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 13th Annual Wisconsin Government Opportunities  
Business Conference (GOBC)
In Partnership with Volk Field ANG and Fort McCoy   


The 13th Annual Wisconsin Government Opportunities Business Conference (GOBC), previously the Volk Field/Fort McCoy Small Business Conference, is scheduled for July 30th and 31st at Volk Field in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. Businesses from the Midwest will have the opportunity to participate in two days of technical training with a focus on Infrastructure Opportunities, Information Security, Manufacturing and Teaming.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from and meet with regional experts, leaders of the community, potential customers and potential partners. All businesses including Small, Large, Disadvantaged, HUBZone, Minority-Owned, Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned firms will benefit from this event.

LEARN MORE
UPCOMING EVENTS
4/17/19
Writing Sole Source Determinations
Webinar


4/30/19
Update on the Hour Wage Labor Law
Webinar
Learn More
4/17/19 
Business Financing, Planning & Developing New Market Opportunities
Keshena
Learn More

5/8/19
6th Annual DOD Contract Management Update
Oshkosh
Learn More

 Attention all GSA Schedule Holders
 
In April 2019, the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) is planning to refresh all GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) solicitations and issue a mass modification to existing contracts which will:
 
●      Update proposal instructions to require order status on GSA Advantage! Orders;
●      Update proposal instructions related to Section 508 Standards and information;
●      Incorporate new Service Contract Act (SCA) Wage Determinations;
●      Update AbilityOne "Essentially the Same" Proposal Instructions; and
●      Incorporate minor updates from FAC 2019-01  as applicable.
 
Note: Individual schedules may update additional clauses or provisions to make clarifications, administrative corrections, and other required changes.
GSA FAS will issue a bilateral modification to apply the changes to existing MAS contracts. Contractors will have 90 days to accept the mass modification.
 
 

Federal Procurement Data System

The data recorded in FPDS can provide keen insight into the buying habits and needs of specific contracting offices. Using this data, companies can identify and focus on contracting offices they determine to show characteristics they associate with likely customers. Being able to focus on specific contracting offices allows companies to conduct research in preparation for a meeting or when attending a conference, expo or other outreach sessions. The company representative can not only plan for a meeting but they can create a profile of the buying office. Instead of creating a broadly phrased and general Capability Statement, the company can create a Capability Statement that specifically showcases company strengths and value propositions that align with the mission and needs of a specific customer. Now a company can ask questions and gain insight which can be used in their efforts to shift a prospect into a customer.
 
Specifically, companies can: 
 
  1. Create a list of both NAICS codes and PSC codes to see what a specific buying office - contracting office is purchasing.
  2. Identify trends and seasonality to understand their business cycle and when to either make contact with the office or be prepared for upcoming opportunities.
  3. Scout competition to learn if there are dominant companies (either large or small) and start developing a market-entry strategy which may be targeted toward large businesses.
  4. Understand what contracting vehicles are used and if a GSA schedule is needed (will be helpful) or if there is another IDV vehicle that is key to success.
  5. Gain insight into a buying offices use of socio-economic programs and determine how to best position your company.
 
 FPDS has posted an updated list (as of March 2019) of Federal contracting offices.  The list is available at https://www.fpds.gov/downloads/top_requests/FPDSNG_Contracting_Offices.xls.
To learn more about FPDS and how to use this powerful tool to support your market research contact Marc Violante at marcv@wispro.org.  
   
 
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Industry Day - Construction and A/E Opportunities in Rural Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - Green Bay  
 
This unique event will focus on opportunities for contractors and subcontractors with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in construction, Architectural/Engineering (AE), environmental and related trades for both veteran and non-veteran owned businesses.
Topics will include:
  • Current and future opportunities at the Iron Mountain/Tomah facilities in Construction and A/E
  • Basics of Federal Contracting
  • Responding to a Department of Veterans Affairs requirements
  • Joint Ventures, Mentor Protégé and other teaming agreements
  • The Department of Veterans Affair Verification Process for Veteran and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses
VA contracting personnel will be participating in this event and will be discussing actual and upcoming projects at these facilities. In addition, representatives from the, US Small Business Administration and Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI) will be available.
 
Networking opportunities will be available. Light lunch will be served.
In addition, site visits will be available on April 24th and 25th, 2019 from 10:00am to 12:00pm at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Tomah, WI and the Oscar G Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, MI.  
 
There is no cost but advanced registration is REQUIRED to participate in the VA Industry Day and Site Visits. On-site registration will not be available.  If you have questions please contact Carol Murphy at carolm@wispro.org 
or  Cassie Hutzler at 414-270-3600.  

 

Presidential Memorandum on Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods  
 
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT
AND BUDGET
THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC
POLICY
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR TRADE AND
MANUFACTURING POLICY
THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT COORDINATOR
SUBJECT:        Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and
Pirated Goods

Read the memo at www.whitehouse.gov.
 

DOD could award  more contracts to companies with disabled workforce

The Defense Department may soon have an additional way to award contracts to companies that employ people with severe disabilities, breathing life back into a project Congress set up 15 years ago but that's languished ever since.

A proposed rule, published April 1, amends the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement by implementing a demonstration project giving Defense agencies more incentive to purchase contracts directly from eligible firms employing those with severe disabilities. It gives contractors with a disabled workforce a boost when competing for certain awards.

Most DoD contracts with entities that employ large numbers of disabled Americans are currently handled through a procurement list maintained by the AbilityOne program. But under the proposed rule, DoD would be able to award contracts to companies - both nonprofit and for-profit - that do not qualify to sell through AbilityOne, as long as the contractors can meet other criteria.

Continue reading at FEDERALNEWSNETWORK

 

Forecast of Contracting Opportunities

Now it's even easier to find out about small business contracting opportunities thanks to this web-based tool.

The GSA Forecast of Contracting Opportunities Tool provides information on planned federal contracting opportunities. The tool assists with acquisition planning by helping vendors learn about potential prime contracting opportunities early in the process. Users can easily filter the data by agency, location (place of performance), NAICS Code, contract type, and more.
The GSA Forecast Tool User Guide  provides tips on how to use the tool and take advantage of its features.

Learn more at https://www.gsa.gov/buying-selling/forecast-of-contracting-opportunities 

InfoSec Bulletin

In the April 2019 edition of the WPI InfoSec Bulletin.
  1. How to determine if the .gov site you are visiting is legitimate
  2. Understanding Website Certificates
  3. Why should .gov domains be trusted?
  4. What is so important about the "s" in https?