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1Small Business In FocusOctober 2010Small BusinessGWAC CenterVolume 4, Number 23Director’s CornerI would like to begin this quarter’s article by expressingmy sincerest thanks to small businesses and everyonewho advocates on their behalf. Each and every day smallbusinesses are faced with challenges that must beovercome in order to keep the doors open andemployees employed. Never has this been so evident asover the past two years as our nation struggledeconomically. I would particularly like to pay specialhomage to Small Business GWAC contract holders forcontinuing to elevate the bar while facing such adversity.1500 E Bannister RdRoom 1076Kansas City, MO 64131www.gsa.gov/sbgwac(877) 327-8732In This Issue Director’s Corner GWAC Training Conference Participation Program Meetings Small Business GWAC Sales KUDOS & Accolades GWAC Partner Industry Visits Employee Spotlight Selling to the FederalGovernment 101 Small Business GWAC Quiz Upcoming EventsSteve Triplett, Director, SmallBusiness GWAC CenterAs a result of your undying commitment, the SmallBusiness GWAC portfolio, 8(a) STARS, Alliant Small Business, COMMITSNexGen, and VETS, had another excellent year in providing total IT solutions tocustomer agencies. In addition to introducing new and innovative initiatives forboth customers and industry partners, we sustained stellar customersatisfaction scores, expanded our customer base, and exceeded financialprojections with nearly 1 billion in obligations.The successes achieved are a result of our collective hard work andcommitment to achieving a common goal. Looking onward, we must continuefostering our relationships and continue to lead the pack. We are diligentlyworking to finalize strategies that expand customer offerings while providingindustry partners with useful resources to assist their marketing efforts.Great success means greater responsibility. We must stay vigilant in promotingour contracts and the capabilities that lie within our contract holders. FY11promises to be a great year if we continue to stay focused and work towards thecommon goal of providing premier IT services for federal agencies.Warm Regards,Stephen TriplettDirectorSmall Business GWAC Center“A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry aboutprofits. They will be embarrassingly large.”Henry Ford
GSA Opening Doors ConferenceGWAC TrainingDepartment of EnergyGreg Byrd, Procuring Contracting Officer for Alliant SmallBusiness (SB), and Lee Tittle, Contract Specialist forAlliant SB, conducted Delegation of ProcurementAuthority (DPA) training via teleconference on August 12.The training, which covered both Alliant and Alliant SBGWACs, was presented to Department ofEnergy/National Nuclear Security AdministrationContracting Officers and others involved in theiracquisition process. Five individuals were in attendance,two of whom received their DPA.Conference ParticipationNational Veterans ConferenceLori Hanavan, Business Development Specialist, hosteda booth and instructed a course at this year's GSAOpening Doors Conference, August 9-11. Theconference, held in Los Angeles, CA, brought togethersmall businesses in a variety of trades to discuss federalopportunities, marketing to the federal government, andhow to use e-Tools. Lori provided an overview of theGWAC program during a joint session with GSA'sSchedule 70 team, served as a GSA opportunitiescounselor, and hosted a booth at the event's expo. Over150 individuals attended the joint session onGWACs/Schedule 70.Air Force Information Technology ConferenceJean Oyler, Business Operations Manager, SmallBusiness GWAC Center, and Todd Richards, ContractingOfficer, Enterprise GWAC Center Southwest, deliveredtraining on GSA's GWACs at the Air Force InformationTechnology Conference, or AFITC, held in Montgomery,AL, August 30 - September 1. The GSA GWACsessions were attended by approximately 85 Air Forceand industry representatives. AFITC had trainingsessions available to its 5,000 attendees. Additionally,over 200 companies exhibited at the event.Program MeetingsVETSFrom left to right: John Scarcella, Catapult Technology, Misty Claypole,Contracting Officer, Harry Siegel, HMS Technologies, and ToddTekesky, Contracting Officer, answer questions at the National VeteransConferenceThe Small Business GWAC Center attended the 6thAnnual National Veterans Conference, July 19 - 22 atCaesar's Palace, Las Vegas, NV. The Center's MistyClaypole and Todd Tekesky, Contracting Officers, alongwith two VETS Industry Partner (IP) representatives,Harry Siegel from HMS Technologies and John Scarcellafrom Catapult Technology, taught a training sessionentitled "Maximizing Proposal Quality: A PastPerformance Emphasis”. The session was attended byover 120 Conference attendees. Additionally, theCenter's representatives joined the GSA exhibit boothsponsored by the GSA Office of Small BusinessUtilization and answered questions regarding the VETSGWAC and other small business GWACs. 33 of the 42VETS GWAC prime contractors also exhibited at theConference. This year's Conference had approximately3500 Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and VeteranOwned small business and federal governmentattendees. Additional Conference information is postedat www.nationalveteransconference.comThe VETS GWAC Program Meeting took place prior tothe 6th Annual National Veterans Conference at Caesar'sPalace, Las Vegas NV, on July 19. Steve Triplett,Director, Jean Oyler, Business Operations Manager,Jihyun Huyck, Business Development Specialist, JannaBabcock, Todd Tekesky, and Misty Claypole, ContractingOfficers, hosted the meeting which included discussionson the current status of the VETS GWAC and its futureoptions, and the Center's upcoming outreach events andsoon-to-be released Dashboard. There were also threeguest speakers; Shaunta Johnson, Director, SmallBusiness Program, GSA National Capitol Region, BillWebster, Assistant Commissioner – Travel, MotorVehicles and Card Services, GSA 21 Gun Salute, andJiyoung Park, Associate Administrator, GSA Office ofSmall Business Utilization, spoke on various topics ofinterest to the group. A total of 67 VETS industrypartners attended the meeting representing 30 out of the42 VETS prime contract holders. The IPs were alsoattending the National Veterans Conference, whichstarted on the afternoon of July 19, with the majority ofthem exhibiting at the conference.
Alliant Small BusinessAlliant SB IPs participated in the Alliant SB ProgramMeeting Webinar on August 4. The webinar wasconducted by Dean Cole, Business DevelopmentSpecialist, Greg Byrd, Procuring Contracting Officer, andLee Tittle, Contracting Specialist. Also attending from theSmall Business GWAC Center were Steve Triplett, JeanOyler, and Chris Carver, Program Analyst. The Alliant SBIPs were briefed on past, current and future businessdevelopment outreach efforts, awards and other activityover the 18 months the contract has been awarded, aswell as contract and sales reporting updates. Members ofthe Alliant SB Industry Council (ASBIC) Executive Teamwere also in attendance, and presented an update onASBIC outreach efforts and achievements. The webinarwas attended by 69 participants representing Alliant SB’s73 awardees.Small Business GWAC alesTotal obligated order value as of September 30, 2010: 8(a) STARS 2,857,272,838.64 Alliant Small Business 129,516,288.68 COMMITS NexGen 47,016,518.75* VETS 657,500,473.32For a listing of sales by agency visitwww.gsa.gov/sbgwac and click “Small Business GWACSales”.*new orders since COMMITS’ transfer to GSAKUDOS & AccoladesMicrotech Ranks #1MicroTech, VETS GWAC prime contract holder, has beennamed the No. 1 Fastest Growing Solutions Provider inthe U.S. by CRN Magazine. Last year, MicroTech rankedthird on the CRN Fast Growth 100 list, their firstappearance on the channel industry survey. Topping thisyear's list of technology providers in the midst of turbulenteconomic times, MicroTech's revenue growth rose anastounding 1400% between 2007 and 2009. The surveyis based on two years' growth of net sales during theperiod.National Veteran-Owned Business Association(NaVOBA) Honors Vetrepreneur(s) of the YearNaVOBA recently named 2010 VETREPRENEUR of theYear award finalists in the June edition ofVETREPRENEUR Magazine. THE VETREPRENEUR ofthe Year award is bestowed annually to preeminent rolemodels within the veteran community. Lisa Wolford,CSSS.NET, VETS GWAC prime contract holder, wasnamed VETREPRENEUR 2 Government (V2G) winnerwhile Harry Siegel, HMS Technologies, VETS GWACprime contract holder, was named V2G runner up.Center’s Lyons Receives NorthStar All-Star AwardEffective October 1, 2010 a mandatory statutoryinflationary adjustment increased the competitivethreshold on non manufacturing 8(a) contractsfrom 3.5 million to 4 million. The federalregister location for this authority is 75 FR 53133.As of 10/1/2010 directed orders up to 4 millionwill be allowed under the 8(a) STARS contract fornew orders only, and not retroactively to existingorders.Reminder: The ordering period for the 8(a)STARS contract ends May 31, 2011; all taskorders must be completed no later than May 31,2014.Reminder: The ordering period for theCOMMITS NexGen contract ends January 20,2011; all task orders must be completed no laterthan January 20, 2016.Herman Lyons (left) receives NorthStar All-STAR award from JasonKlumb, GSA Heartland Region AdministratorHerman Lyons, Business Development Specialist, is themost recent recipient of the GSA Heartland RegionalAdministrator’s NorthStar All-Star Certificate and Pin.Herman consistently provides a Caring, Familiar andResponsive customer experience to both internal andexternal customers, bringing a smile and a team-playerattitude to all endeavors. Herman is currentlycollaborating with GSA’s Federal Acquisition Services,Chief Information Office, to develop and implement aGWAC task order dashboard.
Lee Tittle Attains Federal Acquisition Certificationoutreach efforts, achievements, and plans for the future.The Team also had a role in the Alliant SB ProgramMeeting Webinar held earlier the same day.Representing the Center: Steve Triplett, Jean Oyler, GregByrd, Lee Tittle, and Dean Cole. Together, they sharedtheir vision of how ASBIC and the Center will worktogether for the betterment of the Alliant SB contract.Centuria CorporationPauline Healy, Executive Vice President, BusinessDevelopment, and Richard Levine, Chief FinancialOfficer, Centuria Corporation, VETS prime contractorvisited the Small Business GWAC Center on August 17.They met with Steve Triplett, Janna Babcock, ContractingOfficer, Meredith Wassenberg, Contract Specialist, andJihyun Huyck, Business Development Specialist, anddiscussed the VETS July Program Meeting topics andfollow up events as well as Centuria's current tasks andstatus.Lee Tittle (right) receives Level FAC-C certificate from Steve TriplettISYS TechnologiesLee Tittle, Contract Specialist, met all the requirementsfor a Level III Federal Acquisition Certification inContracting (FAC-C) as well as the requirements for aSenior Contracting Officer's Warrant. In order to meetboth requirements, Lee demonstrated he possessed theexperience and training required.SBGWAC Contractors Showcased in WashingtonTechnology FAST 50Rank491114181926283639CompanyMicroTech LLC - VETSCenturia Corp. - VETSHMS Technologies Inc. - VETSMed Trends Inc. - VETSTechnatomy Corp. - VETS1 Source Consulting, Inc., 8(a) STARSVetsAmerica Business Consulting Inc. - VETSSystems Made Simple Inc. - VETSKingfisher Systems Inc. - VETSC2 Solution Group Inc. - VETSCompanies are ranked by Compound Annual GrowthRate from 2005-2009GWAC Industry Partner VisitsAlliant Small Business Industry CouncilOn August 8, the ASBIC Executive Committee met withmembers of the Small Business GWAC Centerconnected to the Alliant SB contract. ASBIC, made up ofAlliant SB Primes, was established to enable the sharingand development of ideas for the success of the vehicle.The Executive Team, whose participants are elected byIndustry Council members, updated the Center on ASBICA representative from ISYS Technologies, a joint venturemember with SBD Alliant, an Alliant Small BusinessGWAC prime contractor, visited the Small BusinessGWAC Center on September 8. Representativesattending the meeting, from the Center, included GregByrd, Lee Tittle, and Dean Cole. Ideas were shared onhow best to promote the Alliant Small Business GWAC,as well as leverage resources, both within the jointventure and with GSA.Access Systems Inc.Four representatives from Access Systems, Inc., anAlliant Small Business GWAC prime contractor, visitedthe Small Business GWAC Center on July 15.Representatives attending the meeting, from the SmallBusiness GWAC Center, included Steve Triplett, JeanOyler, Greg Byrd, Lee Tittle, Dean Cole. Ideas wereshared with the contractors on how best to promote theAlliant Small Business GWAC, as well as leverageresources for outreach efforts.
SpotlightFa-Shon CombsAdministrative AssistantFa-Shon Combs joined the GSA Small Business GWACCenter on October 1 as administrative assistant contractpersonnel. Fa-Shon will be responsible for assistingDirector, Stephen Triplett and other administrative taskswithin the Center. Prior to joining the SB GWAC center,she worked in the private sector as a ProjectAdministrator/Quality Assurance Analyst for TEKSystems. Fa-Shon is a graduate from DeVry Universitywith a Bachelor Degree in Computer InformationSystems. She is currently getting her certifications in A ,Net and MCDST. In her free time, Fa-Shon enjoysreading for leisure, learning new computersoftware/applications and staying up on the current andlatest technology.Selling to the FederalGovernment 101*SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search(www.ccr.gov)*GSA Small Business GWAC Industry Partner Lists(review respective GWAC websites, contact contractPCO to initiate changes)*GSA ITSS Acquisition Tool(https://web.itss.gsa.gov/Login)*GSA’s e-Buy- update your personal contact information(www.ebuy.gsa.gov)If you have responded to a solicitation that is still underevaluation, be proactive to ensure the contracting officerhas your updated contact information. During the courseof evaluations, contracting officers often need tocommunicate with offerors on submissions, conductnegotiations, execute offer extensions and more. Yourfailure to update contact information could render youunresponsive to contracting officer communications.If you require any assistance with changing databaseinformation or have questions related to it, please contactthe Small Business GWAC Center at 1-877-327-8732 orsbgwac@gsa.gov.What is the dollar threshold for directed ordersunder 8(a) STARS?a. 3.0 Mb. 3.5 Mc. 4.0 Md. 100,000Requests for Delegations of ProcurementAuthority may be submitted online at individualSBGWAC websites?a. Trueb. FalseAnswers provided at the bottom of last pageAre you Up to Date?As a new Fiscal Year begins, it offers a great opportunityto make sure your company information is accurate in allexternal databases. Have you moved recently, added anew contract point of contact, changed phone numbers?It is critical to ensure that contracting officers who wish toinclude your firm in their acquisition can reach you.Databases that you will want to review include:*Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov)The SBGWAC center now has available a high-levelreport from the GWAC Management Module that willgive you an overview of the task orders issued underyour Small Business GWAC. If you'd like to see yourcompany's report, please have the contract managercontact Chris Carver at 816.823.2330, or via email atchristine.carver@gsa.gov to have a copy of your reportsent to you.
About FSRSThe Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) was signed on September 26, 2006.The FFATA Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) will collect data from Federal prime contractors on subcontractsthey award. Prime Contractors awarded a federal contract or order that is subject to Federal Acquisition Regulationclause 52.204-10 (Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards) are required to file aFFATA subaward report by the end of the month following the month in which the prime contractor awards anysubcontract greater than 25,000. This reporting requirement will be phased-in (see below):Phase 1: Reporting subcontracts under federally-awarded contracts and orders valued greater than or equal to 20,000,000, reporting starts now.Phase 2: Reporting subcontracts under federally-awarded contracts and orders valued greater than or equal to 550,000, reporting starts October 1, 2010.Phase 3: Reporting subcontracts under federally-awarded contracts and orders valued greater than or equal to 25,000, reporting starts March 1, 2011.Although the requirement to report subawards is being phased-in at certain dollar levels, if you would like to startreporting prior to the start date for your subcontracts, the system is available to you for reporting.User Guide available at www.fsrs.govUpcoming EventsThe Small Business GWAC Center participates in a variety of events throughout the year. Many events offer trainingon GSA’s GWACs as well as networking opportunities for small business. Please monitor http://www.gsa.gov/sbgwacfor updates.October 28GSA Small Business Procurement & Networking ConferenceWashington, DCOctober 28-29MacDill SDVOSB ConferenceTampa, FLNovember 3SBGWAC Overview Training for Small Business AdvocatesWebinarNovember 8VETS Industry Partner MeetingWashington, DCNovember 10DPA Training – Defense Logistics AgencyWebinarNovember 30-December 1NASA Small Business SymposiumBethesda, MDDecember 1SBGWAC Overview Training for Small Business AdvocatesWebinarDecember 7DPA Training – Defense Logistics AgencyWebinarSBGWAC Quiz Answers1. C2. True
Alliant SB Primes, was established to enable the sharing and development of ideas for the success of the vehicle. The Executive Team, whose participants are elected by Industry Council members, updated the Center on ASBIC outreach efforts, achievements, and plans for the future. The Team also had a role in the Alliant SB Program
