Bid More Estimating & Proposal Writing Training & Coaching

Welcome to our Weekly Edition of the Bid More Newsletter!

Attention: 

The Bid More Consultants are providing the JSEBs with a new service!!

Weekly active solicitations will be posted here

for your information and bidding success! 

Go and Bid MORE!

Weekly Virtual Bid Opening (Hosted by COJ) - Every Wednesday at 2PM. 

Add this meeting to your weekly calendar to learn more about bid submission requirements for submitting your bids to the COJ. Click the link below to join the meeting every Wednesday at 2pm.

City of Jacksonville Weekly Open Bids Meeting Link

💡Suggestion: Take notes as you observe the virtual bid opening with a focus what you observed and lessons learned about the process and bids submitted to win bids.

Weekly Bid Opening Q&A and Open Coaching Session - Every Wednesday at 2:30PM. 

Add this meeting to your weekly calendar to get your bid submission questions answered. This time is also slated to provide assistance with preparing your next estimating and/or proposal response for a live bid. 

Click the link below to join the meeting every Wednesday at 2:30pm. 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86598089762

Meeting ID: 865 9808 9762

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,86598089762# 

Dial        

         +1 301 715 8592 US 

        Meeting ID: 865 9808 9762

Debrief Q&A Discussion Questions

1. What did you observe?
2. What are your lessons learned and takeaways?
3. What actionable tips can you apply to your future bid submissions?
4. What other estimating and proposal writing questions do you have?

Join us every Thursday at 6:00 PM for a Webinar

When: Thursday November 10, 2022 AT 6:00 PM

Topic: Bid Estimating, Pricing and Budgeting & Bid Pricing Structure

In this week's session, ICATT Bid More Consultants will provide a presentation on Bid Estimating, Pricing and Budgeting & Bid Pricing Structure.

Hi there, 

You are invited to a Zoom webinar. 

When: Nov 10, 2022 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Topic: Bid Estimating, Pricing and Budgeting & Bid Pricing Structure

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JBLIWDE4TYWWAqfvXKDgeA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please fill out our evaluation form after the Live Webinar here: 

JSEB Live Webinar evaluation sheet link

NEW EVENTS!!!

10

8:00am-12:30pm

6th Annual Clay County Procurement Conference

November 10

8:00am-12:30pm

Thrasher Horne Center

283 College Drive

Orange Park, FL 32065

Clay County municipalities and agencies will come together to host the 6th Annual “Doing Business with Clay County”. Featuring a reverse trade show where purchasing representatives will network with attendees and provide valuable information about their agency’s procurement process and vendor registration. This event will also host an educational session to help your business be better prepared to sell to the governments in Clay County. 

Agenda Highlights:

·     State of the County - Clay County Commissioner Cella

·     Live Demo of Clay County's New Bidding System, OpenGov

·     Government Contracting training session - PTAC at UNF

·     Agency reverse tradeshow! - Participating agencies include:

Clay County Board of County Commissioners

Clay County Sheriff's Office

Clay County School District

Clay County Utility Authority 

Clay Electric Cooperative

Clay Florida Economic Development Corporation

Small Business Development Center at UNF

Clerk of Courts

Click Here to Register Today!

www.sbdc.unf.edu

904-620-2476

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (Florida Blue) is pleased to announce its new Supplier Diversity Services Portal. As of August 2nd 2022, the Supplier Diversity Services Portal will allow vendors the ability to easily register with Florida Blue as diverse suppliers by submitting an electronic qualification statement, as well as update contact information. This new process will allow vendors to register with Florida Blue electronically as a Diverse Firm.

Go to the following link: https://floridablue.diversitycompliance.com/ to access the system. Click ‘APPLY FOR REGISTRATION’ then ‘Create Account’. Follow the prompts accordingly. Once you have your temporary password, you can go directly into the system. First, change your temporary password for security purposes. There is no cost to you for this service. Please note, you may already have a login for this system, as the software is used by other organizations you may already do business with. If you do, your username and password will be the same for the Florida Blue login

There is no cost for registering with Florida Blue.

We at Florida Blue are excited to begin utilizing this new Diverse Supplier registration portal, which will improve the speed and effectiveness of our processes and efforts to support you in doing business with us. Our organization remains committed to building a more inclusive supply chain. 

For more information regarding this program, please contact our team via an email inquiry to supplieroversign@bcbsfl.com. Thank you in advance for your participation.

Sincerely, 

Florida Blue

A message from the City of Jacksonville, EBO/JSEB Administrator



A message from the City of Jacksonville, EBO/JSEB Administrator

We encourage our JSEB community to fully utilize the Bid More Estimating and Proposal Writing Training & Coaching Services provided by ICATT Professional Services so that you are empowered to bid more and win more.

ICATT bid more consultants are on standby to assist you with preparing your next estimating and proposal writing. Please note it is your responsibility to create your own estimates and write your own proposals with the assistance and guidance of the ICATT team. 

The Bid More coaches do not develop draft or final estimates or proposals for you. You must write your first draft and seek the assistance of the Bid More Coaches to guide you through the process. Remember, the Bid More Estimating and Proposal Writing Training & Coaching is here to empower you to bid more and win more.

If you need assistance with your proposal writing, contact ICATT Bid More Consultants by phone or text 904-382-5471 or by email bidmore@icatt.net.  

Dinah L. C. Mason

EBO/JSEB Administrator

Procurement Division|Equal Business Opportunity Office

The Bid More YouTube Channel is LIVE!

Subscribe here: Bid More YouTube Channel

The Bid More YouTube Channel is dedicated to training and coaching local and small businesses on estimating and proposal writing. Click on the link below to watch the feature video on Bid Estimating, ricing and Budgeting.

Bid More Menu of Services

Expected Outcome:

Bid More & Win More

• Bid More YouTube Channel
• Self-Paced E-Learning 
• Online Tool Kit/Job Aid
• Inbound Assistance Line
• Live Virtual Webinar
• Outbound coaching
• Live In-Person session
• Mock Proposal Showcase
• Unsolicited Proposal Showcase
• E-Hub Online Platform
• Outbound Capacity Development Consulting
• Virtual Bid Opening & Debrief Session
• Digital Informational Newsletter

To find out more about the Bid More eLearning course please click the link below: 

Please visit our online eHub Platform by clicking the link below; 

JSEB Unsolicited Proposal Showcase at a Glance

What?

JSEB Unsolicited Proposal Showcase is an accelerated hands-on training of JSEB members to build proficiency in estimating and proposal writing.

JSEB unsolicited proposal showcase is a practice and iterative writing and showcasing process.

Items included in JSEB Unsolicited Proposal Showcase include.

• scope of work related to the writer’s area of expertise
• format follows the COJ bid requirements
• include COJ forms
• price estimate
• technical approach 
• cover letter
• capability document
• past performance

Why?

Active Participation in JSEB Unsolicited Proposal Showcase has the following potential benefits

• Deliberate practice makes perfect
• Build gradual and progressive confidence in estimating and proposal writing.
• Provide individualized attention to building the capacity of each JSEB member.
• Creates accountability
• Create a platform for immediate application of skills and knowledge.

How?

Each member works on a proposal directly related to the writer’s area of expertise

Allow self reflection and self improvement- “what I really did well are……”. “What I want to improve are….:

JSEBs work within a cohort for peer support and inputs.

A 3-weeks iterative writing and showcasing process is as follows:

• Week 1 - write & showcase 1st draft based on ICATT initial assignment instructions.
• Week 2 - rewrite & showcase 2nd draft based on improvement feedback from self reflection, peers and from ICATT coach and based on ICATT Initial assignment instructions.
• Week 3 - rewrite & showcase final proposal based on improvement feedback from self reflection, peers and from ICATT coach and based on ICATT Initial assignment instructions.

Bid More Estimating & Proposal Writing Training & Coaching

Testimonial:

"We recently met Mr. Gabe Hamda at an event sponsored by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. At our first meeting, he presented himself to us as someone who really wanted to help small businesses succeed. We contacted Mr. Hamda to ask his coaching assistance with a project we wanted to bid. He and the ICATT were very helpful in providing feedback on bid submission and pointing out areas that we should revisit and take into consideration prior to submitting our bid to our GC. After submitting our bid proposal, we were happy to note that our GC came back to us to ask additional questions. Again, we reached out to Mr. Hamda and his team and again, they were helpful in providing suggestions on how to respond back to the potential client and improve on what had been previously sent. We also appreciate how the ICATT has made themselves available to us; reminded us of upcoming courses that may benefit the company and they have continued to encourage our business to use every opportunity available to "sharpen our saws" so that we can be in a position to bid more projects."

---------------------------------------------------- 

Thank you,

Sandra Shack / Business Administrator

Demetrius Shack's Painting Service, Inc.

Phone No. (904) 710-7589