The VA Acquisition Academy does a wonderful job training Contracting Officers for the federal government. I started my first day contracting very comfortable with what I was going to see but still knew that I had a lot to learn. After almost 10 years I’m bringing my knowledge and expertise gifted to me by the government to help you and your business get a federal contract.
Sharing Knowledge
The people part of Contracting has always been my favorite. I love drafting an email or having a conversation pertaining to allocated projects. My assigned vendors for the most part were all very easy to work with. I loved it when they told me what they wanted to do and I had to find FAR requirements to justify the request. I enjoyed when they involve me in the strategic planning sessions as to how their federal agreement could change and grow. I was so good at finding, documenting and sharing information that my vendors stumped to management at multiple levels for me to conduct my own Q&A via Microsoft Teams with my assigned vendors. However, I was denied the opportunity. I would like to collect and share with you and your company.
Understanding Of Impact
My training taught me to be as detailed as humanly possible and document, document, document. Because of this that is how I share my knowledge and instructions. I routinely found myself giving vendors information which led them to understand that if such a decision was made then this would happen but if another decision was made in the same instance then the end result would be something different. I would end such advisements by telling them that they knew all potential happenings of a particular situation but that as their assigned CO I could not make company decisions for them. That being said, I wanted my vendors to have a thorough understanding concerning all aspects of the situation at hand so their decision making process could be as easy as possible. That’s the small town in me. I want the people that I am working with to have an easier job because they made the decision to hire me. My vendors all were pleased with how I forecasted an existing federal agreement into their business plan while they navigated the day-to-day operations of how to fulfill their contractual obligations. I am now in the position to discuss and aid you in your company decisions now. Feel free to take advantage of that opportunity.
Conduct Market Research
This was fun when I got into Services contracting. That being said, when I worked in commodities contracting, it was a necessary evil unless the product was new or interested me. However, this is how both the government and the vendor community construct their negotiation points. Neither side pulls numbers out of a hat even though it may seem like it sometimes. Both sides have to know the market value of both the commercial landscape and the federal arena. They also have to have an incredible understanding of how the proposed goods or services play within government contracting because the market dictates the price and not necessarily the commercial market. To give you a hint, the federal government is looking for a discount off of the commercial market price. Otherwise, a contract wouldn’t make sense. They would just buy from you open market. That may suit you, but you won’t know until you conduct market research. I know the tricks of the trade and how pricing works with both goods and services in the federal government. I would love to help you draft your negotiation points.
Negotiations
This is where every vendor wants to be and to tell you the truth this is the funnest part of the game for every Contracting Officer. Negotiations are where the rubber meets the road. They tell the story as to whether analysis and market research were conducted properly. If each side conducts their negotiation preparations then these are quick and painless. If not, I still had fun because I really enjoy answering questions as to How all aspects of contracting work together for your business. I conducted these just like I was sitting at the dining room table having a cup of coffee with my mother or grandmother. Smooth and easy. That being said, I may have gotten a little short if a vendor came to the negotiation table without negotiation points because that actually happened. I just rescheduled negotiations for the next day and went back to the dining room table in my mind. Easy Peezy. Don’t be intimidated. Even though I cannot negotiate for you until December of 2023 I can still help you prepare your project and draft your negotiation points. Then all you have to do is read from a script and be ready to receive an award. Be aware that it is a bit easier to receive an award if you are writing a proposal for a schedule instead of a buy, but we can still work together towards getting you one and your chances would still be pretty good.
If you think I can help you then email nicholas.s.robertson@outlook.com for your introductory email and free consultation.
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