The SUPER Small Business Task Orders

In FY18, 20 Super Small Business Tasks Orders (TOs) with combined ceiling values of more than $1.3 billion and spending to date of more than $1.2 billion will exceed their ultimate expiration date and become eligible for competition (see Exhibit 1). We define a Super Small Business TO as an individual TO awarded under the umbrella of an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) or Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). We required that the IDIQ or GWAC contain a selected pool of contractors who compete on request for TO proposals. We ensured all TOs had a distinct primary contract vehicle number and TO contract number and that all TOs were set aside for small business.

To find the Top 20 Small Business TOs, we looked for TOs with an ultimate expiration date of no later than September 30, 2018 and whose primary requirement and NAICS code was for either information technology (IT) or professional services. We focused on TOs representing the fields of IT, facilities, engineering, management, and research and development (R&D). We eliminated software licenses or productions, architecture, construction, physical security, aircraft manufacturing, and munitions.

Exhibit 1: Top 20 Small Business Task Orders for Fiscal Year 2018 (click here for downloadable pdf file)

Winning Super Small Business TOs requires outstanding corporate resources and experience, and mature organizational processes. Many of the small business listed in Exhibit 1 have corporate certifications that include:

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
• Product vendor certifications

They also have partnerships with other companies to support reach-back requirements. For example, to win TO #2, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Application Development and Support Services Contract, Vistronix subcontracted with companies including Azimuth Business Solutions, Business Enterprises & Systems Technology, Carahsoft Technology Corporation, and HP.

On average the Small Business TOs had an average 7.5 bidders, which is larger than the Super IT and Professional Services TOs discussed in earlier blogs (those only averaged 4 bidders). The highest number of bidders was 37 for TO #19, Fort Riley Logistics Readiness Center – Logistics Support Services.

Some IDIQs or GWACs in Exhibit 1 support a larger number of TOs. Eight (or 40%) of TOs came from Alliant Small Business and 4 (or 20%) came from CIO-SP3 SB. In 2016, Alliant Small Business awarded $1.2 billion of contracts and CIO-SP3 SB awarded more than $1 billion of contracts.

Jump start your capture process by getting a copy of the original TO request for proposal (RFP) by retrieving it from the IDIQ or GWAC database, and collect other useful documents available on government websites, such as strategic plans, organization charts, and agency reports. The bids listed in Exhibit 1 come from data collected in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), which describes actions taken after the government awards TOs.

This concludes our three-part series that looked at the Super IT and Super Professional TOs of Fiscal Year 2018. If you have any questions about any of the TOs that we covered, please contact Lohfeld Consulting Group.

by Brenda Crist, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

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Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Go-to-Market Strategy, Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $135B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.