Strategies For Positive Performance In Government Contracts

No matter how good the products being delivered to the government customer, performance ratings mostly depend on the relationship. If you are in the first few years of doing business with the government you have probably learned this the hard way. Government Contract work is about networking, mentoring, liaising within the government agency, interacting with agency representatives (customers), and establishing long-term relationships. Those outside government contracting often advise business entrepreneurs in the government contracting field how to compete and how to write proposals, but not many can provide direct training on how to establish and cultivate relationships with government decision makers. When entrepreneurs enter the government contracting market and struggle to learn the unwritten processes, gaining new contract work feels laborious. This book's content points business developers in the right direction to impress the new or current government agency customers and avoid serious relationship issues. Reading this book will save years of time and money associated with networking in the government contracting industry. It takes years to find resources and access to business owners - or spend a few hours learning critical insight in this book. Readers will receive tips and insight from President's and CEO's of established and active government contracting companies and from Government Contracting Officers' perspectives. The content contains insight from business owners who are currently in government contracting is a must read book to gain insight for those entering the government contracting arena. Key Search Words: audit reporting, award determinations, barriers, best-practice, bureaucratic dynamics, business insights, business leaders, business partners, business practitioners, cohesive leadership, collaborative leadership, competition, competitive bidding, competitive intelligence, compliance, contract business, contract cycle, contract deliverables, contract negotiations, contract requirements, contract types, Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), performance evaluations, contractors, debarment, Decision-making competency, demographics, direct suppliers, Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS), economic drivers, economy, emotional intelligence, employees, environmental assumptions, environmental behaviors, environmental priorities, environmental values, expenditures, Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR), federal agency, federal awardee contractors, Federal Business Opportunity (FBO), federal government contracting, government agency contracting officers, government contracts, government procurement, Governmentwide Point of Entry (GPE), intellectual stimulation, leadership attitude, leadership development strategies, leadership knowledge, lived experiences, market conditions, mentor / mentoring, networking, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), opportunism, Organizational Behavior & Leadership (OB&L), partnering, past performance ratings, performance rating system, performance ratings, personal relationships, political, post-termination settlement costs, procurement, Procurement Technical Assistance Programs (PTAP), public procurement, qualitative research, quantitative research, relationship building, reliability, reputation, requisition, research and development (R&D), set-asides, Small Business Administration (SBA), Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), supply chain management, System for Award Management (SAM), teaming partners, transformational leadership, underperforming contractors, upstream supply chains, value-based leadership, vendor performance, vendor selection, Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOC), veteran-owned, Women-owned small business (WOSB), Women's Business Center (WBC)

Strategies for Winning Contracts describes how to plan for and prepare strong proposals for government contracts. The author provides over 180 strategies for proposal planning and preparation including a highly detailed sample proposal. The book's seven chapters contain dozens of tables, charts and graphics that illustrate the processes involved. A glossary and appendix are included as well. Based on the author's extensive experience and high-win ratio, this practical title is an ideal reference for anyone who does business on the federal, state and local levels. Strategies for Winning Contracts addresses service, hardware, software, and construction types of contracts. it provides a general understanding of procurement procedures for federal, state and local contracting agencies as well as proposal preparation for subcontractors.

A guidebook through the minefield of government contracting and procurement, Government Contracting: Promises and Perils describes the dangerous practices commonly applied in the development and management of government contracts and provides advice for avoiding the sort of errors that might compromise their ability to protect the public interest. It includes strategies for increasing profits for government contractors, rather than incurring burdensome costs, through compliance with government mandated subcontracting and financial management systems. Drawing from his indepth investigation of government agencies across the country, the author examines present-day scenarios that regularly lead public servants and government committees to manage contracts with tools that are less than optimal and to select contractors that may not be the best qualified. He then delineates practical processes, contracting documents, and contract management tools to mitigate detrimental outcomes and alternative approaches to supplant the imperfect methodologies. The author includes a CD-ROM with the book that provides a number of practical tools that you can apply as well as examples of contracts and templates that are the best he discovered during his research. The book also outlines an approach for performing advance contract planning, conducting contract negotiations, and administering contracts useful when planning for the management of the contracting process throughout the contracting cycle, negotiating a contract that protects the interest of all contracting parties, and ensuring successful contractor performance. The book includes a "Government Procurement Corruption Wall of Shame" that illustrates the myriad perils and stumbling blocks such as conflicts of interest, duplicity, favoritism, incompetence, kickbacks, and protests that government workers fall prey to.. Filled with best practices that protect you from nefarious, amateurish, and criminal mistakes that frequently lead to difficulties with harsh consequences, the book does not end its coverage with discussions of corruption, mismanagement, and ineptitude, but provides practical processes and strategies to diminish the negative impacts from these government contracting perils.

Book Review: Performance-Based Contracting Step by Step Process to Achieve - Checklists Toolkit Best Practices Multi-million and billion-dollar government contracts are increasingly being awarded as a result of performance-based statements of work developed by government acquisition teams. In the past, a federal agency would issue a statement of work setting out the work to be done, minimum requirements, performance dates and so on.Today, more and more federal agencies are requesting performance work statements (PWS) which turns the procedure around. Simply defined, performance-based contracting allows government to acquire services via contracts that define what is to be achieved, not necessarily how it is done. Contractors are required to develop the statement of work using performance metrics, measuring tools and a quality assurance plan. It enables contractors to follow an innovative development approach and allows the agency to evaluate each proposal for performance benefits before the contract is awarded.Writing a Performance-Based Statement of Work is not easy. Focusing on the product to be purchased and outcomes and not the process requires discipline and guidance. This book, Performance Based Contracting, is an invaluable guide in understanding this process and helping government put in place more effective, efficient acquisitions and industry to secure major federal contracts.The book shows you how to write a successful performance-based statement of work with lots of case studies and examples. Chapters lead you through all the steps necessary from planning and market research to writing the performance-based statement of work and everything in between.The book highlights the key elements of performance-based acquisition which encourage innovative business practices and emphasizes that performance-based acquisition requires the participation of all stakeholders the users, the acquisition workforce and industry to ensure the requirement is adequately satisfied.The book also stresses that it is vital that all stakeholders understand the importance of their role in the process which is comprehensive and must include the user, and many different functional team members including financial managers, legal advisors, program (project) managers, contracting officers, contracting specialists and so on. It is essential that industry be a key participant, especially, but not only, when the requirements are complex.This is a ''must read'' book for anyone and everyone involved in the federal contracting whether they are seeking to win contracts or are responsible for awarding and managing them.The authors have researched extensively through federal sources to bring the reader the most comprehensive desk reference available on all aspects of the performance-based contracting. This book has drawn heavily on the authoritative materials published by the a wide range of federal agencies including the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the General Services Administration (GSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Headquarters, Department of the Army. Then, the authors have organized the information into an organized and logical presentation, added their own experience and a high value step-by-step process to provide a valuable resource to contract veterans and newcomers alike.The easy to follow step-by-step process explains the duties and responsibilities of all parties in the acquisition process, key skill areas required and how these are applied throughout the contracting life cycle. Finally, the authors provide a wealth of forms, report formats, checklists checklists and more checklists that guide all key individuals through the performance-based process.Throughout this handbook, there are case studies, checklists, exercises and structured "if-then" guides designed to prepare contract writers and evaluators for the tasks in hand, give them a powerful set of management tools, motivate them to succeed and inspire them to adopt best practices in order to achieve even more positive performance outcomes.

Elements of Government Contracting combines two previous books, Elements of Contract Formation and Elements of Contract Administration, to make one comprehensive resource. This convenient reference covers the entire procurement spectrum from the beginning of the process through claims and disputes in a straightforward, easy-to-read manner. The first part of this book explains the important elements and issues involved in the formation of government contracts, including the two primary methods of contracting. The next part addresses the factors critical to contract inception, performance and completion, and outlines the rules for contractors in the administration of a government contract. Fully updated, Elements of Government Contracting includes sample letters to contracting officers, as well as practical tips at the end of each chapter. In addition, it has an appendix on how to get a Multiple Award Schedule Contract and avoid pitfalls in performance.

He who knows and knows that he knows is wise; follow him. -ANCIENT PROVERB During a long career of public service as a government procurement and contracting official, I am still surprised to find big, successful corporations making the same mistakes that neophytes in government contracting mak~. And this is particularly true in the matter of writing proposals, which are the crucial element in most major procurement awards. It's true enough, as many suspect, that the big, well-known company has something of an edge over the smaller, lesser-known company com peting for any given government contract-psychologically, at least: The typical government executives, whether contracting officials or program managers, tend to have a bit more faith in the ability of the large company to carry out the program successfully. All things being equal, then, the big company is more likely to get the nod. However, because the large companies are well aware of that, many tend to become "fat, dumb, and happy"-they try to coast or rest on their laurels. That is, they get careless about making a strong enough case for themselves in writing their proposals. And when they lose, often to smaller companies, they are both puzzled and outraged. They have for gotten that all government procurement is a competition-usually both technical and cost competition-and that the "little guy" can win against the "big guy," if he tries hard enough. And especially if the bigger guy is a bit careless and does not put out his best effort.

Creating, managing and operating a government contracting firm that holds revenue growth as the most important strategic objective is the focus of this book. It is an example filled roadmap of how to create a shared vision for revenue growth, motivate employees and create a step-by-step decision processes for investing in your company's future. Gary Dunbar explains the nuances of working in a government contract environment, and outlines the fundamentals of creating and managing a business development process from strategy through prospecting, qualifying leads, positioning, proposing, negotiation and on to the victory party.

Use past performance to win contracts and deliver results at the lowest risk and cost! The federal government has focused on past performance to rank bidders for almost two decades, yet both the collection and use of past performance information remain disjointed, siloed, and not fully understood in government or industry. Nonetheless, contractors' livelihoods depend on how the government collects and uses their past performance information. Winning with Past Performance: Strategies for Industry and Government aims to enhance awareness and understanding of past performance processes as well as to promote smart business practices on both the buyer and seller sides of the equation. The authors examine all aspects of past performance, including using feedback to improve performance, the government's evolving use of past performance, and the future of past performance as an evaluation tool. Winning with Past Performance brings it all together on the subject of past performance and is a ready reference for buyers, sellers, policymakers, contracting professionals, and service providers.