Month: August 2020

Dee Kivett: Queen of Quality Control and Certifications

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Experienced quality consultant and supply chain company CEO, Dee Kivett, shares advice for small businesses and the importance of providing quality control when working with the government.

BACKGROUND

Dee Kivett grew up with her father and his four brothers being part of the famous Wood Brothers, the longest running race team in the NASCAR Cup series.

This may be one of the reasons why she pursued a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and further developed her background through her MBA and master’s degree in Engineering Science and a doctorate degree in Automotive Engineering. 

She also had an in-depth background in terms of quality control through her experience in working as a quality consultant and manager with various companies including Universal Supply & Services, General Motors, and General Electronics.

Currently, Dee Kivett is the President & CEO of NextGen Supply Chain Integrators, a company providing a full range of sourcing and consulting solutions following the highest quality standards for the government, the defense, and commercial clients. 

She is also an adjunct professor at Clemson University wherein she teaches design and manufacturing project management for the automotive industry.

QUALITY CONTROL AND CERTIFICATIONS

In providing services to agencies and private clients, Kivett knew that the process of quality control is complex.

“Its traceability to every detail about its fabrication are quite critical to ensure that those who will use those parts and components in the assembly of something as critical as an aircraft, they have the assurances that they have full traceability on every part and component that goes into it.”

It is more than just getting an ISO 9001 certification because in terms of automotive and technical machineries where safety is a major concern, there are a lot of prescriptive instructions that companies need to accomplish and all of these should be kept. 

“There’s no room for error when a human life is concerned.”

Kivett also encouraged her clients to be certified to the IT standard and any other standards that need to be followed in working with both the government and the commercial marketplace. Then, this standard should strongly be applied from the top tier all the way down.

“Different manufacturers based on the risk of what’s being incorporated into their assemblies will roll those requirements down to lower and lower levels within the supply chain.”

ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES

Kivette believed that business should walk before you run. Don’t just go down and dive in the marketplace especially if it’s a critical one like the aerospace and medical device industry. 

“Refine your craft on something with less critical requirements, get your processes in place, be confident with the way you’re managing your business, and then grow into those industries where the requirements are more strict.”

It’s just like teaching your children driving. You don’t let them drive a Lamborghini if they don’t even know how to drive. Start with small steps first just like teaching them how to drive using a cheaper automobile that won’t cause you too much trouble and loss.  

“The same falls true for a manufacturer. Get started, build your capabilities, your strengths, your abilities, get your quality management system developed around the basics before you try to enter into a business where safety is a critical part.”

Then, she also encouraged businesses to think beyond the federal marketplace. There is a wide variety of clients that you can work with. So, start with those marketplace that you already have an in-depth knowledge of its consumers. 

“Do we want to be the 75 cent bolt or do you want to be the $250 bolt in your life? It’s all about the amount of detail and time and care that you put into the work that you do and how you can present yourself. So they’ve got the same amount of raw material in each one. Same amount of actual physical processing of work went into each one. But that attention to detail is what differentiates the 75 cent bolt from the $253 bolt.”

RESOURCES

If you want to watch the full video of the interview with Dee Kivett as she shares her advice for small businesses and the importance of providing quality control when working with the government.

015: Dee Kivett – Queen of Quality, CEO/President of Next Gen Supply Chain Integrators

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/podcast/dee-kivett-queen-of-quality-ceo-president-of-next-gen-supply-chain-integrators/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wJj5Ywz0wo&list=PL6-jBNNcc98vTBvNhFYfUTeH0k-Vx2VBH&index=8

CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY: Commercial Trailer Repair Service

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The Texas National Guard has a requirement for inspections, service and repair of commercial trailers. This sources sought is to determine the availability of vendors in the Austin, TX area that can support this requirement. If you can support this requirement, please send response to email: [email protected] with subject line “Commercial Trailer Repair”. Provide company name, cage code, business size and location.

Classification

  • Product Service Code: J023 – MAINT/REPAIR/REBUILD OF EQUIPMENT- GROUND EFFECT VEHICLES, MOTOR VEHICLES, TRAILERS, AND CYCLES
  • NAICS Code: 81111 – Automotive Mechanical and Electrical Repair and Maintenance
  • Place of Performance: Austin , TX 78703, USA

 

Responses are due by 10:00 am CDT Aug 13, 2020

Archer Western Construction Awarded Contract For The Construction of Hurricane Florence Recovery Package 4 Bridges

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Archer Western Construction, Tampa, Florida, is awarded an $117,995,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of Hurricane Florence Recovery Package 4, Bridges, located in Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This contract provides replacements for bridges damaged during Hurricane Florence. The construction is divided into two separate projects encompassing a movable bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway, the White Oak River and Queens Creek Trestles.

Work is expected to be completed by March 2025.

Fiscal 2019 military construction (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $117,995,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, and six proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-20-C-8505).

Shaun Hartman: Region 4 GSA Customer Service Director

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Regional Customer Service Director of the General Services Administration (GSA)  Shaun Hartman shares important information that vendors need in working with the GSA!

BACKGROUND

Shaun Hartman had previously worked in the United States Air Force for 12 years. He started as a firefighter and then transitioned to the acquisitions as a Defense Industry Consultant to being the Regional Program Manager until 2016.

Currently, he is a Combat Rescue or Medical Logistics Contract Manager of the US Air Force Reserves as well as the Region 4 Customer Service Director of the General Services Administration.

He is stationed at the base of Patrick Air Force and he’s responsible for the purchasing and making sure that they are providing solutions and support by linking the customers and vendors as a liaison. 

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GSA

The General Services Administration is a US independent agency that was established to provide contracting options for government agencies. 

So, before making a contract public through FedBizOpps or calling a vendor directly, the government entities are required to look for GSA solutions first. 

“Federal acquisition service essentially is all the purchasing for the government. There’s about $30 billion a year a little bit more. I think it’s 34 billion to be more specific in the last year that is purchased through GSA schedules that as a vendor, you will never see those solicitations for any of those dollars unless on a GSA schedule.”

GSA’S SOLICITATION PROCESS

When you work with the GSA, the agency will primarily get you on a schedule or the contract agreement used to check the capabilities of the vendors for the customers that they support.

The process is pretty strict and the agency will do various checks and balances on all of the vendors before you get approved.

When you get accepted, you will then need to provide a price proposal template to list all of your items with the most favorable price that you could offer.

Remember that you must list everything because the items that were authorized are the only things that you can sell on the GSA. 

“So make sure if you have peripheral items for something, add those peripheral items well so that you can have future sales. You know, we run into a lot of times people will buy something and it has accessories. Well, those accessories aren’t listed on their schedule. They can’t sell them under GSA schedules.”

In doing this, you strongly need to make sure that you are hooking your customers with your discounts and offers through following the commercial sales practice matrix. The idea is that you will provide your customers with a huge discount that they can’t get from other vendors. 

If you are also providing services, then you need to understand how the sample labor category matrix works. In this case, you must provide a detailed description of your services and the people who will provide it together with other important documents. 

“Like when they do process changes or implement new standard operating procedures… those all create the need for more people. And those people tend to be HR, finance, acquisitions, engineers, you know, program managers, project managers, those types of people. So if you’re a professional services company, being on a GSA schedule definitely has its perks.”

Then, after you submit an offer, when the government agency looks into it and finds that you have all the requirements needed, they will further look for your background and do a responsibility check to confirm if your documents are accurate.

If you have a document missing, they typically email you regarding it and see if you can send it or not. Also, if they found you credible but they didn’t agree to your pricing, they will negotiate with you and it will go back and forth until you both agree. 

ADVICE IN USING GSA’S EBUY

GSA’s eBuy is essentially where all of the solicitations are stored but unlike the SAM database where solicitations are made public, only qualified GSA buyers and vendors can take advantage of these solicitations. 

As long as you register and provide the necessary requirements as a vendor, you can freely navigate this website. You can narrow down your searches depending on your search requirements. You can also use this to research about your competition and look at their products’ rates. 

Then, because most customers on this website are government agencies, they mainly use this to look for businesses like yours. 

“So that customers who have requirements to buy from different categories because every DOD agency has a requirement for each of those socioeconomic categories that they have to meet. They can go on here and pick vendors that meet those criteria in order to purchase from them. So it’s a, it’s definitely a good way to advertise yourself.”

RESOURCES

If you want to watch the full video of the interview with Shaun Hartman as he shares important information that vendors need in working with the GSA, then be sure to click the link down below.

041: Shaun Hartman – Region 4 GSA Customer Service Director

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/podcast/shaun-hartman-region-4-gsa-customer-service-director/

GSA Regional 4 Customer Service Director Shaun Hartman talks with Eric Coffie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9z2GPGRb6o&t=2005s

GSA Follows Various Steps to Check Qualified Vendors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepZKuS7FRk

064: Rick Grams II – Building and Growing Multiple Successful ANC and Tribal 8a firms

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Rick Grams is the Vice President of Miami Technology Solutions (an SBA certified Tribally owned 8(a) company. For 21 years, Rick has been working with American Indian and Alaska Native companies in the Federal contracting market. After spending a decade serving in the US Navy, Rick tailored his service experiences to specifically focus on revenue generating activities for this unique area of the Federal contracting market.

Rick’s talents and experience have landed him various roles which include General Manager, Director of Operations, Executive Director, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. His primary focus areas seek to ensure an operating structure that is efficient, generates profitable revenue, and transparent along the way.

During his time in Alaska, Rick has contributed volunteer service time as a Chairman of a government ethics committee. Likewise, during his time in Virginia he has served as a member of the Fairfax County Government Information Technology Board,

6 Construction Firms In North Carolina Awarded $90,000,000 For General Construction Services within The Marine Corps Installations

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The following construction firms are awarded a $90,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contracts for general construction services within the Marine Corps Installations East area of responsibility.

After award of this modification, the total maximum dollar value for all six contracts combined will be $339,000,000.

Work will be performed at Navy and Marine Corps installations at various locations including, but not limited to, North Carolina (90%); Georgia (3%); South Carolina (3%); Virginia (3%); and other areas of the U.S.

The work to be performed provides for general construction services including, but not limited to, new construction, demolition, repair, alteration and renovation (total/partial/interior/exterior) of buildings, systems and infrastructure, which may include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and communication systems; installation of new or extensions to existing high voltage electrical distribution systems; extensions to the existing high pressure steam distribution systems, potable water distribution systems and sanitary sewer systems; additional storm water control systems; painting; removal of asbestos materials and lead paint; and incidental related work.

Work is expected to be completed by December 2020.

Boeing Co Awarded $265,022,000 Firm-fixed-price Delivery Order Contract Modification

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The Boeing Co, Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $265,022,000 firm-fixed-price, delivery order contract modification (P00001) to contract H92241-19-F-0091 for the procurement of nine MH-47G Chinook aircraft in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

This modification raises the contract ceiling to $285,800,000. The majority of the work will be performed in Ridley Park and is expected to be completed February 2023.

The Boeing Company is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide.

9 Firms Win Oil Contract

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co., San Antonio, Texas (SPE602-20-D-0497, $474,879,154); BP North America Products Inc., Chicago, Illinois (SPE602-20-D-0502, $382,860,418); Valero Marketing and Supply Co., San Antonio, Texas (SPE602-20-D-0492, $292,395,776); PAR Hawaii Refining, Kapolei, Hawaii (SPE602-20-D-0494, $202,881,454); Petro Star Inc.,* Anchorage, Alaska (SPE602-20-D-0496, $143,705,408); US Oil and Refining Co., Tacoma, Washington (SPE602-20-D-0501, $133,711,119); Phillips 66 Co., Houston, Texas (SPE602-20-D-0499, $103,018,608); Chevron U.S.A. Inc., San Ramon, California (SPE602-20-D-0498, $62,422,099); Sinclair Oil Corp.,* doing business as Sinclair, Salt Lake City, Utah (SPE602-20-D-0495, $43,766,148); and Wyoming Refining Co., Houston, Texas (SPE602-20-D-0493, $12,203,836), have each been awarded a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE602-20-R-0704 for various types of fuel. These were competitive acquisitions with 22 offers received. These are one-year contracts with a 30-day carryover. Locations of performance are Alaska, California, Wyoming, Texas, Washington, Hawaii, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, South Dakota and Oregon, with an Oct. 30, 2021, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency Energy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

For more information see website.

Crowley Government Services Inc. wins modification for $328,000,000 Freight Movement Coordination

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Crowley Government Services Inc., Jacksonville, Florida, has been awarded a modification (P00011) on contract HTC711-17-D-R003 in the estimated amount of $328,000,000. This modification provides continued surface transportation coordination services for the movement of freight within the continental U.S. (CONUS) and Canada under the Department of Defense Freight Transportation Services program to the Defense Logistics Agency and Defense Contract Management Agency. Work will be performed CONUS and in Canada. The period of performance is from Aug. 1, 2020, to July 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 transportation working capital fund funds were obligated at award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract from $438,285,829 to $766,285,829. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

See other awards by Crowley Inc. click here.

Crowley provides marine solutions, energy and logistics solutions for U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and other federal and state agencies. Our customers are served by industry specialists and military veterans who leverage the expertise, scale, and scope of our commercial business to solve government’s toughest challenges…

Take a look at their YouTube video for a brief company overview.