Business Opportunity:
Management & Operating (M&O) for Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12), Pantex Plant Site (PX), & Savannah River Site (SRS)
If you want the free full summary of this target go to http://login.epipeline.com/limitedDisplay?ID=FOSRCUSA16908&FLAG=SUMMARY. This target is only available for a short period of time.
If you need help designing and executing your capture program or proposals to win this procurement contact Sid Jaffe, at 703-642-5153.
News/Information
TECH SYSTEMS, Inc Awarded $8.2 Million Contract for Fitting and Alterations of Military Uniforms Contract, United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, Unseating an 86-Year Incumbent
Alexandria, VA., May 2010 - Tech Systems, Inc., was awarded the prestigious contract for the Fittings and Alterations of Military Uniforms for all recruits and military personnel at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), Parris Island, SC. The Company was awarded the contract following a competitive procurement process that included a number of other competitor businesses, including the incumbent contractor who performed these services aboard Parris Island since 1924.
In August of 2006, Tech Systems, Inc. began its partnership with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) when they were awarded a contract with the USMC's Weapons and Field Training Battalion (WFTBn) and in 2008 another contract with the USMC's School of Infantry (SOI), both at MCRD Camp Pendleton, CA. In February of 2010, Brigadier General Ronald Bailey, USMC, stated that Tech Systems, Inc. "facilitated the improvement of over 11,722 pieces of gear which saved the Battalion 1.4 million dollars in fabric repair costs. [Tech Systems Inc.] Efforts enabled the Recruits of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego to continue their rigorous field training without delay, and significantly contributed to our mission of making Marines."
Nancy Blethen, the Company's President and CEO, commented: "We look forward to working in partnership with the Marine Corps at Parris Island. It makes us very proud to know that our contract at Parris Island will be saving the Marine Corps several hundred thousand dollars a year." Anne-Parrette-Rohall, Vice President and General Counsel added: "Tech Systems, Inc. is proud to strengthen and expand its existing partnership with the United States Marine Corps. We value the opportunity to bring the Parris Island Tailor Shop operation the same dedication to the Corp's mission that we currently provide at our two contract sites at MCRD Camp Pendleton. We stand ready to serve the Marine Corps in its critical mission of "Making Marines" at Parris Island, SC."
Networking Opportunity
Articles:
Guarding the Crown Jewels
By Sid Jaffe, President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.
Firms spend a great deal of time, effort, and money winning major contracts. These major contracts, worked effectively, become the firm's 'crown jewels.' For the duration of the jewel contract, the focus of your firm is to provide outstanding services and solutions while maximizing the effort's value to all parties. You know the recompete of the contract is 'out there' and as such, there is usually a skeletal plan for winning.
Where many companies fall short is in timely executing the recompete strategy. There is a specific timeline and set of tasks that protect these crown jewel major opportunities, while you grow them and position to win the recompete. TECH Systems, Inc., discussed above, is a perfect example. They were able to unseat the incumbent, winning an $8.2 million dollar contract from an 86-year incumbent. Most likely because the incumbent fell short in their execution of the recompete.
To arrange for a time to visit with one of Advantage Consulting's "Jewelers" to discuss strategies for winning major re-competes, contact Sid Jaffe, sjaffe@acibiz.com at 703-642-5153.
Summertime, When The "Tweaking" Is Easy
By Bill Hamilton, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.
Summertime is a magical time of the year. In one respect it is a time of escape, vacations, and rejuvenation. It is also the time of year when people in our industry, and in the market we serve, think seriously about the rapidly approaching end of the fiscal year and its opportunities. It is also the time of year when forward-thinking companies consider ways they can hone the skills of their employees to prepare them for the business development battles to follow in the months of a new fiscal year.
The vacation season changes routines. People are not always available as they were before and are not always expected to be available. This is a prefect time to enhance professional development opportunities to better prepare staff for the fall season. People can benefit from exchanging ideas in professional workshops, enabling them to update skills. Other employees may want to expand their skills in business development and can do so more easily with a professional workshop experience.
Advantage Consulting offers professional workshops in many skill areas beginning with Business Development for Technical and Line Managers and Capture. We offer workshops in Proposal Management and technical Proposal Writing and in Project Management and Risk Mitigation. People new to the field will find our workshop in Basic Federal Contracting to be a good basis for their new career. Pricing analysts will learn new ideas in our Advanced Pricing workshop and your small business specialists will find the Small Business Programs workshop paints the whole picture of available opportunities. Finally anyone thrust into research will profit from skills learned in our Basic Market Research workshop.
Tweaking skills of your employees will benefit your company and your bottom line. The complete description of all our courses is found in our web site, www.acibiz.com. Don't write off the good old summer time to just vacations. Use it to build a better business development program for the fall. Any questions? Contact me at 703-642-5153 or contact me by e mail at bhamilton@acibiz.com and let's talk.
Proposal Tip: The Key Is Key Words
By J.P. Richard, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.
Make sure you know what the reviewers consider the key words in their RFP to be, and be certain you have used them properly. If all the key words show up in your headings and/or in action captions, you increase your chances of getting the attention your proposal deserves from the reviewers. Remember, most reviewers are "skimmers." A "skimmer" will grab each proposal and rapidly scan the text, the section titles, and the captions for key words. If they don't find those right away they lose interest fast and may decide on that basis to give your proposal only a cursory review if any at all. You want to get the harried reviewers' attention early.
To talk about how we can support your proposal efforts, contact J.P. Richard, jprichard@acibiz.com.
Proposal "So What's" That need an Answer
Sometimes we wax eloquent when writing a proposal and get carried away with broad statements that lead to unsubstantiated claims. If we can't completely answer the "So What?" question after a broad statement, you're losing sight of your purpose in writing the proposal in the first place. Here are some examples:
"We understand your needs" - You had better explain how that is reflected in your solution.
"We are committed to meeting your needs" - This doesn't mean a thing unless you show them how you are organizing to meet their needs or at least express their needs and your solution clearly.
"We bring 20 years of experience to the table" - Might be impressive to a historian, but you need to show how the experience demonstrates you will give them the best solution.
To learn more about how to write better proposals, sign up for ACI's Basic Federal Proposal Management and Proposal Writing works scheduled for August 18-19, 2010. J.P. Richard, jprichard@acibiz.com.
Fun Humor/Wisdom:
These insults are from an era when cleverness with words was still valued, before a great portion of the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words, not to mention waving middle fingers.
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