Maine APEX Newsletter November 2023

Helping businesses find, win and perform on government contracts • maineptac.org

November 2023 Newsletter

Free Webinars

The Maine APEX team hosts free webinars for those interested in learning more about government contracting.

Selling to Municipalities & Counties

11/30/23 • 10:00am

Click here to learn more

Is Your Company Ready to Explore & Pursue Government Contracting Opportunities?

12/07/23 • 2:00pm

Click here to learn more

Understanding Solicitations: How to Read and Respond with a Winning Bid

12/13/23 • 11:00am

Click here to learn more

Introduction to Surety Services for Small Businesses

12/14/23 • 11:00am

Click here to learn more

View all events

PM’s Corner

A monthly feature from the ME APEX Director

“Blue Cyber”: A Small Business Cybersecurity Resource

Bryan Wallace

The “Blue Cyber” education series is an initiative to position small businesses in the industrial base to better protect sensitive information and networks even before they have a federal contract. The program was founded by Kelley Kiernan, Dept. of the Navy’s Chief Information Security Officer and is always FREE. Join Ms. Kiernan & Blue Cyber for education modules and daily-, weekly- and monthly-events by visiting the Blue Cyber webpage here !

Ms. Kiernan also offers ‘Open Office Hours’ -- these sessions were established to help business owners get answers to cybersecurity and information protection questions. If you have these types of questions, register for an available time slot: here!

CLICK HERE to check out the Blue Cyber informational flyer.

As always, please connect with Maine APEX for free assistance with understanding cybersecurity regulations & requirements for Federal contracting & subcontracting.

The Big Four:

“Positioning Your Company to Pursue the Federal Government Marketplace”

Part 4 of 4:

Finding New Potential Opportunities: Maine APEX Accelerator Bid Match Program/Profile

Christopher Paradis, Maine APEX Accelerator Counselor

For companies looking to explore and pursue potential federal government contracting opportunities, four essential elements are crucial to actively participating in this marketplace.

1. SAM.gov Registration-Active “All Awards”

2. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) Narrative/Business Profile

3. Company Capabilities Statement

4. Maine APEX Accelerator “Bid Match Profile”

With the above in mind, I have been discussing each of these elements and their importance to the procurement process as series since earlier this year; covering SAM.gov Registration in April, SBA’s DSBS Database in June, and Company Capabilities Statements in August. This month, I will be taking on the Maine APEX Accelerator’s Bid Match Program which is one of our most popular services.

Bid-Match is a completely free Maine APEX service that automatically sends daily email notifications directly to your company listing potential bid opportunities at the municipal, state, and federal level based on keywords, NAICS codes, and other information describing your business’ products, services, and capabilities.

Working with your Maine APEX Counselor, you will develop your company’s unique Bid Match profile which will actively search for requests that match it. Upon finding a match, it is captured and send to you via email. In essence, Bid Match acts like a “Indeed.com®” or “Monster.com®” for government bid requests by searching a whole host of local, state, and federal databases. Once you start receiving emails; you will simply need to click on the provided links to review the solicitation/bid request detail and decide whether you want to pursue the identified opportunity.

Maine APEX’s Bid Match Program can play an important role as part of a company’s overall effort to identify new government contracting opportunities and your Maine APEX Counselor looks forward to collaborating with you to develop your own unique Bid Match profile. Contact Maine APEX today to start a conversation and learn what it takes to further explore the government marketplace for your company.

Published APEX Newsletter Articles:

Part 1-April 2023: SAM.gov Registration

Part 2-June 2023: SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS)

Part 3-August 2023: Company Capabilities Statement

Part 4-November 2023: Maine APEX Bid Match Profile

Client Quote of the Month

"The Maine APEX team have been a tremendous help navigating the registration process for SAM. They initially came to our office and explained the whole process of registering with SAM and what they do and how they could help us. They have been such a pleasure to work with. "

-Sherry Wilbur, Insulsafe Textiles.

Five U.S. Land Ports of Entry in Maine to Receive Major Construction Work

Dana Delano, APEX Counselor

In case you haven’t heard, the US General Services Administration (GSA) has announced major construction projects to five Land Ports of Entries (LPOE) in Maine, including: Calais Ferry Point, Coburn Gore, Fort Fairfield, Houlton, and Limestone. Some are completely new building projects while others will include repairs and alterations.

Although the projects are not scheduled to start until 2025, 2026 and 2027 (depending on the location), now is the time to plan, design, attract contractors, and look at building materials for the projects. The GSA’s Public Buildings Service (PBS) will host a two-part Design & Construction Industry Day event in Portland, ME on Tuesday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 29 from 9:00am – 2:00pm, for all businesses interested in learning more about the projects. Both sessions are exactly the same, so interested contractors only need to attend one session. Architect-engineering firms, general contractors, subcontractor trades, and material suppliers are encouraged to attend to learn about the scope of work, project features, timelines, budgets, and process for each project. The event is neither a solicitation nor a request for a proposal.

Maine APEX will be attending the event in order to provide information to our clients as we move forward. If you are interested in learning more about these important projects, we encourage you to attend and/or contact us to discuss the projects in more detail.

The following are the individual LPOE locations, estimated construction start date, and estimated cost range.

Calais Ferry Point: Jul 2025 30M – 40M

Coburn Gore: May 2026 85M – 95M

Fort Fairfield: Mar 2027 35M – 45M

Houlton: Dec 2025 20M – 30M

Limestone: Jun 2026 15M – 25M

What is FOCI?

Jessica Greeley, APEX Counselor

What is FOCI?

FOCI stands for Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence. A U.S. company is considered under FOCI whenever a foreign interest has the power, direct or indirect, and whether or not exercised through the ownership of the US company’s securities. FOCI can be a foreign country of concern, foreign person, covered individual, foreign talent recruitment program, beneficial owner, etc. There are different levels of risk associated with FOCI. Countries that are considered close allies are labeled as being low FOCI risk. Adversary and near-peer competitors nations like Russia, North Korea, Iran, China, etc would be labeled as being high FOCI risk.

How does FOCI apply to my business?

Foreign Disclosure Forms are now required in many government contracts and the SBIR & STTR programs. Due to the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022, the following requirements are now being enforced. Companies are required to establish and implement a due diligence program to assess security risks presented by small business concerns seeking a federally funded award. They are also required to assess their cybersecurity practices, patent analysis, employee analysis, and foreign ownership of a small business concern seeking an award, including the financial ties and obligations of the small business concern and employees of the small business concern to a foreign country, foreign person, or foreign entity. Lack of FOCI internal assessments for businesses can lead to many negative impacts for your business. Negative impacts can include reduced economic competitiveness, reduced domestic investor interest, and limited government aids, awards, and contracts.

I will be hosting a webinar on FOCI on December 20th, 2023. If you are not familiar with FOCI, I highly recommend attending because FOCI is applicable to all businesses.

Here is a useful video, put out by the FBI, which may help explain the importance of FOCI: watch here!