Marketing to the Government Wyoming PTAC Team February 17 th, 2016

Topics Registrations Dynamic Small Business Search/SBA Profile Capabilities Statements Websites & Communication Research & Targeting Agencies Networking & Events Speaking Their Language

Requirements What Do I Have to Do?

DUNS Number Certain registrations are absolutely required Must obtain a DUNS number ( ) Gives you credibility in the marketplace Provides useful information for other businesses and creditors seeking to partner with an organization. Used & required in completing the SAM registration. Home.htm Home.htm

System for Award Management (SAM) Database of government contractors – (make SURE.gov is the site you’re using) – Absolutely must be registered here to receive any government contracts – Designed to be a single resource for multiple required registrations – Must have an active registration to use other government websites and to be eligible for contacts.

Where Do COs Look for Me?

Dynamic Small Business Search Also called SBA Profile Not an absolute requirement, but still vital to contracting success – – This is your tool to market to contracting officers – Your opportunity to tell agencies what you’re good at, what products & services you provide, and what past work you’ve done – Able to be edited through SAM

What should I include? Some info from SAM is carried over: – NAICS Codes – Contact Info – DUNS #, Cage Code, etc. – Certifications Other info can only be entered on this site, and is VERY important…

What should I include? Keywords Industry Certifications Capabilities Narrative Special Equipment Performance History

What are Keywords? Treat these like a Google search Anything you can think of related to your business – Roads, bridges, paving, grading, dirt work, etc. – HVAC, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, etc. Lauren Sarantopolos Doodle 4 Google WY Finalist, Grade 4-6

What is the Capabilities Narrative? Very brief explanation of your business Highlight: – Years of experience – Specific govt. agencies you’ve worked with – What makes you different from competitors

What is the Performance History? Treat this section like References on a resume’ List past jobs you’ve successfully completed – Government work is preferable – Private sector work is fine as well List the ones who love you the most

General Tips for DSBS Use good profiles as a template for yours – Find other companies similar to yours and get ideas from them.

General Tips for DSBS Revise your Capabilities Narrative a few times – It’s a challenge to sum up your business in 2-3 sentences

General Tips for DSBS Update your past performance as you get new jobs – Old references imply a lack of work

Capabilities Statements

What is a Capabilities Statement? Providing decision makers with concise descriptions of the goods/services your business can provide along with being a consistent reminder of your firm. You’re promoting the business’s capabilities. Powerful marketing document to help open doors to contracting opportunities. Should be brief and to the point; ideally 1 page, 2 pages max. One page – As an business intro at events Brochure – As part of response to an RFI or Sources Sought Detailed presentation – for capability briefings Must be an easily downloadable, sharable document – save it as a pdf with your firm’s name.

Capabilities Statement Content Should include the following sections: – Core competencies – what can your business do? – Differentiators – what sets you apart from your competitors – Past Performance – completed government projects – Company Data/Business Summary – Contact Information Include relevant data like NAICS codes, DUNS number, CAGE code, past performance, certifications, core competencies, differentiators, etc. Create a new document for each agency or opportunity. Tailor it whenever possible.

Capabilities Statement Number of purposes: – Door-opener to new agencies – Proof of qualification – Proof of past performance – May be required for government registration processes – Sets you apart from your competitors Avoid using long sentences, rather highlight your business with bullet points. Make your document visually interesting by customizing it with brand colors, font, style. Have the PTAC review your statement for perfection

Capabilities Statement Examples

Your Website and Online Profile Your website is important! Contracting officers will Google you! Capability Statement available on website - or - Page devoted to government procurement Add details to your Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) profile (e.g., certifications, commercial customers, federal customers, special capabilities, keywords, etc.) Be aware of the available social media sites and how they could be used. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn are examples. These sites act as data points; have a consistent message on each and activity (posts, et al) to stay high in SE rankings.

Website Considerations Make a good first impression: Loads quickly (Do not use Flash or frames; use small image size) Good “About Us” page (2 nd page visited – HUBSpot) Well laid out Easy to navigate Contact info easy to find and use Mobile friendly Keep it updated! (Increases rank, visibility) SEO, indexing (MRC Web Analysis) user experience (basics of your business, plus why should people do business with you?) keywords content/content strategy online visibility technical aspects

Introduce your company and how it fits the agency’s mission/goals. Briefly discuss your capabilities… How those relate to the agency’s mission and… How your past performance substantiates it all. Attach your capability statement pdf – single page, one sided Request a follow-up meeting or phone call  Use your CAGE and/or DUNS in your signature  Have a link back to your website in your signature Send introduction s to: Contracting officers (CO) End users – IMPORTANT Prime contractors (always register on their website, send to SBLO) Small Business Offices at government facilities

Market Research

Vernacular (acronyms) html How government is structured How the government purchases Codes: NAICS, PSC/FSG, state codes Your average invoice size Before You Research

Avenues of Purchase Solicitations (RFP, RFQ, Sources Sought, Pre-Solicitation, Sole source, IDIQ) Subcontracting (both state and federal) Multiple Award Schedules, such as GSA schedules, MATOCS, etc. Government purchase cards

Government Purchase Card Any government employee can have Volume of transactions growing - $15B Used for purchases under $3500/$2000 construction/$2500 Services Average $2,500 buys but some with higher limits (overseas up to $25,000) Difficultly in marketing to this group

Dollar ThresholdTypeAction $0 to $3,500 ($2,000 construction; $2,500 services) Micro-purchase Not competed Not advertised Open to large businesses Use of credit card by non-COs $3,500 to $15,000Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) 3 sources to be compared No advertising required Oral or written quotes – RFQs If a service, SOW will be issued Awarded with a purchase order Reserved for small businesses Usually lowest price $15,001 to $25,000Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) Quotes from two sources Needs to be publically posted Oral or written quotes – RFQs If a service, SOW will be issued Awarded with a purchase order Reserved for small businesses Usually lowest price $25,001 to $150,000Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) Competition required Advertised in FBO FRQs, RFPs, IFBs, et al. Awarded with contracts Reserved for small businesses Usually best value procedures >$150,000Formal with large contract/full or open competition Competition required Advertised in FBO Written proposals – RFPs Awarded with contracts Open to large businesses Usually best value procedures Invoice Size: Procurement Thresholds

North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Replaced the Standard Industrial Code (SIC) categorizes and classifies a company’s product or service Defines the size of a company (large or small) service companies classified by sales per year manufacturers classified by number of employees

Federal Supply Code (FSC) & Product Service Code (PSC) – node/3637 (pdf, doc,xls files) node/3637 – m/resources/tables/pscs/ m/resources/tables/pscs/ Examples: C212 A/E – drafting engineering 4110 refrigeration equipment

1.To find 3-5 agencies that have purchased your goods/services 2.Determine if the agency is a good fit with your company 3.Get the details and develop a contact list: 4.Know your competitors Research Goals

Goal 1: Finding the Agencies Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) USASpending – User friendly access to FPDS data: GSA Schedule research

Finding the Agencies FPDS and USASpending.gov use the same database Interfaces are very different Downloadable pdf or csv files do not have the same fields User accounts are not required at either site NAICS codes cover very broad areas PSC codes are narrower focus (relatively speaking) Use data from only the last 2-3 years if possible Narrow to Place Of Performance (POP) (if pertinent)

Goal 2: Is the Agency a Good Fit? What is their mission? What is their organization? Where are their purchasing offices? What rules do they follow? Do they publish a spending forecast? Do they publish a budget?

Acquisition.Gov –Links to Agency Home Pages –Links to Small Business contacts –Links to Procurement Opportunities –Links to Agency Forecasts

USDA Procurement Forecast

Goal 3: Details and Develop a Contact List Does the agency have a specialized purchase site? Who are their SBLOs? Who are the COs and project managers? Where are their purchasing offices? Contacts? Who are their main support primes and what are their roles?

Navy - NECO DLA – DIBBS– Spare parts (plus) Specialized Opportunity Sites

DLA - DIBBS

Large Companies (“Primes”) Supplier Diversity Programs – POC is either titled “SBLO” or “Supplier Diversity” Prequalifying based on financial stability, experience and quality programs (Preferred Vendor List) Certifications vary o Could ask for DBE, CVE, MBE, WBE, among others Private Sector Programs

Applies to awards to large firms of $700,000 and over and construction awards of $1.5 million and over Requires a subcontracting plan with goals Good opportunity for new-to- government contracting firm ntractDir/category/102831/hostUri/portal Subcontracting

Subcontracting

GSA Subcontracting Directory

Goal 4: Know Your Competition Research their sales to find targets Possibly partner with them on larger projects that either couldn't handle alone Use SAM, DSBS, FBO (interested vendors list – direct advertising to other companies)

Wyoming State Government List of state agencies: Register on o Connect to WYDOT and “State of Wyoming” (A&I) o Add codes to your profile Research past sales to get an idea of prices, etc. WYDOT DBE if useful and company qualifies

Wyoming State Government In general: If the product or service is over $7500, a competitive bidding process is utilized. Advertised in newspapers. If it is between $2500 and $7500 written quotations are used. If the product or service (usually for day-to- day operations) is under $2500, verbal quotes are used. An exception is printing/duplicating - >$1500 it goes out for bid.

Wyoming State Government - WYDOT The Contracts and Estimates Office within WYDOT handles bidding for highway and bridge construction or other federally funded projects. Engineering Services is responsible for consulting services. Airport Projects has information on bidding and bid openings for airport improvement projects. wydot.html

Local Government Search newspapers for opportunities Keep an eye on local government websites Network – attend planning meetings, chamber events, etc.

Newspaper Notices County Governments - in_Wyoming in_Wyoming – Municipalities The Wyoming Association of Municipalities Local Procurement

Other Information Sites ASSIST (federal specs, standards and handbooks, commercial item descriptions, et al.) (awards data for DLA, DLA SB Offices, DIBBS, et al.) SBA.gov (certifications, subcontracting, other programs) FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations) VetBiz.gov (VA CVE certification) Regulations (CFR) bin/ECFR?page=browsehttp:// bin/ECFR?page=browse

Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization, agency list: Budgets: Federal Acquisition JumpStation (NASA site) DoD Office of Small Business Programs: GSA eLibrary (GSA Schedules) Other Information Sites

Networking & Events

What Do I Do? Use resources available to help you in marketing your business at events – Matchmaking Events – Conferences – One-on-one meetings – Capabilities Statements – SBA Profile To effectively market your company’s product or service: – Identify your customers – Research their requirements – Learn federal procurement regulations – Discover what your customers are buying, look for trends and past purchases

How Do I Prepare? Most importantly, BE PREPARED! Prepare yourself and your documents before each networking event – Research and know the agency’s you’re targeting – Have an active SAM registration – Ensure your SBA profile and personal website is up to date – Customize your capabilities statement (know your NAICS codes) – Have a brief (30 sec) elevator speech memorized Prepare for matchmaking events like you are preparing for a job interview. An under-prepared first meeting is a missed opportunity.

Learn to Speak Their Language

What Does This All Mean? You will see and hear MANY acronyms Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification However, it will be helpful to learn the most common acronyms to show the government you know what you’re doing

Some Examples DUNS SAM NAICS FAR RFP RFQ FBO IDIQ WOSB/EDWOSB VOSB/SDVOSB HUBZone

How to Learn Them Use the cheat sheet/link we provided Keep it handy and review it Again: Ask for clarification when you hear a new acronym

Things to Remember Make sure your registrations are current Use DSBS effectively Craft a quality Capabilities Statement Use your website to clearly show what you do Write relevant s and become comfortable with that method of communication Do your research and target specific agencies Network with agencies at events Learn to speak their language

Brett Housholder 300 S. Wolcott, Ste. 300 Casper, WY Andi Lewis 1400 E. College Dr. Cheyenne, WY Alyssa Lozier 213 W. Main St, Ste. C Riverton, WY