NextGen Bidders: Attend Expert Attorney Small Business Participation Plan Teleseminar

COLLINSWOOD, N.J. -- The Fed Cetera Network, a business development organization under 48 CFR 52.219-9, is pleased to offer U.S. Department of Education (ED) NextGen bidders the opportunity to join a one-hour teleseminar featuring nationally-recognized expert attorney and Fox Rothschild Partner Nicholas Solosky, Esq., on the small business participation provisions of ED solicitation 91003119R0008 (Business Process Operations or “BPO”). 

The teleseminar will take place Friday, January 24, 2020, at 11:30 EST. NextGen bidders looking to avoid common mistakes seen in other recent Federal bids can register here.

Earlier this week, Amendment 8 of the BPO solicitation upped the ante even further on small business subcontracting, raising the goal to 47% (of Total Contract Value). This increase of fifteen percentage points represents over $100 million in additional, required small business spending during the first five years of the contract and forces bidders to consider adding more companies to their subcontracting plans for this crucial evaluation criteria, which unofficially acts as a tiebreaker where the other two evaluation criteria are scored equally among bidders.

The content of the call will cover:

• The difference between a subcontracting plan and a small business participation plan
• Common mistakes bidders make within the two documents
• A quick overview on FAR 52.219 (d)(1) and 43 U.S.C. 1626, both referenced in Amendment 8
• The distinction between expressing goals as a percentage of total contract dollars or as a percentage of subcontracted dollars
• What questions to ask and what size standard should be used in validating a prospective subcontractor’s size depending on the work the bidder proposes for the subcontractor and the corresponding NAICS code(s)
• What questions to ask in validating a prospective subcontractor’s status (SDB, HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB)
• The art of taking your commitments far enough to succeed in the bid process while retaining flexibility in future subcontracting decisions during contract implementation 
• Sources of subcontractors to name in your proposal

With a new due date looming, there is no better time for NextGen bidders to make sure they have a full understanding of these crucial topics to avoid disqualification over small business participation issues at a time when ED’s focus on this has never been greater. 

Last June, Fed Cetera held a similar teleseminar, which was well attended by bidders.

The discussion will be hosted by Nick Bernardo and Leah Wilson Conger of Fed Cetera, who manage the Fed Cetera Network’s relationships with dozens of small businesses of all statuses available to be named in NextGen bid submissions.

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About Fed Cetera

Fed Cetera is a “business development organization” under 48 CFR 52.219-9 that firms contact when subcontracting opportunities are available in order to be fully compliant with Federal regulations requiring outreach to various sources of potential subcontractors.  The company maintains a source list of qualified small collection firms, regularly markets to the Federal contracting community, and provides advisory services around business development and compliance to firms operating in the Federal market place.