Want to learn more about GSA's State and Local programs? Join the webinar for a brief overview.

Webinar: Introduction to GSA State and Local Programs

Want to learn more about GSA's State and Local programs? Join the webinar to get a brief overview on:

Cooperative Purchasing
1122 Program
Disaster Recovery Purchasing
Public Health Emergencies

Date/Time: SEP 8, 2011 - 1:00pm EST

Instructions:
1. Simply click on http://gsafas.adobeconnect.com/schedules to Join.
2. Turn up your computer speakers for sound, and chat in any questions you have.
3. OPTIONAL: You may Dial 1/877-783-3073, passcode 1967262 if you need to speak and do not have a computer microphone/headset.

If you have questions about the Webinar please email david.orcutt@gsa.gov. Click here to register online.

Boeing Co.'s satellite production facility in El Segundo won a $1 billion Air Force contract to build a military communications satellite, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

The contract is for the seventh Wideband Global Satcom, or WGS, satellite, part of a series of spacecraft that are dramatically improving U.S. military communications, from troops in the field to fighter jets overhead.

The DoD announced the contract award in a statement that included contracts to other companies. The statement was sparse on details.

The Boeing contract also includes advance procurement for the eighth WGS satellite, as well as an option for production and launch of WGS No. 9.

The Air Force contract pegged the value at $1,099,800,000.

A Boeing official declined to comment on the contract and referred media questions to the Air Force.

In August 2010, Boeing won a $182 million Air Force contract to begin so-called long-lead procurement and work on WGS No. 7.

The Australian military is also participating in the WGS system.

Boeing's first three WGS satellites are also orbiting the Earth.

The others will be launched in coming years.

This latest contract is large by satellite industry standards, but was not a surprise.

Boeing had been in discussions with the Air Force over the contract for the past several weeks.

Still, the contract award comes as good news for Boeing's El Segundo facility, which this month celebrated the 50th anniversary of its satellite facility.

The El Segundo operation has been buffeted with layoffs over the past decade. Today, the business employs about 6,400 people, about half the number that worked there in the late 1990s.

While not specifically commenting on Thursday's award, Craig Cooning, the Boeing executive in charge of the El Segundo operations, earlier this month said that employment at the satellite business was stable, with no planned layoffs, despite expected Pentagon belt tightening.

By contrast, Northrop Grumman Corp. announced last week that it would cut 500 jobs at its Redondo Beach-based Aerospace Systems sector.

Source: Contra Costa Times

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_18807912

Hurricane Irene has left serious damage in its path from the caribbean to Maine along the East Coast that will require cleanup, repair and relief efforts. Government agencies will begin to release contracts for recovery in the days ahead as emergency crews and regional utilities require additional assistance to quickly restore power and essential services to areas affected by wind damage and serious flooding.

Government contracts can be found using the OnDemand Government Contract Leads System offered by the National Association of Government Contractors.

Construction and utility contractors will see a spike in contract availability as damage is assessed and reconstruction begins. Some estimates of reconstruction costs have exceeded $12 billion. Most of those dollars will be spent on cleanup and construction activity.

The Small Business Administration has deployed a team from the Office of Disaster Assistance in Puerto Rico, to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Irene. In addition to the 900 employees already on board, SBA has 500 reservists ready to be deployed immediately. The SBA team is already on the ground working with FEMA in Regional Communications Centers.  Reference Article

Business owners in the affected areas can find advice and assistance with reopening their business from ReadyBusiness.gov

Unified Combatant Command Spotlight: EUCOM | September 7, 2011

WHO?

The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers 21,000,000 square miles (54,000,000 km2) and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and Israel. The Commander of EUCOM simultaneously serves as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) within NATO.  The current Commander of EUCOM is Admiral James G. Stavridis.

WHAT?

With national and international partners, U.S. European Command’s primary purpose to conduct military operations, international military partnering, and interagency partnering to enhance transatlantic security and defend the United States forward.

WHERE?

In early 1951, NATO established Allied Command Europe and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). General Dwight D. Eisenhower was called from retirement to become the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The United States sent massive reinforcements to Europe designed to deter the Soviet Union.  The EUCOM was formed shortly in 1952.

During the Cold War and the Kosovo War, EUCOM was the lead command for potential operations. During the Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch, EUCOM controlled the forces flying from Incirlik Air Base.

WHEN?

EUCOM was established on 1 August 1952, to provide "unified command and authority" over all United States forces in Europe.

WHY?

America's rapid post-war demobilization, followed by the end of the occupation of Germany in 1949, led many to question the United States' commitment to defend Western Europe against the spread of communism. Western nations questioned how they could provide for the common defense and simultaneously questioned America's role in such defense. In 1948–1949, the Berlin Blockade motivated Western Europe and the United States to create a military alliance. In 1949, the allies established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

From 1950 to 1953 United States military personnel in Europe grew from 120,000 to over 400,000. 

EUCOM and its components continued to provide military assistance throughout Europe, as well as humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, noncombatant evacuation, support to peacekeeping operations, and other non-traditional missions in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. For example, after the Congo became independent in 1960, EUCOM joined in several multinational operations in that country, including peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and noncombatant evacuation in 1960, 1964, 1967 and again in 1978. In the Middle East, EUCOM provided military assistance to Israel as well as noncombatant evacuation of American citizens in 1967, 1973, and 1982–1984.

Join Unanet Technologies for this Free Webinar
Tuesday, September 13
1:00 - 2:00 PM EST

This free web seminar for consulting and services organizations will show the benefits of a web-based Time and Expense Reporting solution that reduces administration effort by 90% and enables compliance with Federal Government DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency) reporting requirements.

More than 750 organizations use Unanet with QuickBooks, Deltek, Microsoft Dynamics and other accounting systems to achieve visibility in real-time into project hours, costs and comments. In addition to reducing administrative and approval effort and satisfying reporting rules for DCAA auditors, Unanet ensures correct Per Diem expense reporting based on geography.

Unanet also supports Earned Value (EVMS), resource planning and forecasting, and provides performance management for your projects and people.

Unanet software is accessed via your web browser and hosted in either our secure data center or on your own servers, and can be deployed within just a few weeks.

After registration, you will receive an email confirmation with your login information for joining the webinar.

To Register, click here.

Sep 08 2011: This Request for Offers (RFO) transmits the Filing Instructions (FI) for the submission of Emergency.  Response rate offers on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other Federal civilian agencies that require transportation services for Federal disasters and emergencies. Rate offers filed in response to this RFO and its FI will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the GSA Standard Tender of Service (STOS) and this RFO and its FI. Please note in some instances this RFO and its FI will deviate from and will supersede certain provisions and requirements published in the STOS. Rate offers accepted in response to this RFO and its FI are due by 10:00 PM Central  Standard Time (CST), October 7, 2011. Rate offers submitted and accepted for the traffic identified in  Section 9 will be for the time period November 1, 2011 through October 31, 2012. Rate offers submitted and accepted and for the traffic identified in Section 10 will be for the period November 1,  2011 through October 31, 2012 with the Government’s option to extend from November 1, 2012 through October 31, 2013.

Traffic to be included under this RFO and its FI will be freight-all-kinds (FAK) shipments moving via closed van for less than truckload and truckload, and for flatbed, single/double drop, lowboy and power  only units. The transport of travel trailers and mobile homes is also included.  Click here to request more information about this opportunity.

Top Twenty SubTeamPartners Features (1 of 2; numbers 20 through 11):

20.    A new and improved user interface
19.    Post Government Opportunities
18.    Search for teaming partners (Prime and Subcontractors)
17.    Retain your anonymity when searching for partners and opportunities
16.    Send private messages to other companies
15.    Ask questions and post topics in our forums
14.    Have multiple users (e-mail addresses) from the same company
13.    Receive notifications on new messages and opportunities updates
12.    Advertising opportunities to top primes and subcontractors
11.    Be featured "In the Spotlight' in our newsletter and on our homepage

DoD, GSA, and NASA are proposing to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to address the impact of the decision in Rothe Development Corporation vs. the DoD and the U.S. Department of the Air Force (USAF) on small disadvantaged business concerns and certain institutions of higher education.

DATES: Interested parties should submit written comments to the Regulatory Secretariat at one of the addresses shown below on or before November 8, 2011 to be considered in the formation of the final rule.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments in response to FAR Case 2009-016 by any of the following methods: Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov. Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking portal by inputting ``FAR Case 2009-016'' under the heading ``Enter Keyword or ID'' and selecting ``Search.'' Select the link ``Submit a Comment'' that corresponds with ``FAR Case 2009-016.'' Follow the instructions provided at the ``Submit a Comment'' screen. Please include your name, company name (if any), and ``FAR Case 2009-016'' on your attached document. Fax: (202) 501-4067. Mail: General Services Administration, Regulatory Secretariat (MVCB), Attn: Hada Flowers, 1275 First Street, NE., 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20417. Instructions: Please submit comments only and cite FAR Case 2009-016, in all correspondence related to this case. All comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal and/or business confidential information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Karlos Morgan, Procurement Analyst, at (202) 501-2364, for clarification of content. For information pertaining to status or publication schedules, contact the Regulatory Secretariat at (202) 501-4755. Please cite FAR Case 2009-016.  Reference notice.

Companies must make a realistic assessment of your chances to WIN a contract. It is important to make the bid/no bid decision early so time is not wasted. The decision should be made before or immediately following the release of the RFP.

When analyzing the probabilities, ask yourself...how well do you know the customer? Does the customer know you? Chances are, if you don't know the customer and vice a versa, you should not bid. Agencies must KNOW you in order to TRUST you are going to deliver. Their reputation is also at stake.

BID YES if:
• You know and have pre-sold the customer.
• You know the contract history and have information on your chances of successfully competing for the contract (competitive pricing, requirements and/or FOIA information)
• The incumbent has a marginal or poor past performance record.
• You have conducted a site survey and understand the requirements
• Your capabilities meet or exceed the requirements outlined in the RFP. (Teaming relationships help with providing a full service solution)

NO BID if:
• You have NO prior knowledge of the RFP prior to its' release on fbo.gov
• The only information you have is contained in the RFP with no market intelligence or research of the agency needs..
• The requirements are beyond your scope of capabilities and you have no identified teaming partners to include with your technical response.
• There is an incumbent contractor who has continued to provide good or exceptional services. Most (not all) incumbents re-win their contracts if they have maintained a good performance record and relationship with the customer. You shouldn't bid unless you know the customer is unhappy or you have special knowledge of the procurement.
• If you don't KNOW then NO

GovTip: Spend time, resources and money doing your homework in order to make the right decision. No one likes to lose...time, money or business!  Need help?
 

Last year, the federal government spent more than $40 billion through the GSA Schedules program. This year it may well spend even more. A GSA Schedule contract is, quite simply, the easiest point-of-entry into government contracting – the most effective way to get your products or services in front of the world's largest buyer of products and services.

A GSA Schedules contract gives you access to more than 260 federal, state and local government buyers who have an easier time buying from you than they do your competition.

If you know that, you've already applied, or you're planning to.

After all, it seems hard to fail once you have that contract in hand. Yet a remarkable number of companies do just that.

That's not just a one-time missed opportunity. It can mean the end of future opportunities as well. The GSA requires schedule-holders to do at least $25,000 worth of business through their contract in the first two years they hold it, and another $25,000 every year thereafter. Fall short of that number, and they may terminate your contract. Full article.

FAIRFAX, Va., Sep 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The American Council for Technology (ACT) - Industry Advisory Council (IAC) and the U.S. General Services Administration today announced that they will jointly host Acquisition Excellence 2012 to provide a collaborative forum to discuss and develop actionable ideas on federal information technology acquisition, policy, and program management issues in these challenging budget times. The collaborative forum will expand and refocus the goals of the Interagency Resources Management Conference, commonly known as IRMCO, and will maintain a two-to-one government to industry ratio. More than 500 government and industry executives are expected to attend the forum on March 29, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.

"GSA is committed to a collaborative process where government and industry work to improve the government's acquisition and use of IT," said Kathleen Turco, GSA's associate administrator for Governmentwide Policy and Acquisition Excellence 2012 government chair. "GSA selected ACT-IAC, a non-profit educational organization, as our partner for the spring conference based on their proven public-private partnership outreach with the federal IT community. ACT-IAC will be key to helping us transform this event to provide an open and collaborative environment to continue our role in assisting agencies meet IT and acquisition management challenges." Read Full Article