disadvantaged Business 8.7%
8(a) 3.4%
Small Veteran Owned Business - 10.3%
Small Disabled Veteran Owned Business 7.08%
Woman Owned Business - 4.97%
Hub Zone Business - 3.3%

Department of Energy (1 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 20.5%
Small Disadvantaged Business 5.7%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 2%
Small Veteran Owned Business 2.4%
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business .69%
Woman Owned Small Business 2.8%
Small HubZone .3%

Social Security Administration (5 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 31.9%
Small Disadvantaged Business 11.1%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 5.6%
Small Veteran Owned Business 4.7%
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business 1.2%
Woman Owned Small Business 3.6%
Small Hub Zone Business 3.5%

Health and Human Services (1 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 21.8%
Small Disadvantaged Business 6.8%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 2.6%
Small Veteran Owned Business 2.4%
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business .58%
Woman Owned Small Business 4.7%
Small Hub Zone 1.2%

Department of Justice (1 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 26%
Small Disadvantaged Business 4.6%
8(a) Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business 1.77%
Small Veteran Owned Business 2.5%
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business .75%
Woman Owned Small Business 4.1%
Small Hub Zone .69%

NASA (1 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 15.35%
Small Disadvantaged Business 6.8%
8(a) 3.3%
Small Veteran Owned Business 3.0%
Small Disabled Veteran Owned Business 1.2%
Woman Owned Business 2.2%
Small Hub Zone .72%

Executive Office of the President (0 out of 7 Goals Reached)
Small Business 18.7%
Small Disadvantaged Business 3.1%
8(a) .83%
Small Veteran Owned Business - 1.9%
Disabled Veteran Owned Business .45%
Woman Owned Small Business 2.6%
Small Hub Zone Business .60%

Predicting Small Business Contracting In The Years Ahead

With the economy struggling and a change in the administration, Small Business Goals will not be on the front burner in the next six months, but the administration will no want to be "burned" by low numbers in the years to come. The US Women's Chamber of Commerce sued the SBA and won when it comes to the government consistently missing their WOSB goals and will continue to pursue the SBA and the White House to pay more attention to contracting with Woman-Owned businesses. By 2010, this will be a huge issue if the government doesn't meet their small business goals.

In the meantime, however, it is UP TO YOU to remind your customers that you are here to HELP them OVERACHIEVE THEIR SMALL BUSINESS GOALS. Don't wait for the numbers to come out, call on your customers and help them make the right decision with your outstanding products and services.

Being A Small (8a, Woman Owned, Veteran or Disabled Veteran Owned, Hub Zone) Company is an Advantage - Use It!

Small Business designations are yet another way to limit competition if you have the solution the agency needs. But, the customer on the inside will not care that you are small. They care that you are the best. After you've gained the trust with the customer on the inside that you are the answer to their prayers, your small business designation makes it easy for the contracting team to limit competition to companies of your size, location and background. When they send the specifications out to bid, they describe your small business status as a preference and only those who are your size can compete. This makes it easy for the customer to get the company they want(you) and hit their small business goals. Your small business designation is a trump card. Save it to close the deal--don't wear it on your sleeve.

For further information on how to win government contracts, check out our Free Resources and Archived Articles or consider taking one of the Federal Sales Academy classes posted at http://www.fedmarket.com


Author:
Eileen Kent
Federal Sales Academy
Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business
Writing and Managing Winning Proposals
Selling Small, Winning BIG!
Starting a Federal Contracting Company
GSA Schedule Preparation 3 Day eLAB
Audit Proof Your GSA Schedule
Keynote Speaker

One "trick" I teach in my "Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business" class is to 1. Go to Fedbizopps.gov. 2. Click on the "Advanced Search" button 3. In the Keyword Search window, type in a product or service the government would buy, BEFORE they buy your product or service. For example, if you sell furniture....or architectural services....type in the word "Relocation," or "Move" or "Lease" or "Construction" to see if any agency is looking to make a change which would ultimately result in furniture or architectural services. If you call on the Point of Contact for those actions, they'll probably need your services down the road. NOW you're uncovering opportunities coming up BEFORE the RFP hits the streets and even before they thought of the need for your products or services. The government employee is usually open to chatting with you about something that they're not buying today, but appreciate that you are helping them be proactive about their upcoming needs.

Our position at The Federal Sales Academy is you have a 5% chance of winning a blind bid that you just uncovered at Fedbizopps.gov, so we believe you need to get in there early and start offering your expertise to the people who need you. Is this any different than selling to the commercial marketplace? Not at all.

By visiting Fedbizopps.gov and seeking these projects BEFORE they need your services, you might have a chance to get in there and offer your expertise months in advance of the posting.

I hope this little technique helps you win an appointment or two.

Good Luck!

Eileen Kent

The GSA Expo 2009 applications for San Antonio, TX will be released on September 15, 2008 at 1:00 PM EST. Remember -- you must be a GSA Contract Holder to reserve a space at GSA Expo 2009. We cannot stress enough to reserve your booth space early, because the booths are sold on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. Last year’s Expo booth space sold less than a week.

The applications will be available on our Web site. The Web site is http://www.expo.gsa.gov. Information for exhibitors is now available. This information includes the cost of the booths, the floor plan, and other pertinent information. This gives you an opportunity to prepare prior to the release of the exhibitor application is released on September 15th. Any vendor not attending the show last year will need to create an account prior to filling out the booth application. This will be part of the application process.

Your application and payment arriving first will guarantee your space. If you are using credit card to pay for your booth, the credit card number should be on the application. IMPORTANT: If you need to submit a check, submit your application first. Your check must be received within five working days. If you submit your check separately from your application, make sure you provide on the check your company name and phone number. If full payment is not received on the sixth day, your application will be removed and your reserved space will be lost.

This is a terrific show, where you can reach over 6,000 attendees. The price for an 8X10 booth is $2300 and standard exhibit space (10X10) is $2,700. Premium booths and larger booths are priced higher. The cost of the booth is listed on the floorplan, which can be found on the exhibitors tab of the website. Please go to http://www.expo.gsa.gov in the exhibitors tab for the GSA Expo 2009 application. I would encourage you to send in your application with payment as soon as you receive the application.

The following information will be required when filling out your GSA application:

- GSA Multiple Award Contract Schedule Number(s) and Expiration Date
- Business Name as listed in GSA eLibrary
-Business Address as listed in GSA eLibrary
- Applicant Contact Information
- Business Classification (example: Small Business; Women-Owned)
- Special Purchasing Programs (example: Cooperative Purchasing; Disaster Recovery)
- Main category of products/services offering from this list
- Green Purchasing Programs that any displayed products qualify under (e.g., Bio-Based; Energy Efficient; Recycled-Content Products)
- If you plan to pay by credit card – credit card number and billing address for payment (will not be processed until booths are assigned)

If you have questions regarding GSA Expo 2009, please call our show-management company, MC-2, at (800) 343-2171, or e-mail us at expo@gsa.gov.

There are five trends that are alive in today's federal marketplace that make 'now' the right time redouble efforts to win federal business.

1. After the Democrats' takeover of the congress, oversight of government procurement is again a hot topic in Washington. Trying to ferret out abuse, the congress is putting a magnifying glass on procurement activities and, lo and behold, finding egregious instances of mismanagement and complete bureaucratic breakdown. From the recent GAO decision to urge the Air Force to reconsider its tanker contractor award to the HUBZone quasi-scandal at SBA. The side effect? Procurement preference programs are regaining renewed vitality. Agencies are again looking to tow the 'statutory' line of meeting procurement goals for awards to small, woman, disadvantaged, veteran-owned, HUBZone businesses - which category did I forget?

2. Another driver that's making it easier to get in 'now' is that budgets at agencies are under a severe, severe squeeze. Less money to go around means that agencies are forced to look for savings. The product or solution that worked up until now but cost a premium may not be so attractive any longer. This opens the doors for opportunities for those that present cost savings while still delivering results.

3. The election will shake up the federal system. With a new president - no matter who gets elected - there will be turnover in the Federal system, including which programs get funded and what agencies' priorities will be. Again, this will represent opportunity. Even though this will be a medium term trend - one year or so to unfold - since the truism that the federal selling cycle is 12 to 18 months long still holds and the majority of the staff at the agencies will stay in place (end users and COs/KOs), 'now' is the time to get in to start catching the trend to give yourself the opportunity to move with it.

4. New procurement data searchable in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) (www.fpds.gov) levels the playing filed because it allows everyone to see what procurement activity is taking place in near-real time. I'll admit that on this point, I think its a two steps forward one step back scenario. Beyond the ezSearch, the FPDS query system is garbage and, who likes the FedBizOpps redesign? No one, from what I hear.

5. Gumption again is in order because the '08 spend (or burn, depending on how you see it) is currently in full force and effect. Maybe too late for some of the laggards but FY'09 dollar spend is just around the corner. The kitty gets replenished, the money needs to go somewhere: make it yours, now!

We have been hearing from a lot of you that you are nose down in proposals these days. No wonder, the feds are looking to burn that last minute cash before they 'use it or lose it'. Now that you have put in place the many suggestions that we have posted both in our newsletters and our free content, your process for proposal writing is looking exponentially sexier.

If you haven't had a chance to read these yet, please visit mine and Richard's Advanced Proposal Writing and Proposal Writing newsletters to get you up to speed. Better yet join us at one of the many proposal seminars to gain even better insight into how to sleigh the proposal beast.

Reality is that new Proposal Architect users have been busy making their proposal process faster and more collaborative. If you are one of them, I'm writing to invite you to post your comments on your experiences. We look forward to them.

Washington, DC, Fedmarket.com - June 9, 2008 - Federal proposal writing is unique. Request for Proposals (RFPs) are poorly organized mazes of red tape, contract requirements, and instructions. Most often the RFP proposal response has to be written by technical specialists who do not have the time, desire, or skills to write.

Adding to the problem, Federal proposal evaluators want easy to read, concise proposals to lessen their task of evaluating 30 - 40 proposals. Proposals that are complicated, poorly organized, or difficult to read are immediately given a grade of U (unresponsive), often with only a skim reading.

How is the proposal writing dilemma solved? In same way you wrote an A term paper in college; with a structured, detailed writing outline.

The Proposal Architect software is a web-based business process for developing a comprehensive proposal outline for use by one or more writers. The resulting document is the core of all "evaluator friendly" and compelling federal proposals. The process begins with a proposal template which is refined over and over by applying a proven methodology resulting in a more persuasive and compliant response as well as reduced costs.

The Proposal Architect includes a generic proposal outline for users that do not already have template outlines based on past proposals or legacy content. Users may also refine the generic outline to fit their company or use the basic outline approach to guide them in developing outlines that fit their business.

To learn more about the Proposal Architect contact Diego Arioti at 866-519-4482 Ext. 107. You can also reach Mr. Arioti by e-mail at darioti@thefederalmarketplace.com.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, visit http://www.fedmarket.com/proposalArchitect/.

Here we are again….another GSA show under our belt. Did you go to the ice cream social or any of the classes or the networking cocktail hour? Did you walk the trade show of over 700 GSA potential vendors, teaming partners and customers? Did you meet any new end users, contracting officers, project managers, contracting officer technical representatives, administrators or customer service directors? If you didn’t go to this show, you missed the event of the year. But don’t despair. Fedmarket.com has products which can help you get one step closer to your key contacts and we have classes which can help you focus on your key agencies and how to present yourself understanding the appropriate government protocols and rules.

Fedmarket Roadmaps and End User for Sale Leads Link

GSA Customer Service Directors Complimentary Link

The GSA show is a great place to catch up with customers and re-ignite your relationships with your teaming partners. It is a huge event which is held in Orlando, San Antonio or San Diego. It happens usually around May and the event is once a year. This year, GSA held it in the Anaheim Convention Center. One of their new emphases was products which were GREEN. This is a new best value which GSA is pushing and if your product or service helps make the government purchasing “green,” government customers may consider this a best value and pay a little more for your product than your competitor’s product. (Check out our class on Selling Green to the Government featuring guest speaker Eugene Lisa.)

Selling Green to the Government FSA Class Link

GSA Green Initiatives Link

GSA Vendors get very creative to bring potential customers to their booth. Brook Furniture Rental had a Wii Game and gave away beach balls and blinky pins, exclaiming they were the government’s “plan b” for sudden furniture needs. Northrup Grumman had celebrity look-a-likes for photo opportunities with booth visitors, and Adams Marketing had the most popular booth featuring a “Deal or No Deal” theme. Government employees were lined up down the hall to get a chance to play and network. GSA had two booths approximately 40’ x 400’…they were enormous….featuring their project management services and schedules.

The more creative the booth activities, the more market share at the show they received. These were not necessarily the most beautiful booths. The name of this game was to scan, scan, scan leads.

Last year, GSA reported 10,000 attendees and this year, they reported 5,000 attendees, but most of the booth vendors agreed that the quality of the attendees as to decision makers, contracting officers, administrators and end users were high.

If you want to be part of the GSA show in San Antonio in June, 2009, you need to have a GSA schedule by then. It is the most popular of the three locations. Check out our Three Day eLAB preparation class so you can get it going now and prepare for success in 2009.

Fedmarket GSA 3 Day Preparation eLab Link


See you on the sales firing line!

Eileen Kent
Federal Sales Academy Director

A Note from Richard White:

Where will federal contracting be in 5 Years? Your prediction is as good as mine. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say: "Pretty much where we are now, a few band aid-type procurement reforms with steady growth year-by-year." Henry Waxman will pontificate about contracting abuse, waste, and incompetence, and propose a few reforms. Some politicians will advocate a cutback in federal contracting. The Washington Post will report instances of contracting corruption. And pork barrel projects-remember Alaska's bridge to nowhere? -- will continue.

Yet we will march on: Federal spending on outside contractors will move from over $400 billion to $500 billion (give or take $50 billion), then in several years the magic $1 trillion number, if hidden contracts not counted in annual totals haven't caused the number to exceed $ 1 trillion already. Come and join us, federal contract dollars are spent more freely than commercial dollars.

Your comments on Fedmarket.com Opinions are welcomed. Please contact:
rjwhite@fedmarket.com. 301.908.0546

I joined Booz Allen Hamilton in 1966, so I've had quite a bit of time to form fatherly and usually neglected opinions. In 1966 the Booz Allen office on I Street in Washington, D.C., employed about 60 people, and there were a few hundred in a research unit in Bethesda, Maryland. How times have changed. Today Booz Allen employs around 12,000 to 13,000 government sector employees. When I started at Booz Allen, we were only a fly speck on the wall of government. Today the federal contracting industry is sometimes called the "Fourth Branch of Government."

Calling contractors the Fourth Branch makes some federal contracting industry people shudder because they think the connotation is negative. There may be some truth in that, but from a contractor's point of view, it's a wonderful thing. As much as the press and others excoriate contractors as Beltway bandits, the government can't get along without us. Federal agencies can't cut back on the use of contractor employees because there's no way the government would or could hire enough federal employees to carry out federal mandates. Who is going to operate the Department of Energy Laboratories, defense supply operations, medical labs, and the information technology infrastructure? The use of contractors to support and conduct federal programs is an entrenched way of doing business now.

Your comments on Fedmarket.com Opinions are welcomed. Please contact:
rjwhite@thefederalmarketplace.com
301.908.0546

The women-owned business preference program as currently implemented by the Small Business Administration (SBA) is an example of the lack of clout small businesses hold in the political arena. The law providing for preference based set-asides for women-owned businesses was enacted by Congress in 2000. Congress let implementation of the law languish at the SBA for years. When regulations to implement the program were finally published after seven years, the women's set aside program was restricted to four industries that are so obscure as to make the program meaningless. In six months to a year, the SBA will give final approval to rules for a women-owned business preference program that covers almost no women-owned businesses. In effect, the Bush Administration all but killed the set-aside program for women. Congress, in its wisdom, is holding hearings rather than drafting new legislation.

What should you do as a women-owned business interested in the federal market; presuming that you don't have a million dollars or so to contribute to a Congressperson on the small business committee or the ability to pay a stiff fee to hire small business lobbyists (if you could even find one)?

Email your Congressional representative and Senators at least weekly or even daily for the next year. They don't read the emails, but they do keep tallies and catalog sentiments from constituent email. So click away and maybe Congress will act, especially if the next president is a Democrat. The reality is we could have a meaningful program by 2010 if enough sentiment builds up. Not soon enough? Don't do anything and the Republicans could be back in 2012 - if not in 2008.

Your comments on Fedmarket.com Opinions are welcomed. Please contact:
rjwhite@thefederalmarketplace.com
301.908.0546

Doing business with the federal government may seem mysterious and overwhelming on the surface. If your small business is bogged down with apprehension over red tape, or the perception that big players dominate the market, you are simply stuck in the fear of not knowing how the federal sales game is played. Think all business is located nation’s capitol or that the federal market is completely different from the commercial market? Your misperception will keep you from winning a share of the $500 billion-dollar federal market. The experts at Fedmarket.com separate perception from reality in a free online article, Cracking the Federal Market: The Small Business Guide to Federal Sales.

The fact is the federal market is tough to crack. But the outsider perception that the market is impenetrable is simply untrue. In reality, it is no different than entering a new segment of the commercial market with specific caveats needed to close the sales. Fedmarket.com provides you with detailed information on six critical steps to success in the federal market. Cracking the Federal Market explains how to:

1. Sell to federal customers as you would in the commercial market.
2. Learn the rules for closing sales.
3. Get a GSA Schedule contract with a pre-approved price list.
4. Target federal customers in your region first and become an “insider” like the large federal prime contractors.
5. Use the inherent advantages of being an insider to help your business succeed in the federal market.
6. Certify your company as one of the preferred small businesses.

Fedmarket.com CEO Richard White, and author of Rolling the Dice in D.C. deftly explains that although the federal market is difficult to tackle, companies that are successful in doing so quickly realize that it’s an extremely lucrative one and that their actual sales costs – once they are entrenched – are less than in the commercial sector. “Don’t let the red tape scare you. It is a series of administrative tasks, which, although tedious, can be easily done, “says White. “Become an insider by selling in your own backyard with an aggressive sales program,” White adds.

Once you get over the fear of contacting a large, faceless government agency, you’ll find it’s really just people buying from people.

While perusing our website, you’ll find useful information on selling to the federal government including improving your proposal writing skills, becoming a GSA approved vendor and obtaining contact date for end users, contracting officers and official buyers.
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, visit www.Fedmarket.com.