Responding to a Government Solicitation - Research Paper Example

?Running head: RESPONDING TO A GOVERNMENT SOLICITATION Responding To a Government Solicitation Insert Insert Grade Insert November 10, 2011 Responding To a Government Solicitation 1. Introduction Our main business is conducting researches on behalf of organizations, departments, or agencies to generate appropriate reports that can be used to improve the operations at the organizations or solve some emerging issue in the organization. We work for a range of clients including the environmental management agencies, the institutions of high learning, research institutes, as well as other organizations in the industrial sector. 2. The selected business opportunity The business opportunity that has been selected concerns an environmental management initiative aimed at promoting aquatic through regulating the levels of oil in seawater following oil spills. The oil spills in the Deepwater Horizon occurs in a short period that requires quick response mechanism. However, there are no appropriate detective mechanisms available to provide a timely reaction to the situation before a disaster is encountered. The opportunity is entitled “Detection of Oil within the Water Column.” The solicitation number for this business opportunity is HSCG32-12-R-R00005 and the concerned federal agency is the Department of Homeland Security. The opportunity arises following the technological deficiency that has been witnessed in managing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the Mexican Gulf. Thus, the office associated with this opportunity is the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The project is to be carried out at the base of the contracting office, which is the USCG research and development center. More information about the contract is available at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/USCG/USCGRDC/HSCG32-12-R-R00005/listing.html 3. The decision-making process on whether to bid or not Before making a decision to bid for this contract, it is necessary to perform a number of opportunity and risk assessments, evaluations and analyses. Companies that do not apply blind-bid approach often have high bid-win rates and high capture rates (Garrette, 2007, p.20). Obviously, the first step involves an examination of the job description. The tasks and responsibilities defined in the contract should be evaluated against the competencies of the contracting firm and the proposal team. There is need to consider the penalties imposed by the contracting office for nonperformance by the contractor (Garrette, 2007, p.24). The firm must ascertain that it has the relevant expertise as well as other resources necessary to accomplish the assignment. The other consideration is the cost constraint imposed on the contract. The contract notices are often issued with the financial budget that the bidders should not exceed in the budget plan. The firm has to evaluate the given budget in relation to the requirements and description of the task. This can also be compared to other projects or programs previously contracted by the firm. It is also appropriate to consider the time limit given for the project. Again, the firm has to evaluate the duration in relation to its capability and nature of the assignment (Garrette, 2007, p.24). We have to examine if the allocated time is practical and there is the potential to complete the task as required. Having considered all the above, we have to perform an overall comparison between this opportunity and the other opportunity (opportunities) that may be available at this particular time. There may be better opportunities that the firm can utilize than this one. This comparative analysis should encompass the above-stated considerations. 4. Areas of expertise to be represented in the proposal team The hiring officers often consider the expertise and professional qualifications of the leading members of the proposal team, and this can provide a basis for disqualification. The qualifications that are particularly relevant to the assignment attract the attention of the clients. According to the nature of this assignment, there is dire need for proper knowledge in analytical and applied chemistry, principles of experimental designs, qualitative and quantitative data collection and management procedures, mathematical and statistical analyses, as well as excellent report writing skills. Much of the skills are available among the proposal team. An important professional qualification to be included is the team member with advanced degree in analytical chemistry with over twenty years of experience in carrying out laboratory and field researches in various sectors. There is also a team member with qualification in research methods with a major on statistical experimental design. Another important qualification to be included is an advanced degree in aquatic life sciences. Most, if not all, of the team members are conversant with different computer packages for statistical analysis. 5. Steps in the preparation of the proposal The team leader has the overall responsibility of the management and leadership of the organization. There is also the financial manager, the team facilitator/coordinator, program manager, and communications specialist. Some of these individuals have responsibilities more pronounced during the execution of the task. The team manager will be concerned with the overall leadership and management of the team. The first step in developing the proposal is problem definition and description. This involves an identification of the specific tasks involved in the assignment and proves to the agency that the team has a thorough understanding of this field of application. Then there is a description and evaluation of the proposal team’s competence. This involves a description of the expertise and professional qualifications and experience in the team members that are an asset for the task. This includes an attachment of a copy of registration document. The document provides a profile of the business, the services it offers, as well as how it is unique in the business (Einmo, 2009, p.3). The section will also describe the other resources in the firm that are appropriate for the assignment. This section asserts our suitability to the contract. The next step entails estimation of the budget and time duration within which the task may be accomplished. The budgeting and future accounting are carried out by the financial manager in the team. The contract notice often indicates the cost beyond which a bid may not be accepted. There is also the duration stated within which the task should be accomplished. The proposal should entail these details in line with the contract requirement. Before submission, the team should also brainstorm on certain aspects of the contract that need clarification by the contracting office before successful recruitment. The questions and inquiries should accompany the proposal. The last step is the submission of the proposal. 6. Some important questions To accompany the proposal should be a set of questions or more inquiries about the contract and the contracting agency. Firstly, changes are likely to be encountered when the program is underway. Research and Development contracts often experience changes in program requirements and unrealistic cost/time estimates (Kleine, 2003, p.6). How will the contracting office respond to changes that may reflect in the budget and time allocated for the assignment? Secondly, it is important to inquire if the successful contractor will work independently on the project or there will be collaboration with the USCG Research and Development Center. Since the procurement is the first step in a series of initiatives aimed at mitigating oil in the water column in different conditions, will the agency provide us with an upper hand for the next procurement or request proposal? 7. An Important asset The most important assert in our company is the team composition. Our team comprises individuals of exceptional expertise in different fields that is appropriate for a solid delivery of services to these diverse clients. There are individuals in the firm with academic background and professional experience in chemical engineering, analytical chemistry, environmental science, and principles of experimental design. The professionals have extensive knowledge of different computer application packages for the collation, management, and statistical analysis of the data collected from the scientifically designed experiments to draw meaningful report for the different clients. References Einmo, D. (2009). 5 Basic Steps to bidding on a Government Contract. Einmo Marketing Services LLC. Retrieved from http://www.dontbid.com/uploads/2009/10/5%20Basic%20Steps%20to%20bidding%20on%20a%20Government%20Contract.pdf. Garrette, G. (2007). Bid/No-Bid Decision-Making: Tools and Techniques. Contract Management. Retrieved from http://www.ncmahq.org/files/Articles/DB13A_CM0407_F02.pdf. Kleine, M. (2003). Writing a Winning Proposal: Tips, Traps and Techniques. Retrieved from http://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/boo/HighTechWorkshop3_4_03Kleine.pdf Read More