You are on your way! There’s still a few more steps left. However, if you don’t get the loser letter then you can go get stupid at the club like these two jackasses! Quite honestly, if you grew up on SNL then you will love this flick. Even if you didn’t and you need a laugh then you should probably watch it anyway. I’ve always thought going to the club was as dumb as these two acted in this scene. I prefer the Cheers setting. Where everybody knows your name! You can catch up on local events, all levels of government and their credible sources as well as current national and world affairs. No party pills for me. Just give me a cold beer or two with good conversation and I’m good.
Bob Satterfield of the FSS is fond of telling his subordinates like he told his vendors. “Contract numbers are not like library cards. Not everybody gets one.” Just because you past the pre-award phase doesn’t mean you are promised a contract. We had this hard-nosed Republican who owned a gas station in my childhood hometown of Barnes City, Iowa. He would always tell his customers who wanted something for free, discount or even those that griped about prices, “This aint UNICEF!” That man was my grandpa. He grew up during The Great Depression and World War II.
Award Phase
We’ve glossed over some of this stuff in the Pre-Award Phase blog post.
CO Responsibilities
-Evaluating offers
-Conducting negotiations
-Selecting the awardee(s)
-Awarding the contract
-Debriefing offerors by way of divulging common mistakes in proposals and challenges to the selection process
Vendor Responsibilities
-Clarifying offers
-Participating in negotiations
-Preparing best and final offers (BAFOs)
CO Analysis
The CO will conduct a price analysis which is simply the proposed price without cost and certified pricing data included. This allows them to compare and contrast the current proposal with historical trends, published prices and competitive prices. This is a hard and fast analysis of how proposed pricing can be justified as fair and reasonable concerning only market data and NOT the final price.
On the other hand, they also conduct a cost analysis. This includes cost and certified pricing data (not a part of schedules). Such incorporates items as overhead, allowable costs and profit. Oh, funny story now. My second cousin owns a construction company and his wife does his administrative work. Scrap was not negotiated as a part of their first federal job and he was not a happy camper. They figured it out soon enough as he bought his two youngest sons brand new top-of-the-line Dodge Ram pickup trucks because he doesn’t tell them he loves them enough, I guess. Lesson learned. Straight buys negotiate every single thing and you have to know how the commercial process compares to the federal sector. This analysis garners a fair and reasonable price determination as compared to the current commercial economy and federal practices or creates a price point for negotiations.
Plan Negotiations
You can rest easy knowing that the government has done its homework. They are taught to trust their numbers. They know how the base price as well as the price build-up compares to both the commercial and federal marketplaces. They aren’t there to intimidate you. They are there to get the best deal because they are spending taxpayer money! Thus, they need to justify their points of negotiation and their final price(s). You should not feel intimidated during the award-phase at any of its levels. You should come armed for battle. Play your entrance music like you’re walking down the aisle to a heavyweight fight, or better yet, a professional wrestling match! Have your corner man slap you a few times and go with what you were trained on. Let the referee raised the hand of the winner and the ring announcer bellow your name. Pick a cool nickname, though. In all seriousness, don’t be scared. Your CO is trained to be nice and you should be, too. Remember that the field of contracting is very small. Everybody knows who the good ones are on both sides. Aim to be a good one.
I was on the other side for 9.5 years and I know how to write a proposal because i combed through them. I know how to negotiate because I’ve negotiated awards.
Allow me to send you and your employees on a night of dancing! Nope. I won’t pay your way, but I’ll do my best to recommend a place where all the cool kids hang out!
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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