WELCOME MARKETING TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BUYERS

Transcription

1 WELCOME MARKETING TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BUYERS The webinar will begin momentarily Sept 14, 2016 with Traci Hansen PTAC Outreach Coordinator

2 Have a question? Type it in the chat box OR Raise your hand to be unmuted to ask the experts

3 Today s Objectives Overview of WA PTAC Capability Statements Sources Sought Notices Dynamic Small Business Search Next Steps Q & A

4 What s a PTAC

5 Why use a PTAC? The Procurement Technical Assistance Center assists Washington State businesses to FIND, BID, & WIN federal, state, and local governments. Finding opportunities to bid Interpreting solicitations and regulations Certifications & registrations Marketing to government buyers Native PTAC for Native/Tribal/ANCs and much more We provide these services through: Workshops One-on-one Counseling Sessions Matchmaking events Optional Bid Match service (fee-for service)

6 Where s My PTAC? Washington PTAC Locations Native/Tribally owned? Native PTAC: WA, OR, ID, MT info@nativeptac.org Outside Washington State? Association of PTACs:

7 Creating Your Capability Statement

8 What is a Capability Statement? Marketing tool Resume for your business Concise overview of qualifications & experience Used to compare you with other vendors Clearly shows why you are a fit for the customer Demonstrates your distinctive competencies Provides essential info to customers & partners

9 What Else Can a CS Do? Information can be valuable when used in brochures, websites, and other promotional literature. When you add information about awards, certifications, and clients, the Capabilities Statement can: - Create a sense of trust - Show maturity of your business - Demonstrate capabilities

10 Attributes of a Strong CS Professional Appearance - Customer s first impression - Company logos & color reinforce branding Succinct - Focus on strengths & core capabilities - Easy to quickly scan (1-2 pages) - Bullets/short sentences/tables - Watch use of acronyms & industry jargon Tailored - Modify for specific opportunities or audiences - Include additional info for government buyers - Continuously Update!

11 Essential Elements Corporate Contact Info DUNS #, CAGE code, NAICS Codes Geographical Coverage Areas of Expertise/Core Competencies Differentiators/Unique capabilities or resources Past Performance or Customers Key personnel experience

12 Essential Elements - continued Industry licenses/certifications or quality assurance certs Security Clearances Bonding level (Construction) Small Business Certs (HUBZone, SDB, 8(a), SDVOB, DBE, etc.) Acquisition vehicles ways they can buy from you GSA Schedule, DOD emall Government credit cards

13 Optional Elements Nice to have Business Background/History: Be brief! Special Accreditations or Awards Customer Testimonials Contact info for customers willing to be references Photographs

14 Federal v. State CAGE NAICS Duns Federal CS FED certs: WOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone, etc State CS Commodity Codes UBI WEBS registration STATE certs: WBE, MBE, VBE, DBE, etc Keep your language relevant to your customer!!

15 Other Examples of Capability Statements Fact sheets Printed Brochures Glossy card stock or your own stationary Prescribed by solicitation vs. company generated marketing material attachments (PDF) Website pages

16 Putting Your CS To Work! Use as follow-up after phone calls, appointments, etc. Use as a take-away with your elevator speech. Distribute to buyers/potential customers Small Business Utilization Officers, End Users, Primes, etc. Include in proposals Website and PDF Tradeshows, meetings, & events

17 Always Keep Your CS Current Once you have a Capability Statement (whether online, hardcopy, or both), make enough copies that you can readily distribute it. Update regularly to include current products, services, customers/references, and other corporate information.

18 Sample Capability Statements

19 We utilize GIS technology and we create tremendous value with it but our technology is not built for the GIS specialist. ABC builds software for everyone. Our 'Distributed, Cascading, Knowledge Model' is applied common sense. We integrate data and software and get the combination in front of a wide audience for the purpose of decision making. Example Not So Good ABC Geographers, Inc. is a geographic knowledge company. We offer both an out-of-the-box GIS solution for non specialists and we provide customized solutions to facilitate effective location-based decision-making. We understand how geography when easily shared and integrated with visualization and analytical tools - can be a powerful mechanism to enable all levels of decision makers and project managers, whether they are in senior positions or distributed throughout an entire organization. Our products and services integrate location and time-dependent information (e.g., sales, farmer location, weather data, risk models) with an organization s own data. This integration creates an innovative spatial/temporal decision support system for institutions and businesses working in agriculture, agribusiness, food security, natural resource management, and economic development. The success of business and development initiatives depends on information. The quality of decisions determines impact. Both location and timeliness are critical to advisors, growers, distributors, field trial, production, food security logistics, watershed engineers, foresters, fire prediction, etc. and most especially for those in policy and regulatory affairs. ABC s know-how and vision combine to deliver a comprehensive suite of technology that is both spatially explicit and temporally acute. This know-how ensures more efficient and more effective decisions across the information chain. What ABC Geographers, Inc. is: We build Spatial/Temporal Information Systems (STIS) fully customizable to our client's needs and specifications. We are a knowledge company specializing in solutions for agriculture, agribusiness, natural resource management, and international development. Our off-the-shelf solution, AWhere, is rapidly becoming the standard GIS solution for non-specialists. Our clients include agri-businesses, crop insurance, international development organizations, education, politics and lobbying. We are a knowledge company - we bring experience and insight - and value - on 'why' knowing 'where' the focal point is and then 'what' to do 'when' and for 'whom'. This is the value return to our insight and innovation - our products can connect biology (field trials, production information etc. to real-time conditions and thus 'biological' outcome estimates and predictions) to 'customers' that include growers, scientists, commodity traders, food security/relief experts and politicians and policy makers. Connecting to real customer resource management (CRM) increases decisiveness (knowing where, when and who), makes efficiencies (freeing precious time), and increases effectiveness (doing things and seeing patterns and trends that you could not see before) all of which directly influence the bottom line impact of decisions - and investments. We deliver knowledge solutions through spatial and temporally specific technology.

20 Good Examples

21 Good Example

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23 Sources Sought

24 What is a Sources Sought Notice? Market Research conducted by government to determine the capabilities and interests of the marketplace. Is NOT an actual bid or proposal solicitation No contract will be awarded Follow specific instructions, if none given, provide capability statement Watch for solicitation!

25 Sources Sought Notice Response Carefully read the notice Mirror the language Follow format provided, pull information from capability statement Watch for the solicitation on

26 Your SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) Profile

27 Why is Your DSBS Important? When I m looking for small businesses for an RFQ, I rarely call the ones that don t take time to complete their SBA Profile. ~ ACOE Small Business Deputy

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29 Access and update your DSBS profile through your SAM registration.

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32 Name: Contract: Start: End: Value: Contact: Phone:

33 Next Steps

34 Small Business Specialists Find small Business Specialists Do your market research - be as knowledgeable as possible Communicate your firm s value proposition: How can you solve the agency s problems? What unique solutions have you provided to other customers? Can you help that agency or prime meet their small business goals? Be patient and nice Use your interactions as an opportunity to learn Don t ask them for a contract!

35 Start Networking! Attend events Get involved with industry associations Register with prime contractors, attend their outreach events and other events they attend Attend pre-bid conferences and site visits Talk to your friends!

36 Events with Buyers/OSDBU Meet Manson, Tacoma, Sept 21 Washington State, Kennewick, Sept 27 Army Corps, Walla Walla, Oct 13 Navy, Spokane, Oct 14 Bridging Partnerships, Pasco, Oct 18 & 19 North Puget Sound SBS, Everett, Nov 2 NAVFAC, Seattle, Nov 17 Alliance Northwest, Puyallup, March 9

37 Sources and Citations TargetGov, Helping You See What the Government Buys Small Business Administration, Marketing to Federal Agencies and Prime Contractors Hamel & Prasad, Competing for the Future Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel, Strategy Safari Shirleen Glasin, ProSidian Consulting, Building a Capability Statement Maine Small Business Development, Capability Statement, A Resume of Your Business Gloria Berthold, How to Write a Powerful Capabilities Statement SmallBiz Central, Purpose of Capability Statement

38 Questions, Comments, Discussion? Traci Hansen Contact Your PTAC Washington PTAC Locations Native/Tribally owned? Native PTAC: WA, OR, ID, MT Outside Washington State? Association of PTACs: