TArticles tagged with: Lohfeld Consulting Group

Lessons Learned in Strength-Based Winning® from GAO’s Protest Docket

Part 3 – Here’s a summary of three cases from GAO’s January 2023 Protest Docket

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) Protest Docket is one of the best sources of information to learn how the government grades best value competitions. The Docket explains the proposal requirements, how the government graded the proposal, and their justification for the score. Here’s a summary of three cases from GAO’s January 2023 Protest Docket with lessons you can use to improve your proposal scores. Our summary deletes references to the solicitation name, protester, and winners(s) to focus on key messages from GAO’s findings. Agency: Department of the Army (January 18, 2023) The score: The contract winner (a challenger) received an overall rating of outstanding with an evaluated price of $26,004,308, whereas the protester (the incumbent) received an overall rating of good with an evaluated price of $22,769,372. The agency found both offerors’ prices to be fair and reasonable. Winner’s score: The agency assigned the winner two strengths and no weaknesses … Continue reading Lessons Learned in Strength-Based Winning® from GAO’s Protest Docket →

Service Catalogs – What are they and why are they important to proposals?

Every prime contractor should create a Service Catalog of the products and services they offer

Have you ever been to a restaurant and they don’t have a menu of what they offer? Every prime contractor who does business with the Federal Government should create a Service Catalog of the products and services they offer. Contractors should develop both an internal and a customer-facing catalog. What is a Service Catalog? A service catalog is a register of customer-facing business/customer offerings—a complete list of all IT services and products, including those currently in use, those in development, and services and products that have been retired. ITIL defines a service catalog as a centralized database of accurate information about active IT service offerings and a subset of the IT service provider’s service portfolio. The IT service catalog was first introduced as part of ITIL best practices guidelines for IT service management (ITSM). The catalog is a single-source database that typically contains the service name, service category (hardware, software, … Continue reading Service Catalogs – What are they and why are they important to proposals? →

Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs)

The CPAR captures current information on contractor performance

Remember when you were in school, and you received report cards? When companies contract with the Federal Government, they receive a report card called a Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPAR). What is a CPAR? A CPAR assesses a contractor’s performance and provides a record, both positive and negative, about a contract during a specific time period. Each assessment is based on objective facts (metrics) and supported by program and contract management data. The CPAR captures current information on contractor performance that is then made available for use in source selections. Why is this important for proposal development? It is very important to understand that this information supports best value source selection decisions to reward proven performers and to motivate contractors to perform. A CPAR provides documentation of a contractor’s ability to provide quality, on-time products and services that conform to contractual requirements and responsibility. The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) … Continue reading Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs) →

Alliant 3 Award Criteria

The conversation about the Alliant 3 award criteria is not over

Alliant 3 comments were submitted to GSA on Jan 31, 2023, but the conversation about the Alliant 3 award criteria is not over. We believe some government agencies are pushing back on GSA’s plan to limit the number of awards to the 60 highest-scoring offerors. These agencies argue that if they are going to be directed to use Best in Class (BIC) contract vehicles like Alliant 3, then GSA needs to give them a vehicle that provides access to more companies, including those currently providing their IT support. This access must include the mid-tier firms that are being largely excluded under the planned award criteria. Agencies want a BIC vehicle that gives them broader access to firms, especially those firms currently providing support, and does not limit their choice to only the 60 biggest firms in the market. They are asking for the number of awards to be uncapped and … Continue reading Alliant 3 Award Criteria →