MYTH BUSTING
Government should hold vendor days 45 days before the release of a request for proposal (RFP), she said. “Don’t cut that time short, because they need time to react, and you need time to react to what they say.
“Honestly, industry—especially in the
area of services—they’re the experts, and they are happy to share with you to make a better procurement, to help you get bet- ter value for the taxpayers’ dollars. We are all taxpayers, so we are in this together,” she said.
Giving industry just a few days to respond to an RFP is OK if you’ve been talking with them for a while.
“No, no, no,” Newhart said. “The feed- back that we get back is that we need time. And don’t put out your RFP on a holiday weekend. Give industry the time it needs, especially if you’re secure about getting a good proposal.” Otherwise, you risk cre- ating “the appearance that you don’t want competition, even if maybe you do but your timeline is a little off.”
Conducting discussions and negotiations after the RFP takes too much time.
“You have to do this upfront planning,” Newhart said. “The key is when you get your integrated product team together and develop your milestone schedule, you don’t want to surprise anyone.” The result is a better acquisition outcome, she said.
“Understand your customer … go to their staff meetings, take them out for a cup of coffee,” Newhart said. “Just have these partnering meetings, when you will learn so much.”
Government contracting personnel can’t meet one-on-one with a potential offerer. Newhart stated that the FAR specifi cally allows one-on-one meetings, but that it’s
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GIVE INDUSTRY THE TIME IT NEEDS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE SECURE ABOUT GETTING A GOOD PROPOSAL.
important to keep in mind exactly where you are in the acquisition process. Meet- ings aren’t allowed after issuing an RFP, but before release they are considered a perfectly legitimate way to fi nd out how industry views a problem.
Newhart refuted the idea that meeting one-on-one with a vendor gives the com- pany a competitive advantage. “It’s okay to meet one-on-one with vendors. We encourage it,” she said. “It’s mostly trying to get information on what’s out there, industry, what’s the latest solution? … It’s very, very helpful information as you build your requirements.”
If the government meets with a ven- dor, that may lead to an unsolicited proposal that will delay the entire procurement.
“It’s not going to happen, because that puts [the proposal] in a separate ‘bucket,’ a different process,” she said.
A protest is something to be avoided at all costs, and it’s necessary to limit conversations with industry to help avoid one. In fact, Newhart said, restricting commu- nication just might increase the chance of a protest. If the procurement process is not open, a company may protest out of a lack of understanding and may well make up information. “The OFPP lawyers really encourage more communication
”
with vendors. So if you’re nervous about this one, talk to your lawyers. They are your friends.”
When the government awards a con- tract under the federal schedule, a debriefing is not needed. Newhart said government should debrief at every opportunity; she pointed out that a lot of agencies are now debriefi ng the winning offerors. “It puts everyone on the same page; they want to do better next time. There’s always a way they can improve, and they want to know what that is so they can be more competitive.”
For more information, contact Newhart at
jnewhart@omb.eop.gov 202-395-4821. or
MICHAEL P. TRUMAN provides contract- ing support to the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center through SAIC. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of North Florida and has attended the M.F.A. Program at George Mason University. He has worked in various communication capacities at the Missile Defense Agency; the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Test Resource Management Center; the Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation; and the Business Transforma- tion Agency.
Army AL&T Magazine
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