How to MARKET to HHS (AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES)

Teresa L.G. Lewis, DirectorOffice of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

http://www.youtube.com/user/HHSOSDBU

www.facebook.com/HHS

@HHSOSDBU

• The U.S. Government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially those who are least able to help themselves.

• HHS encourages the use of small businesses to achieve its mission.

Mission of Health and Human Services

300 PROGRAMSSome highlights include:

Health and social science researchPreventing disease, including immunization services

Assuring food and drug safetyMedicare and Medicaid

Health information technologyFinancial assistance and services for low-income families

Improving maternal and infant healthHead Start (pre-school education and services)

HHS Stats

Employees: Approx 85,000Grants: $400 Billion avgContracts: $19.5 Billion

10 OPERATING DIVISIONS

• OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

• BIOMEDICAL (ADVANCED)

• OTHER ADP & TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

• AUTOMATED INFORMATION SYSTEM SERVICES

• OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES

WHAT HHS BUYS

• HHS issues an average of more than 80,000 grant awards each year

• In FY2013, HHS made > 78,000 awards totaling $344 billion

• HHS awarded more than 4,000 grants to Small Business Organizations for a total of more than $1.7 billion

GRANTS

Who’s “eligible” to Search and FIND Grant

opportunities? EVERYONE!

• Government Organizations• Native American/ Tribal

Organizations• Non-Profit Organizations• Educational Organizations• Small Businesses

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES?

HHS GRANTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS

1. Planning2. Announcement3. Application Evaluation

Recipient and ScreeningIndependent / Objective ReviewBusiness Management EvaluationCost Analysis

4. Negotiation5. Award6. Post-Award Monitoring

Formal ActionsAudit ResolutionConflict Resolution

7. Closeout

Pre-

Awar

dPo

st-A

war

d

Pre-Award

• Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance (https://www.cfda.gov/)• Other Agency “Forecasting Tools” such as:

– HHS Grants Forecast (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/hhsgrantsforecast/)• System for Award Management/Central Contracting Registry (https://www.sam.gov/sam/)• Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/)

Post-Award• USASpending.gov (http://www.usaspending.gov/)• Other Agency “Transparency” systems such as:

– Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) (http://taggs.hhs.gov/)

ALL ALLOW PROSPECTIVE GRANTEES AND INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SEARCH BY KEY WORD

KEY GRANTS SYSTEMS

RESPONDING TO SOLICITATIONS

Read solicitation carefully Focus heavily upon the “Instructions to Offerors,” or its equivalent Identify:

– The contracting officer (CO) to whom responses and questions about the solicitation are to be sent

– Due date and time for responses– The method for response delivery (e-mail, agency mail room, etc.)– Location (the complete and accurate mailing address, if applicable) to

which responses are to be sent:• Agency Name• Correctly spelled name of the response recipient• Organizational Unit within the Agency – including organizational

code• Physical address (including, as applicable, building number, floor,

mail stop, street, city and zip code)

RECOMMENDED TECHNIQUES

Review the requirements document (Statement of Work, Performance Work Statement, etc.)– Identify all required deliverables, associated due dates,

place of delivery and recipient– Identify all places of performance (government site,

contractor site, etc.) and travel requirements, as applicable

– Note any level of effort or other information that states specific requirements that drive costs

– Unusual requirements

If numerical data is provided (for example, columns of labor hours required), perform a mathematical verification of the data, if applicable

Verify the accuracy of data such as the mileage of distances, as applicable

Note any information that seems to be lacking or that you deem necessary in order to provide an adequate response

Request missing information from the contracting officer immediately – note the time, date, location, method of delivery (generally, e-mail) and recipient for such requests

Submit questions, requests for information, etc., as quickly as possible, but no later than the due date so as to allow adequate time for the agency to respond

If the due date for questions has passed, submit them anyway – you may get the agency’s answer timely

Avoid including proprietary data or information that may disclose your technical approach

The agency will generally be required to provide your question and their answer to all prospective responders

They should eliminate proprietary information, but might not – be careful

Address all technical requirements Include a technical and business proposal, if directed by the

solicitation Provide a narrative regarding key business and technical assumptions

as deemed necessary by the circumstances If you don’t address a requirement, explain your reason for not

addressing Provide the appropriate level of pricing information to demonstrate

what your approach will cost the government Use a quality control process to ensure that all items are priced,

where needed, and to verify the mathematical accuracy of all numerical data that constitutes your price

PREPARING YOUR RESPONSE

Identify your technical and business points of contact, as well as other key individuals, including business partners or subcontractors– Include an “expiration date” for the validity of your

pricing and overall response– Ensure that an authorized organizational official’s

contact information is provided, and signs the responseAlways include a total or “bottom line” priceProvide assumptions for major technical and pricing issuesAlways observe page limitations, if any – the government

will not evaluate pages beyond the limitation

Do not include extraneous marketing material – include only documentation that supports your technical or business approach

Respond fully to requests for past performance information

Be sure to prepare and submit the required number of printed copies of your response

Deliver your response on time, to the correct location and to the correct recipient

BEST PRACTICES

BEST PRACTICESCertification

Cape Statement

VOS

Sources Sought

Strategic Partnering

Industry Days

Mentor- Protégé

Rules & Regs

Customer Needs

Business Cards

BEST PRACTICES

• 236220 Commercial and Institutional Building Construction• 238140 Masonry Contractors

• 492110 Couriers and Express Delivery Services• 511130 Book Publishers• 512230 Music Publishers• 541211 Offices of Certified Public Accountants• 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services• 541612 Human Resources Consulting Services• 541614 Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting

Services• 561210 Facilities Support Services• 561410 Document Preparation Services• 561720 Janitorial Services

• 722320 Caterers

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Consumer and Beneficiary Education and Outreach: $412 Million for

beneficiary education and outreach activities, including $335 million for

the National Medicare Education Program, $71 million for consumer support for the Marketplaces, and approximately $6 million for other

outreach.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Transition from Homelessness: $139 million for services for

individuals facing homelessness and suffering from substance

abuse or mental illness.

Budget in Brief

COMPANY OFFERS

TOP NAICS AGENCY #1

TOP NAICS AGENCY #2

TOP NAICS AGENCY #3

TOP NAICS AGENCY #4

112990Animal Production,All Other

HHS DOD DHS EPA

541990Technical Services, All Other

DOD HHS DOI USAID

541712R&D, Physical, Engineering and Life Sciences

DOD NASA HHS DOI

• One Page/PDF• Tailored for Audience• NAICS• Core Competencies• Past Performance• Value Proposition• Bullet Points• Spell Check• Remove Jargon• Visually Interesting

EFFECTIVE CAPABILITY STATEMENT

BUSINESS CARDS (front)

BUSINESS CARDS (back)

NETWORK

THE GATEKEEPERSVENDOR OUTREACH SESSIONS

INDUSTRY DAYSMENTOR-PROTEGE

STRATEGIC PARTNERING

• NIH Information and Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC)– Chief Information Officer Solutions and Partners (CIOSP-3)

• $20 Billion set-aside for small businesses• $20 Billion for small business to compete with other than

small• Streamlined ordering process for program officials

• GSA FSS and GWAC Contracts• NASA SEWP• DHS EAGLE

EXISTING CONTRACTS

KNOW THE RULES

Statutory Lawhttp://thomas.loc.gov

Small Business Act (Public Law 85-536, as amended)http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/tool_serv_sbact.pdf

1. LEGISLATIVE GUIDANCE

2. REGULATORY GUIDANCETitle 13 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (13 CFR)

Section 121 – SB Size Regulations Section 124 – 8(a) BD/SDB Programs Section 125 – Subcontracting – Limitations on Subcontracting – SDVOSB Program Section 126 – HUBZone Program Section 127 – WOSB Program Section 134 – Appeal Procedures http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov

3. RECENT GUIDANCE Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 National Defense Authorization Act of 2013

Do Your Homework

Customer Needs• Performance

Requirements Large Businesses Small Businesses

• Problem Solution

• Innovation• Proven Experience• Strong Financial Position• Go Green

KNOW THE ORGANIZATION’S POINTS

OF CONTACT

BE PREPARED WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS!

SMALL BUSINESS ARE THE

OF THE ECONOMY

OSDBU CONTACT

200 Independence Avenue, SWRoom 537

Washington, DC 20201

Website: www.hhs.gov/smallbusiness Phone: 202.690.7300

Email: sbmail@hhs.gov