1 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Dawn Alexander NASA

2 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS My Background –  Began working in Federal Service in 1978  Contracts Specialist from 1990 – 1995  Contracting Officer from 1995 – 2004  Team Lead from 2005 to present  Currently Supporting an Agency-wide Acquisition for the NASA Protective Services:

3 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Pre-Contract Award Relationships – Federal Business Opportunities: Single Government point-of-entry for Federal Government Procurement Opportunities: NASA Opportunities: NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) Search Feature allows you to type in List of Contractors Acquisition Forecasts with points of contact Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests: (NASA generally posts existing contracts on their Acquisition Websites}

4 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Pre-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.) Participate in Market Research - Collecting and analyzing information pertaining to companies’ capabilities, established practices, size, etc., used in Government’s development of acquisition strategy. Central Contractor Registration (CCR): - Ensurewww.ccr.gov/ you are registered -- the Government uses this system as one of our tools in conducting market research. Requests for Information (RFI) - Be sure to assess your firm’s capabilities in light of the potential solicitation before sending in any requested information such as capabilities statements and provide more than just a one-liner in response to RFI requests.

5 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Pre-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.) Provide Early Feedback – Synopsis and Procurement Strategies Draft Statements of Work

6 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Pre-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.) Look closely at the Government Synopses/Solicitations for additional opportunities to communicate with the Government and the Contracting Officer. Ask to be put on any “Interested Parties Lists” One-on-One Meetings with the Government (CO & Technical) Industry Day and pre-registration Pre-proposal Conferences and pre-registration Site Visits and pre-registration Note: Procurement teams will tell you if they can’t answer the question, but if you don’t ask you have already assumed it can’t be answered.

7 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Pre- and Post-Contract Award Relationships Written Communications Clear/Concise Avoid 1 liners if possible Respond to all of the Instructions Do Spell Checks Note: Written communications and proposal materials may be making your first impression to the Government and the Contracting Officer – Make it a good impression.

8 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Pre- and Post-Contract Award Relationships (Cont.) DO YOUR HOMEWORK ………..KNOW YOUR STUFF The Contracting Officer will attempt to answer all questions and requests received, as appropriate; however, it really helps when industry has reviewed and read all Government correspondence, regulations, requests for information, solicitations, etc., prior to submitting questions.

9 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Post-Contract Award Relationships Post – Award Conferences – Bring in your team to meet and greet To ask questions and get answers To build the foundation of the contracting relationship Phase-in Let us talk Let us meet Let us communicate

10 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Post-Contract Award Relationships -  IT TAKES A TEAM TO SUCCEED Be proactive – Bad news doesn’t get better with time. Share ideas and offer suggestions for innovations, efficiencies, and cost savings. Resolve issues together. Negotiate using “win-win” attitude and encourage your Government counterparts to do the same. Don’t hang your hat on the small stuff. Be honest / build trust. Be on time to meetings and with deliverables.

11 BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CONTRACTING OFFICERS Post-Contract Award Relationships -  TALK TO ME Keep Contracting Officer abreast of all contractual issues. Encourage daily, weekly, monthly tag-ups.