Maximize FREE Social Media Utilities to Promote Your Small Business

Utilize social media to promote your small business. The process requires a front-end loaded investment in time, but it is well worth the effort when using free or very low cost utilities on the Internet. The return may surprise you.

Set up a free Google or Word Press blog as an extension of your web site.  A blog is quite different from a web site. Provide good, solid information free of charge and use blog searches for synergistic business teaming. Teaming is an absolute necessity these days. 

SmallBusiness Teaming 

Be prepared to provide information, samples and valuable service gratis as a marketing tool. Introduce yourself and then immediately engage the client or potential teaming partner with your presentation tools available to bring your expertise to whatever topic they are interested in. 

Let them take you where they want to go with their concerns and their needs. Apply your presentation tools and expertise dynamically. The idea is to refer clients to article links at your web site and your blog to avoid having to repeat yourself over and over in new business marketing, thereby keeping yourself available for specific inquiries and closing deals. 

Link everything together and begin answering questions as well as registering at many of the free applications for networking web sites on the Internet to see how that can benefit your product and services. Utilities like LinkedIn, Twitter, Alignable, Pinterest and About Me will serve your site well. 

You may wish to consider Google Ad Sense for cash flow.  It is free and could supplement your income with ads in the margin of your blog. 

Integrating and networking platforms together is the best approach. Most of the free applications of the type discussed here have profile features to link back to your blog and many will automatically publish your content on their site, once linked. 

Content is king and the queen is a hub of strong useful information with spokes emanating from it like those of a wheel to many free social networking platforms where your brand, your consistency and your offerings drive the engine that is your enterprise.

Please see the below link for an example of how the above principles have been achieved. 

Integrated Utilities Linked as a Composite on "About Me" 

10 Common Traits Among Successful Small Business Government Contractors

As a volunteer counselor over the last 19 years, I have noted common traits among the most successful small business federal government contractors.  The following are 10 of the most prominent traits and tips on how successful small companies developed them. 

Commercial success before entering government contracting.  From maintaining buildings to keeping the lights on, from grounds maintenance to flight maintenance, look for niches that can be pursued based on successful past performance, transitioning via industry teaming via subcontracts, partner roles with larger companies or in small business set aside orders for minor items and simpler services provided directly to the government.  Your Entry Points

Willingness to concede there were things they did not know and seeking advice early.   You may download the book, SmallBusiness Federal Government Contracting and its supplement from the "Box" in the right margin of this site.  You may also benefit from the free "Reference Materials". Contract agreements, incorporation instructions for all the US states, guidance on marketing and business planning are also included.   Free Books and Supplements

Recognition of the value in industry teaming. Synergism is paramount in teaming with any size company, whether in a lead or subcontracting role. There should be technical, management and market segment similarities between you and any company with whom you are considering teaming. Your prospective team member ideally will not be a direct competitor; rather a business in a related field with whom you share a mutual need for each other's contributions in pursuing large-scale projects. Small Business Teaming in Government Contracting 

Strong capability statement (CAPE) development, networked prudently among government agencies and large government contractors. Your CAPE targets contracting officers and prime contractor buyers who are seeking to fulfill their small business buying goals. It is a way to get you in the door and speak to, or correspond with, the management and technical personnel who are the decision makers in sourcing small business buys.  A good quality CAPE is the spearhead of your marketing campaign and your visual image;  focused and direct, it must be informative, concise and a snapshot of the very best you can offer. Your Capability Statement

Maximizing set-aside qualifications in seeking both prime and subcontract opportunities. Small business group-designated procurements are far more frequent than sole source contract awards.  Agencies must prepare special justifications for sole sourcing and those most frequently approved are for Hub Zone and Small, Disadvantaged [8(a)] firms.  Small business group designations are beneficial to firms who hold them by enhancing the probability of an award through agency restrictions on prime contractor bidding to only those who hold the group designation. Others may bid as subcontractors to the prime but the prime small business contractor must be capable of performing at least 51% of the total effort in terms of work scope, hours and dollars. Marketing to Achieve a Small Business Set-aside Contract

Prudent bid/no bid decisions. Government contract proposal preparation is time consuming and can be costly. Meeting agency Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements with a responsive proposal can be well worth the effort if a winning strategy can be formulated.  When considering a proposal to a given government solicitation, conduct a bid/no bid exercise. By going through that process you will begin formulating your win strategy or you will discover that you should not bid the job for lack of such a strategy. Making an Astute Bid/No Bid Decision

Ethical business conduct and avoidance of conflicts of interest. A small business ethics image is different than a product or service "Brand Identity". The latter focuses on that which the customer receives from you in the way of products and/or services. A company ethics image is how the organization is viewed in general from a public perception as positive or negative.  That view is held by customers, your industry partners or prospective partners, regulators and the average citizen. If carefully sculpted your public ethics image can be a vital element in business success; if neglected it can pose a high risk to your enterprise.  Maintaining an Ethical Company Image

Excellence in risk analysis. The challenges and difficulties for the small business in government contracting are not so much in the areas of barriers as  they are in lack of knowledge (which I concede is a form of barrier but one that can be dealt with) Large business and government agencies take advantage of the small enterprise lack of knowledge or make poor assumptions regarding what a small business knows about the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and associated Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). This leads directly to abusive practices. Managing Small Business Risk

 Solid long range planning and plan maintenance. The time to consider separating government from commercial work and/or establishing new cost centers for bidding, accounting and billing purposes is when the enterprise is generating a long range marketing plan to determine rates for bidding new long term contracts. The location of the work (both geographic location and whether performance is in or out of a government facility, its duration, skill set requirements, government-mandated fringe benefits for workers and the competition are all factors to consider).Strategic Planning for Small Business

Excelling in meeting the past performance challenge, building a performance record with solid customer service and sensitivity.  How can a new organization or one that is new to government contracting muster a response to the past performance challenge? The answer lies in historical projects that may be similar in the commercial arena and a high quality proposal that clearly demonstrates an understanding of the requirement at hand, a unique and cost effective project plan and high performing personnel and/or products tailored to the statement of work to offset an interim, light past performance record. Meeting the Past Performance Challenge

Work Authorization Is Key To Contract Management Process

The execution of a contract (signing by both parties) is a key benchmark in government contracting. It triggers several events such as the start of the period of performance and the delivery schedule time period. Execution begins a billing period start date, and contractual obligations by the government and the contractor.

Establish an internal document to your company that contains the pertinent data for the contract and assigns it a unique contract identifier in your business system. This is necessary for billing and cost collection purposes as well as government audits. 

Astute government contractors do not allow effort to proceed or cost to be incurred on a particular contract until such a document is generated, signed, approved and distributed by a company official assigned the duty of releasing the contract for performance. 

Such documents are commonly called "Work Authorizations", "Release Orders" "Production Release Orders" or a similar term to benchmark the new business and begin performance, accounting, and time and materials accumulation on the contract. 

Any cost or supplier commitments prior to a signed contract are considered pre-contract costs by the government under FAR and require special authorization by the PCO under the contract. They cannot be billed until the contract is signed. Incurring pre-contract costs without authorization is high risk for the contractor. 

Any work or supplier commitments outside the scope of the current contract documentation are also high risk without a negotiated contract amendment adding the scope of work to the contract or government authorization for the use of designated management reserve.

Sarbanes Oxley regulations and other recent government laws regarding corporate responsibility have made control of work authorization and record keeping important factors. Keep in mind that a small business past performance record begins when a contract is signed.  This record is maintained by the government and is updated as deliveries and performance occur. 

You should begin your internal project management record on each contract by attaching all the necessary information for your performing organizations and support functions to begin doing their jobs. 

A copy of the contract should accompany the internal release to key functions in your enterprise. The master should be filed in your central files. Some companies perform work authorization electronically. The government is moving in the direction of electronic record keeping as well.

Getting Your Veteran-Owned Small Business Certification

 

“By obtaining a veteran-owned small business certification you can get access to government contracts, gain credibility and customers in the business world, and enable you to qualify for specific veteran business incentives or grants.”

“Basics of VOSB Certification

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is now the federal agency responsible for the veteran certification process. To be certified, your business must meet the SBA size standards for a small business based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. 

There are two different types of veteran-owned business certifications:

• Veteran-owned small business (VOSB): A VOSB is a small business at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more veterans.
• Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB): An SDVOSB is a small business that’s at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans.

Benefits of Veteran-Owned Business Certification

Being certified as a VOSB or SDVOSB allows you to compete for federal contracts across the federal government, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the VA’s Vets First program.

Every year, a minimum of three percent of federal contracting dollars are set aside for certified SDVOSBs. The VA annually sets aside a minimum of seven percent of its contracts for certified VOSBs and SDVOSBs.

Eligibility Requirements for Veterans

The eligibility requirements for certification are as follows:

• You served on active duty with the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard for any period and were honorably discharged.
• You served as a Reservist or a member of the National Guard and were called to federal active duty or disabled from a disease or injury while in the line of duty or while in training status.

You can find a complete list of eligibility requirements on the Federal Register website.

First Steps to Getting Certified

The first thing you’ll want to do is register your business with the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov. Once you register with SAM, you’ll get a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), which you must use to identify your company when doing business with the federal government.

According to the SBA’s website, you should think of your SAM profile like a résumé and “use accurate, descriptive terms about your business so contracting officials can find you in search results.”

Next, go to the SBA’s Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) portal, create an account and apply for certification. At the VetCert portal, you can also:

• Find checklists and pre-application guides.
• Check to see if your small business is eligible to be certified.
• Get additional information on certification and opportunities.
• Search for a certified VOSB or SDVOSB.

The application process is relatively straightforward. You must provide information about your business, including its ownership structure, financial information and tax returns. You’ll also need to provide documentation of your veteran status and a copy of your DD Form 214—the “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.” If you’re applying for SDVOSB certification, you must provide documentation of your disability. You can find a detailed list of the documents you need on the SBA site.

Once you’ve submitted your application, it will be reviewed by a team of SBA analysts, many of whom formerly worked at the VA. If your application is approved, you’ll receive a certificate showing that your business has been certified. Be aware that it could take up to 90 days to get your certificate.

After Getting Certified

Once your business is certified, you can pursue contracts and opportunities designated for veteran-owned businesses. To increase your chances of securing contracts, it may help to network with government agencies, prime contractors and other key companies.

After your business has become certified, you must meet ongoing requirements, such as renewals and reporting. Make sure you comply with these requirements to avoid losing your certification. If you have questions about the process or any of the specific steps involved, the following resources will help you find the information you need:

• Check out this page of FAQs from the SBA.
• Email vetcert@sba.gov.
• Call the dedicated toll-free call center at 800-862-8088, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (excludes federal holidays).

Getting certified can help generate business for your veteran-owned company, but it’s just part of the process. Like any other small business owner, you must actively promote and market your company. Networking is part of marketing. Therefore, consider joining local and national veteran business organizations for networking opportunities. Also, consider listing your company in a directory of veteran-owned businesses, like the Veterans Business Network and BuyVeteran. Marketing your business (and your SDVOSB or VOSB certification) is a valuable part of getting certified. 

If you need assistance as you work through getting certified, find a SCORE mentor with veteran business experience.  A SCORE mentor can help you navigate the certification process so that you can grow your veteran-owned business.”

How to Get a Veteran-Owned Small Business Certification

Small Business Federal Government Contract Proposal Preparation

A promising solicitation by the government may be a result of your self-marketing efforts or you may have located it at the System for Award Management (SAM), the gateway for all federal government business in excess of $25K.  

It is now necessary to conduct a Bid/No Bid Decision, develop a competive strategy and prepare a winning proposal for a small business federal government contract.

The fact that the government has now converted a project requirement into a formal solicitation means that the funding is available for a contract and the authorities within the government agency have authorized a source selection process.

BID/NO BID DECISION

Government contract proposal preparation is time consuming and can be costly. Meeting the agency Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements with a responsive proposal can be well worth the effort if a winning strategy can be formulated. When considering submitting a proposal to a given government solicitation, conduct a bid/no bid exercise. By going through that process you will begin formulating your win strategy or you will discover that you should not bid this job for lack of such a strategy. The elements of the process are discussed below in the form of questions to ask yourself against topics for key consideration. Affirmative or non-affirmative answers to the topical questions and ability to fill in the blanks below will drive your decision to bid or not bid a solicitation.

A. Customer:

Do you know this customer? Yes __ No ___
Does this customer know you? Yes___No ___
Do you have any idea of the available funding for which the customer has obtained authorization? Yes___No ____
Specify the marketing contacts which have been made with the customer thus far:
Date:
Contact:

B. Supplies and Services:

Specify the supplies and services to be delivered in the prospective contract:

Line Item (s):
Description:

Are the supplies and services in the RFP Statement of work a good match for what the company sells? Yes ___No ___
Is the RFP Statement of Work specific enough to identify risks? Yes____No ____
Is the RFP schedule specific enough to determine the delivery requirements? Yes____No____
Can the delivery schedule in the RFP be met? Yes ___No _____
Specify the delivery schedule for the prospective contract:

Line Item:
Delivery Date:

C. Contract Type/Value/Start/End Date:

Does the proposed contract type (FFP, CP, T&M, etc) suit the nature of the work? Yes___ No ___
Specify the contract type for this program: _______________.
Are there any unusual terms and conditions specified in the government RFP? Yes ____No___
Specify any unusual terms and conditions: ___________________________________________

What is the Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) value of the prospective contract? $___________.
What is the anticipated start date of the contract? ________.
What is the anticipated end date of the contract? ________.

D. Company Strengths:
Is this prospective contract for effort in which the company has strong skills? Yes____No ____
Specify the strengths the company will utilize in meeting the product specificaton or statement of work:


E. Company Weaknesses:

Are there any company weaknesses in meeting the product specification or statement of work? Yes ___No ___
Specify any weaknesses for which the company must compensate and manage associated risks:


F. Teaming Arrangements (If any):

Does your company plan to team with other companies in the performance of the prospective contract? Yes ___No ___
Identify the other team member companies:


Will your company be a prime or a subcontractor? Prime___Subcontractor ____
Have NDA's and Teaming Agreements been executed? Yes____No ______

G. Competition:

Is this a sole source set-aside procurement to your company? Yes____No____
If this is a competitive procurement, identify the prospective competition and their associated strengths/weaknesses:


H. Win Strategy:

Identify the proposal features and themes which will be utilized in the proposal as descriminators to win this program:

Management:



Technical:



Cost:


I. Proposal Budget:

Estimate the man hours and dollars for proposal labor, any travel expenses, shipping, packaging, samples and other expenses associated with preparing the proposal. The government does not reimburse the contractor for proposal preparation under the subsequent contract. Proposal expenses must be included in the cost center overhead or G&A and accounted for as marketing expense allocated across the cost center or the company.

Labor Hours __
Labor Dollars $______
Material _______
Travel _______
Reproduction _______
Samples (if any) _______
Packaging/Binding/Ship _______
TOTAL $_______

J. Bid/No Bid Decision:

If you can answer "YES" to at least 5 of the questions under paragraphs A through D above, it is likely you should bid this procurement.
If the answers to 7 of the 10 "YES" or "NO" questions under paragraphs A through D above are "NO" it is unlikely you should bid this procurement unless the answer to G is "YES". Even then, examine your answers and carefully review whether this business is suitable for your company. If the answer to E is "YES", it is unlikely you will bid this procurement successfully unless the answer to G is "YES". Even then, determine how you will overcome the weaknesses you have identified in your company associated with doing this work before you decide to bid it. Carefully compare the competitive analysis under Item G to the win statagy under H before you make your final decision.

K. Decision:

BID _____
NO Bid _______

YOUR PROPOSAL

You have decided to bid a prospective project. You have downloaded the RFP from the government agency and the clock has started on the proposal due date.

Visit the federal government on line certifications and representations web site and complete the standard information there, which can be utilized for all federal agency proposals. Certifications and representations are required for virtually every proposal submission. That web site is at:


System for Award Managment (SAM)

The following information addresses the proposal process. It is from an independent consultant named Deborah L. Kluge, who is a specialist in proposal writing and consulting. The below is an extract from Deborah's Web site.

If you are preparing a FAR Part 12 Commercial Proposal, certain elements of this material may not apply, but you are encouraged to utilize the information and the checklist to insure you have covered all the bases.

"THE RFP

Read it once, then read it again. And again. Experienced bidders know that several readings of an RFP are necessary for a complete understanding of what is required.
Learn what the lettered sections of an RFP are (e.g., Section B refers to your pricing, Section C is the scope-of-work, Section K contains Representations and Certifications, Section L provides instructions to the bidders, Section M specifies the bid evaluation criteria, etc.). The titles of the lettered sections are generally the same in every RFP.
Be aware that information critical to your bid may be scattered among many different sections of an RFP.
Put the RFP in a 3-ring binder for easy use as a reference document. You might also want to insert dividers in front of each important section for quick reference.
Use small "Post-It"™ notes at the edge of a page to mark important pages or paragraphs. That way, you can find them quickly.

If you don't understand some of the information in the RFP, you can submit written questions to the Contracting Officer.
Some RFPs specify a date by which questions are due. Make sure you send in your questions before the due date or they may not be considered.
Be aware that the Government's response to all submitted questions are distributed to all bidders, usually through a written amendment to the RFP. Although you and your firm will not be identified as the "asker" of specific questions, the way in which you word your questions could provide important information to your competitors. Word your questions carefully to ensure that you don't give away information on your strategy or pricing.
If you call the Contracting Officer to obtain or clarify information in an RFP, be aware that verbal information given to you by the Government is not binding.

THE PROPOSAL OUTLINE

If you have downloaded an RFP from the Internet, you can use that file to begin constructing your proposal outline.
If you do not have the RFP on disk, use a scanner to scan in important sections for use in preparing your outline.
Some people prepare an annotated outline as well as a basic outline. An annotated outline can contain important points from the RFP, as well as your own information on what you are planning to say in each section.
If you prepare an annotated outline, copy your file, save it under a different name, and delete the annotations. The result will be a basic outline which you can use for easier viewing and tracking of proposal sections and subsections.
For each section and/or subsection of your outline, indicate the estimated number of pages that will be written, the person responsible for doing the writing, and the evaluation points.
Put important instructions on the first page or at the top of your outline, so you don't have to rummage through the RFP to find them. These instructions might include: proposal due date and time, number of copies, page limits, font size, page margins, packaging and delivery instructions.

THE PROPOSAL SCHEDULE

Make one and stick to it!
Work backwards from the proposal due date.
You might want to make a separate schedule for preparation of the cost/business proposal.
Make sure you leave plenty of time for copying, binding, and delivering the proposal. Remember, the copier knows that an important document is being copied, so it will break, jam or smudge. Have a back-up plan that includes having extra paper and toner on hand and sending the proposal out to be copied.
Distribute the schedule to all members of your proposal team.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION

Make sure you are familiar with the instructions in Section L of the RFP.
Study the proposal evaluation criteria and the points allocated to each section/subsection of the technical proposal, as well as the points that are allocated to cost. This information will tell you what to emphasize and where to put your efforts with regard to proposal preparation.
Hold an intial and regular follow-up meetings with your proposal team to discuss strategies, progress and problems.
To the extent possible, your Technical Approach and strategy should provide answers to the following questions: who, what, when, where, how, and why.
Depending upon the instructions in the RFP, your Management Section might contain a discussion on how you will manage the overall project, a discussion on how you will manage and oversee the work of your staff and subcontractors (if any), an organization chart of the project, and position descriptions of project staff.
In your Personnel Section, you may be required to include narrative information on the experience and skills of the staff members you are proposing for the project and/or their resumes.
In your Related Experience or Capabilities Section, you may need to demonstrate that you have performed similar or related work for this or other clients.
Your proposal may have other sections such as an Executive Summary, a discussion of your Understanding of the Problem, Appendices, or other required information as specified in the RFP.

Don't assume that the Government knows your organization's capabilities, staff or the projects you have carried out. The Government is supposed to evaluate only the specific information contained in your proposal. That means it must be written down in accordance with RFP instructions.
Use tables, charts and graphics to summarize information ("a picture says a thousand words") or to break up your narrative.
Check the entire proposal for the following: technical consistency; spelling; page numbering; section/subsection numbering or letting; consistency of appearance of headings, subheadings, font types and font sizes.
Make sure you have filled in and signed all the forms in the RFP that you must return with your bid.
Before and after copying your technical and cost proposals, check to see that each copy contains all pages and that they are in the proper order.

COSTING/PRICING 

You have a technical strategy -- you should also have a costing and pricing strategy!
Don't wait until the last minute to begin gathering cost information that you will need to prepare your cost estimate.
Be aware of and understand the type of contract you are bidding: fixed-fee, cost-plus, cost-reimbursement, time and materials, etc. This will likely affect the way you price your proposal.
Prepare a spreadsheet template or checklist of items to include in your cost estimate.
Make sure your cost estimate is consistent with what you are proposing to do or provide.
You may need to develop some specific assumptions for pricing purposes. If appropriate, you can include these assumptions in your cost/business proposal on a separate page or as footnotes to your estimate. In any event, always document your assumptions so that you can refer to them later and make changes if needed.
Check and re-check your numbers and formulas. Review the hard copy of your estimate to help in spotting errors.
Make sure that your cost estimate can be easily read. Don't use a font that is too small. For guidance on cost and pricing data, please see the following articles:

Cost and Pricing with Credibility

Certified Cost and Pricing Data

IF YOU WIN

Celebrate!
Uh oh -- you now have to actually manage and implement your project.

IF YOU LOSE

You can call the Contracting Officer to arrange an in-person or telephone debriefing to find out the reasons for your loss.
Try not to get too discouraged -- no one can win all the time.
Learn from your experience and apply that learning to your next bid.

PROPOSAL PITFALLS - Don't Let These Happen to You!

Failure to follow the RFP instructions regarding organization of the proposal, inclusion of required information, page limits, volumes, etc.
Failure to take evaluation criteria and allocated points into consideration when preparing your response.
Failure to understand and to demonstrate an understanding of the problem (i.e., the reason why the agency is issuing the RFP).
Failure to submit your proposal on the required date and time.
Failure to include all of the information requested by the Agency.
Failure to tailor your response to the specific RFP.
Costs/Prices are unreasonable (too high or too low) or incomplete.
Costs/prices do not provide any detail or breakdown information (if required) for line and sub-line items.
Failure to include specifics of your proposed approach to the project.
Proposal is unprofessional in appearance (e.g., typos, blank pages, unnumbered pages, smudges, no whitespace, sloppy-looking, etc.). This reflects poorly upon your company.
Proposal is poorly written (e.g., information is not presented/organized in a logical manner, proposal is difficult to follow, poor grammar, etc.).
Proposal merely repeats or paraphrases the RFP.
Proposal does not explain how or by whom the project will be managed.
Proposal does not contain RELEVANT information about your firm, its capabilities, and/or its management and staff.
Proposal does not demonstrate that your firm/organization and personnel have the experience and capability to carry out the project.

PROPOSAL CHECKLIST:

1. RFP/DOCUMENTS

Obtain complete copy of RFP
Distribute RFP to appropriate staff.
Review RFP for missing pages/sections.
Prepare questions for submission to Contracting Officer.
Receive and review responses to questions.
Collect, distribute and review pertinent background documents.

2. PARTNERS

Identify partners to participate in bid.
Determine type of partnership arrangement.
Prepare teaming or other type of appropriate agreements.
Receive signed agreements from partners.
Determine each partner's level of effort for project.
Number and type of long-term staff.
Number and type of consultants.

3. TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Hold strategy meetings.
Identify the partnership's strengths and weaknesses.
Identify competition and their strengths and weakness.
Identify ways to differentiate partnership from competition.
Develop strategic themes.
Develop strategy for each component and overall.

4. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Prepare draft outline/revise as needed.
Identify & select writers for each section.
Determine page numbers for each section.
Determine document format (font, major/minor headings, etc.).
Provide writers with written formatting guidelines/instructions.
Prepare/distribute list of nomenclature, abbreviations, acronyms.
Identify and provide writers with relevant sections from past proposals.
Prepare schedule/identify due dates for draft sections.
Determine review, feedback and editing process for written sections.
Ensure compatibility of software packages and versions.
Ensure compatibility of document transmission via e-mail.
Ensure sufficient quantities of appendix materials are available.

5. PERSONNEL

Prepare packet of materials for long-term candidates.
Prepare personnel checklists/tracking list for candidate documents.
Prepare commitment letter(s) for signature by candidates.
Recruit long-term staff and consultants.
Collect Resumes
Sort Resumes by category/areas of expertise.
Review Resumes
Identify best candidates and alternates.
Confirm candidates' interest/availability.
Obtain additional info from candidates for Resumes, if necessary.
Obtain signed letters of commitment from candidates.
Review personnel checklists for missing items.
Determine format for re-written Resumes.
Re-write Resumes.
Prepare skills matrices.

6. PAST PERFORMANCE REFERENCES

Use RFP format if required.
Update and/or prepare past performance information as needed.
Review for accuracy and completeness."

SUMMARY:

This article has offered guidance as a template to apply to your marketing operations for accommodating federal government contract proposal preparation. Proposals are special, sometimes exhausting projects, but a necessary part of doing business with government agencies. Like many other aspects of business, the more proposals you prepare, the more you learn and the more can borrow from past practice for the next one.

As a final note please read the following carefully. Your proposal data may contain rate information, proprietary data or strategic technical solutions which you would not want to fall into the hands of a competitor. The government does not sign Proprietary Data Agreements (PDA's). The government's obligation to protect your information is covered in the following FAR clause and requires protective markings by you on the title page of your proposal and on each subsequent page.

FAR 15.509 Limited use of data.

(a) A proposal may include data that the offeror does not want disclosed for any purpose other than evaluation. If the offeror wishes to restrict the proposal, the title page must be marked with the following legend:

"The data in this proposal shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than to evaluate the proposal; provided, that if a contract is awarded to this offeror as a result of or in connection with the submission of these data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the contract. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in the data if it is obtainable from another source without restriction."

(b) The offeror shall also mark each restricted sheet with the following legend: "Use or disclosure of proposal data is subject to the restriction on the title page of this Proposal."

(c) The coordinating office shall return to the offeror any unsolicited proposal marked with a legend different from that provided in 15.509(a). The return letter will state that the proposal cannot be considered because it is impracticable for the Government to comply with the legend and that the agency will consider the proposal if it is resubmitted with the proper legend.