Category Archives: Prospecting

Where’s My DUNS?

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Can’t find your DUNS Number on SAM?decorative image

Are your searches using your DUNS as a filter no-longer working like before?

If you’re registered on SAM.gov, that’s all part of the plan. As of April 4th, 2022, your DUNS number is, well, done.

GSA has eliminated using your DUNS number for any official action and has already issued you a ‘Unique Entity ID’ or UEI.

What’s the difference? Well, that’s a good question. We wrote about this in Feb 2020:  DUNS is DONE (clientviewconsulting.com)

Essentially, the DUNS number is issued by a commercial entity and GSA preferred to issue their own identifier for improved accuracy, services, etc.

If you search using DUNS numbers, you need to change your filters to use the UEI. More importantly, your UEI is now your official identifier on all government transactions.

You can read all the details on the SAM.gov website

For SAM Administrators, it’s worth looking at the SAM.gov ANNOUNCEMENTS section on their home page as there are five separate announcements about the new UEI.

Enjoy your new identity!

Congress Reaches Deal on the FY22 Omnibus Bill

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decorative imageAfter six months Congress finally reached a deal on the FY22 Omnibus Budget. Released this morning, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022” provides $1.5T to fund our government for the remainder of the fiscal year – that is through Sep 30th, 2022.

For those interested in Defense, the DoD’s unclassified budget will be $780B. Domestic budgets have increased substantially over FY21.

The bill still needs to be approved by both the House and Senate, and Congress has until March 11th to pass this bill, otherwise they’ll need an additional CR (continuing resolution). According to The Hill lawmakers are considering adding an additional four days to the current CR to ensure the bill passes without running into the current deadline.

You can read the full text, and any of the associated explanatory notes (i.e., where the money is…) here:

Bills This Week – Home (house.gov)

If you want to read The Hill’s reporting you can see it here:

Lawmakers reach $1.5T deal on government funding package | TheHill

Pondering the Post-Pandemic Landscape

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As the country slowly starts to reopen businesses and we attempt to get on the road to normalcy, it will be useful to reflect on lessons learned and identify what lasting changes may affect our businesses, particularly on the federal contracting side. The lessons learned from this experience will apply not only to pandemics, but also to a myriad of possible future disasters such as terrorism, dirty bombs, wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and food shortages. Problems of this magnitude require ingenious solutions — you, the federal contractor, are in an ideal position to aid in the recovery from our current national crisis. Look forward and brainstorm areas in which the Government may choose to make investments, so that we can be on the look-out for future opportunities. Some examples based on recent discussions in the news are:

  • Manufacturing critical items and supplies (e.g., PPE, ventilators, other medical equipment) inside our borders so that we have control over supply and quality
  • Stockpiling or solidifying supply lines for these items, so that they are available when needed
  • Training first responders and hospital workers so that they have the skills already in place to cover emergencies
  • Developing fast-track methods for testing and vaccine development
  • Improving early detection of potential problems through monitoring and testing
  • Establishing in-place rapid response teams, ready to act once a problem occurs
  • Establishing capability to rapidly close borders, airports, seaports if the need is detected

Of course, these are only some initial ideas, but now is the time to anticipate areas where your company’s capabilities align with likely future Government investment. It is not too early to start conversations with the appropriate agencies and position yourself to partner with the Government. Ultimately, it will help prepare our country to fight unknown threats more effectively and ensure we’re better prepared for the next emergency.

Help for Your FY 2020 Pipeline

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Deltek recently released its Top 20 Unrestricted Federal Opportunities list for 2020 and ClientView is tracking. More than $265B is up for grabs in just the Top 20 – $100B more than in FY19 – in these industries:

  • Environment and Conservation Services
  • Health Services
  • Information Technology
  • Professional Services (four opportunities)
  • Operations & Maintenance
  • Defense & Aerospace
  • Architecture Engineering and Construction

Follow-on opportunities account for 80% of the Top 20 total contract value. Leading the way are the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Saving Performance Contract (ESPC) Gen 4 – estimated at $60B with an RFP release date of April 2020 – followed closely by the Department of Defense’s (DOD) TRICARE Managed Support Services (T-5) – estimated at $57.2B with an RFP release date of May 2020. Six opportunities from the FY19 list make a reappearance with a combined value of $51B.

For more information on these and other opportunities, give us a call.

Sources Sought Notices: Don’t Just Answer the Mail…treat them like a proposal, or you just might close the door on a business opportunity.

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The Government routinely conducts Market Research (MR) on their industrial base; it’s good business for the Government to understand its suppliers and their capabilities for current and future needs.  However, did you know that MR is required by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) prior to conducting a procurement?  Government MR approaches range from passive (no industry involvement) to active (high industry involvement). Passive methods include government personnel conducting keyword searches on the internet or seeking potential vendors using the System for Award Management. Active methods involve sending surveys to their known vendor base, making pre-solicitation announcements via FedBizOps, holding Industry Days, or directly contacting and visiting potential vendors. Continue reading →

Take a Fresh Look – This is Not Your Grandfather’s OTA

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Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there (Will Rogers)
By Ed Harrington

Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) have morphed over time since their inception to create opportunities that did not once exist for Government contractors. Originally intended to access “nontraditional” contractors, foster increased technology innovation, and expand the Defense industrial base, OTAs continue to evolve in their utility and application to US Government (USG) contracting. Continue reading →

Going With the Flow(chart): Aligning with the Customer’s Organization

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It is important to stand out. It is necessary to demonstrate your unique qualifications. It is vital to show that your company deserves the bid because you can supply something superior — something DIFFERENT than the rest. But, not so different that your proposal alienates its evaluators.

RFPs are released in order to locate a company that can best fulfill a need, i.e., a product or service   that is outside the bounds of a given Government agency’s capabilities, so most sections of your proposal are devoted to selling your company’s distinctive offerings. Yet, there is one section that is your opportunity to strike a necessary chord of familiarity: the Management Volume. Continue reading →

ID Please…

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Heads up to anyone planning on visiting Federal facilities after January 30, 2017 – if you are from  Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania or South Carolina, then your state issued driver’s license is no longer an acceptable form of identification for access. Continue reading →

Bidding Jobs: Just Because You CAN Does Not Mean That You SHOULD

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Bidding Jobs: Just Because You CAN Does Not Mean That You SHOULD

Swing for the Fences. Just Do It. Go Big or Go Home. These messages to strive for success at all costs work well on bumper stickers but not one of them is worthy of basing your business practices on.

Most times, recognizing a promising opportunity for getting new business involves nothing more sophisticated than having a gut instinct about being right for the job. But, make no mistake, even obviously promising bids need to be carefully scrutinized before proceeding. Continue reading →